If you haven’t already heard, New York Comic Con recently did something extremely messy. After a pre-sale event months ago and the literal night before the general sale of tickets, the con decided it was the best time to announce a new anime festival in collaboration with AX Con in LA. I wrote a short article that detailed why this was a problem and why it is most likely the last straw for many fans – myself included. To add insult to injury, in their newsletter today NYCC announced high profile Black Panther guest Danai Gurira. The actress will be doing photo ops and autograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Underneath the announcement in a bold highlighted white is a plea to purchase the remaining Sunday badges still available.
Naturally, I rolled my eyes at this.
I half-heartedly hope something interesting happens on the Friday I purchased a ticket for. I know Jason Momoa will be in attendance but I believe on another day. I’m a really big fan of his works, especially Sundance TV’s The Red Road and Netflix’s Frontier.
I did not specifically plan to go on his day because sometimes conflicts arise and celebrities and guests pull out last minute. Also, in past years’ experience there seemed to be a theme of having anime talent on this chosen day – for whatever reason.
I am subscribed to the Anime NYC newsletter and it’s always a treat to open it. The con has partnered with many local Japanese establishments and organizations around New York and the newsletter is always filled with fun events to attend. Today’s email in particular detailed some con news and a header link teasing “So What Does Anime NYC Think of Anime Fest @ NYCC?”
Clicking on the link brings you to a very thoughtful Facebook post written by Peter Tatara, the Event Director for the con. Paraphrasing – Tatara mentions his love for and experience within the anime community and how much the con meant to him. He continues to talk about the attention the convention received anticipating its inauguration last year stating:
“We got a lot of attention around NYC, across the US, and as far away as Tokyo. It seems we got New York Comic Con and Anime Expo’s attention, too, and I’m pretty shocked about Anime Fest @ NYCC x Anime Expo. But I’m not going to comment on their motives. They’re plain to see.”
Tatara ends by thanking the community for their support and states that “Anime NYC’s goal remains the same…to support the anime industry, and build a festival focused on its fans.”
You can read the entire post on FB here and purchase tickets to Anime NYC from their official website here.
Which reminds me, speaking of tickets…
I tweeted about the glitch I encountered buying AFNYCC 2018 Saturday tickets. I received an error message from what I assume to be New York Comic Con’s servers. I then received a full denial and decided to re-submit the email and I am now experiencing the same dilemma once more. Either someone has DDoS’d their servers – or they really have sunken deeper unto another circle of hell.
The official website shows that the availability for the anime fest event is wide open, but simply the pre-sale tickets are sold out. Which again, begs the question of why there was no option to pick general priced tickets in the first place instead of having to repeat the virtual queue process once more. I refuse to purchase another ticket, especially since I should receive the advertised discount I believed to be guaranteed for supporting the con – but honestly, it’s a moot point. I’m completely over it.
As I mentioned in my last post, I hope NYCC 2018 and AFNYCC 18 will be worth all of the trouble they have caused the dedicated fans. I think this topic has now run its course, and unless something ridiculous happens – like legitimately ridiculous and not just eye-roll worthy ridiculous – I will not update on this topic until the conventions roll around simultaneously in October.
Which cons do you plan on attending in the fall? Do you enjoy attending anime-related events around New York City? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more updates on con news!
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