Kodansha House returned to New York City for its third installment this past October. We stopped by the Hudson Yards location over New York Comic Con weekend to see what new additions the exhibition had to offer.
A New Atmosphere: Stepping Into Kodansha House at Hudson Yards
Immediately upon entering the new location, there was a gritty, moodiness in the atmosphere that could be attributed to the lighting and the Gachiakuta mural on the wall.
While this aesthetic does mesh well with NYC, it lacks the open, relaxed, and airy atmosphere of the previous SOHO locations that welcomed natural and fluorescent lighting with its white walls and wooden library.
As previously mentioned, the SOHO locations also had at least one additional floor to explore, so that the exhibition-goers could walk up or down a level and experience a different themed space or room. At the Hudson Yards location, the exhibition is one open floor plan, blocked by gallery wall displays and themed activations, allowing colorful lighting to lead the way rather than the drive and curiosity of continued gallery exploration.
Immersive Activations & Fan-Favorite Photo Ops
This new space omits both the paid and free drink bars in favor of spacious returning photo ops like the Attack on Titan “Titan’s Fury” and Akira for Kaneda’s bike. A large-scale Blue Lock activation spanned the back of the event space with monitors that recorded the players’ attempts against the virtual opponents to mirror EGO monitoring the players in the anime and manga series.
Witch Hat Atelier offered an interactive display where you could retrace the Pointed Cap’s magical sigils – if you dared. The Ghost in the Shell virtual photo ops with Major, Batou, and Tachikoma were also available.
The arcade section probably was the same size as previous years or even expanded, but due to the space’s layout, it looked “placed” rather than “themed”, as in previous years.
Creator Highlights & Exclusive Panel Insights
Guests and activities-wise, as you all may already know, Blue Lock creators Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, Witch Hat Atelier creator Kamome Shirahama, and Graffiti Designer of Gachiakuta, Hideyoshi Andou, were all present for Kodansha House LA’s inaugural exhibition.
This year, only The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity creator, Saka Mikami, was present at Kodansha House NYC. Thankfully, Mikami-sensei did have a panel at NYCC as well for international fans who were not lucky enough to win a ticket to her creator signing or the signing with Q&A.
I was in the NYCC panel audience and watched Mikami-sensei complete a live drawing of Rintaro on shikishi as she answered questions and spoke about her inspiration for the series. Look out for that article in the coming weeks detailing her discussion at the NYCC panel!
Aside from the single mangaka appearance, there was a The Ghost in the Shell Talk Show that screened episode one of Science Saru’s GITS, followed by a Q&A with Takeshi Katsurada, GITS manga editor.
Community Programming & Industry Shifts
A few other events were scattered here and there, but it does seem to be notably less events than the previous two years. It doesn’t help that nearly 1/3 of the events were “invite only” and dedicated to different sectors of the industry (i.e., “Library Day” for librarians and educators, “Retail Day” for retailers, etc.) with less emphasis on the formerly spontaneous walk-in or casual RSVP events for anime watch parties, speed friending, and the like for fans.
It seems that Kodansha also made the decision to host their industry panel offsite at Kodansha House, rather than at NYCC when it reportedly was once found on the convention’s website under the panels & screenings section before the mass update and shuffling around of things as we got closer to the actual convention date.
Companies hosting their own ‘directs’ with fans has been a staple in the gaming industry for over a decade at this point and expanded after the demise of E3. I’m wondering, with all of the (near constant) pop-ups and collaborations with venue spaces, if we will now see this unique phenomena enter the animanga spaces as the new norm going forward.
The inner space at the center of the gallery near the stage is spacious and filled with seats where fans can browse Kodansha’s expansive library. There were flyers for various events and workshops going on, and a freebie bookmark highlighting Witch Hat Atelier’s dominant presence at this year’s Kodansha House.
When I went over NYCC weekend, the website said there was supposed to be a “UniVersus (UVS) Card Game Spot” walk-in event for Fairy Tail UniVersus, but maybe the event had concluded early by the time I strolled in at 4 pm? I don’t know; either way, it was a nice experience, but I would hope that if it does return next year, offerings for both New York and Los Angeles will be equal.
Retail Offerings & Final Verdict on the 2026 Pop-Up
This year’s retail merch seemed to completely omit the themed Kodansha House merchandise of prior years that featured special illustrations for fans. Also, merch offerings appeared to be, in my opinion, less adequately priced for NYC audiences.
With no diversity of offerings aside from a single print being reused and slapped on apparel, posters, and tote bags of various price points alongside officially licensed merch like a wonderful GITS tachikoma keychain that cost around $35 in this economy…with no option to use cash, only card while on the premises.
(I tend to only carry cash and use my card as an emergency backup when attending conventions and events because you never know what you are getting in NYC regarding scams, skimming of card readers, faulty internet connections delaying charges, or, in rare cases, charging the customer double, etc.
So I’m not really condemning Kodansha House’s Retail Shop for only accepting cards, but maybe next year they can consider cash given the location of the country they are in, considering cash is still king in New York City.)
But again, otherwise, Kodansha House NYC was a nice experience this year, and I look forward to attending its next installment.
Did you attend this year’s Kodansha House on the East or West Coast? How did it stack up to your previous expectations of the manga pop-up?
🏮 Read More In Asian Spaces
- Kodansha House 2026: Immersive Pop-Up Debuts at Anime Expo with Blue Lock & Witch Hat Atelier Guests – Explore the West Coast installment of Kodansha House 2026, featuring exclusive creator appearances, Little Tokyo activations, and expanded fan experiences during Anime Expo.
- Atsushi Ohkubo Q&A & Exclusive Photos: Kodansha House 2025 NYC Manga and Anime Pop-Up Review – Look back at the 2025 NYC pop-up with our full photo gallery walkthrough and exclusive Q&A coverage featuring Soul Eater creator Atsushi Ohkubo.
- Meeting Vinland Saga Creator Makoto Yukimura: Kodansha House NYC 2024 Event Recap – Revisit where it all began with our in-depth recap of the inaugural 2024 Kodansha House NYC event and creative dialogue with Makoto Yukimura.
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