Anime Expo 2009 coming soon!

One of the first big events for me this summer is going to be the upcoming Anime Expo convention, July 2nd through 5th, held for its second consecutive year at the Los Angeles convention center. This will be my fifth convention and, having traveled to Anaheim and Long Beach for previous festivities, I am happy to report that the LA has done the expo proud.

Yes, there was much huff and puff in 2007 when it was announced that it would be changing locations once again (because we were all still pining for the loss of the Anaheim Convention Center) but after the success of the 2008 convention there is no doubt of our joy at its return to LA. Personally I fell in love with the large exposition hall and conference rooms allowing more people to enjoy panels. Most of all I enjoyed Artist Alley being given its own exposition hall, allowing fans to actually shop and admire the artists' work rather then trying to avoid the over crowded halls that held Artist Alley in previous conventions. Finally, with the creation of LA Live and the abundance of activity and food in the area I have no doubt this year will be even better then the last!

This year at expo you can expect all of the classic events including AX Idol and the Masquerade. As well as concerts featuring Moi dix Mois on the 2nd at three pm (seating starts at one but remember to get there early if you want good seats!) and Morning Muse July 3rd at 2:30 (seating starts at 12:30). There will also be a wide variety of industry panels where you receive the first look at new shows being released in the United States or what is happening next on some of your favorites, different workshops to help improve your own skills, and video rooms (this year's big show will be Funamation's premiere of "EVANGELION:1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE"). And finally the 2009 guests of honor and industry guests include Seth Green, Hiroyuki Imaishi, Daisuke Ishiwatari, Kevin Shinnich, Mike McFarland and many more.

For more information on this year's events and programs please go the Anime Expo website. It is well worth exploring because you don't want to miss a thing! So for all you anime fans out there I highly encourage you to come to Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention center this weekend! It is a lot of fun and worth it! Even if you are not a huge anime fan and only know a few titles it is still exiting being able to explore the exhibit hall merchandise and visit panels to learn about new shows. Moreover, it is a great place to make friends and become more knowledgeable about the world of anime. You can come for a day, the weekend, or the entire convention and tickets are still available online or at the convention that day. So come and enjoy the abundance of manga, anime, merchandise and cosplayers and I really hope to see you there!

-Aly

Hey! So just to quickly introduce myself I'm Aly and over the next 6 weeks I am going to be exploring Los Angeles as an Experience LA intern and reporting my museum visits, shopping trips, park adventures and other city encounters and events back to you. I was born and raised in the Valley but for college I decided to head east to New York City. So now that I am back in LA for the summer I plan to soak in all the California sun, fun and culture as possible!