Moving Out!

Cheap cons by NYC- CPAC, Liberty City Anime Con. You can take public transport to get to CPAC, and it's actually a decent growing convention. LCAC is very weeby, but it's in midtown so easy to get to.

There's also NYCC, but it isn't cheap. If you've never been it's worth going. Also, this year Crunchyroll is starting up Anime NYC in November, so I expect that to be good. There's not a whole lot of cons in NYC, but there's some groups that do cosplay bar events and hang out.

NYC is great because you can pretty much travel to any Eastern con through trains, so I'm jelly anon. Welcome!

There are a decent amount of meets and things and happen in the NYC area, especially in the Bryant Park area since Kinokuniya's there. They tend to pop up on the FB events.

Thanks for the for responses!

>>9363503
I'll check out CPAC when I get down there then! Getting to Jersey isn't very hard if I can manage the Long Island Express properly. I'm actually pretty interested because Rookiez iz PUNK'D will be there.

I actually went to NYCC in 2014 and 2015 but I stopped in 2016 aftemror the costs went up and the hassle of even getting the tickets became so tedious.

From where I from there used to be an over-saturation of conventions, it'll be a pretty interesting experience from what I can tell. And I actually saw Anime NYC on a list of cons but I didn't know it was from Crunchy so that's kinda cool to know.

>>9363506
I had no idea what Kinokuniya was until I looked it up. Definitely going to make it a thing to stop by when I get there.

Northeast con opinions:
Anime Boston is good, but security sucks. If you go, avoid bringing bags to skip lines.
Otakon is good, been lagging a little recently. Moving to a new venue and nobody knows how that will go.
Katsu is great for cosplay, not worth the trip for anything else
Magfest is really fun if you're into gaming or game cosplay. If you're not, don't go.
Portcon, AAC, Connecticon: only fun if you know people already, and only Connecticon is close to you.

>>9363201
>Which cons are worth it?

None of the ones that take place in NYC*

*can't say the same for Anime NYC which has potential

>Any events that happen regularly?

Usually anime related screenings are where you get the local community in general but it would help if you made some friends. More commonly within the city are "afterparty" events at bars or bowling alleys. They're either thirst traps or actual parties catered to cosplayers. Best ones appear to take place during NYCC.

But like I said if you really want to attend events you're best getting to know people because sometimes decent events go under the radar for one reason or another (I stumbled into a handful of meetups and maid cafe events just by accident).

>>Anything interesting I should I visit when I get there?

Having lived here most of my life I can't say but don't be afraid to travel around a bit on your weekends off. Kinokuniya is a nice place, Book Off is also really good, but you tend to find hidden gems just by exploring or through other people who live here.

As for cons:

> NYCC
Expensive and very commercial (as it should be). Tickets seem to also be a hassle to get. You usually don't miss out by not attending, but at least it's more bearable to get to with the recent train extension.

>CPAC
The con has been getting better and better and it's one of the best local chill cons. I say it is the best but it's a bit of a walk from the train to the university and it's very shortlived. But cheap as hell. Definitely a nice way to meet people.

>LCAC
The physical embodiment of disappointment

>Cosplay Day
I noticed there being multiple "Cosplay Day" events (though the only one that seems consistent is International Cosplay Day) at Central Park. While not a con, it is a free gathering of cosplayers.

Another person held a "Cosplay Day" once but she seems rather disorganized based on event rescheduling/cancellations, lack of permits or community engagement.

CPAC is a good relaxing 2 day con. Just take the path train from manhattan. No stress.

Liberty City is a shit show. NYCC is no longer worth the headache between price, crowds and content.
AnimeNYC seems to have potential. No word on it yet but the guests and organization seem to be going well so far.
Other than that the local cosplay community are your typical dirty neckbeards, yellow feverettes, and people trying to pretend they're not trying to be cosfamous but lord do they try hard.

>>9364279
>None of the ones that take place in NYC*

Unfortunately that seems like the case when I was just looking at the venues for some. But I'm going to be optimistic for Anime NYC at least.

>But like I said if you really want to attend events you're best getting to know people because sometimes decent events go under the radar for one reason or another (I stumbled into a handful of meetups and maid cafe events just by accident).

That's more less what I did where I live now and I ended being part of some really cool stuff. Some events just don't go advertised but that's part of the fun. My biggest problem is living 40-45 minutes outside of the city and public transportation. I'm driving with my car so I'll probably just park outside in a borough and then take the train all the way in.

>>9364431

>people trying to pretend they're not trying to be cosfamous but lord do they try hard.

Ahhhhahahahahaha


yeeeaaaah

>>9363201
Anime NEXT is no longer in the Tri-State Area, but down in Atlantic City - but you can catch a bus from just about anywhere in NYC to AC, so it's actually easier to get to now.

Born and raised in NY, and have been going to conventions since Big Apple Anime Fest in 2002.

1. Connecticon is underrated. It's actually pretty neat, with unique guests, and a nice convention space. The only down side is everything tends to stop around 9:00 which kind of sucks unless you have room parties you go to.

2. NYCC is a shit show now and formally ends at 7:00 each day. I only still go because I get in for free, and when that ends, so to will I. It was so much better when it was New York Anime Festival, but I digress. It's over priced, there's no good places to take photos, it's disgustingly congested, and everything is over priced. The guests are basically left overs who didn't get invited to San Diego Comic Con. 90% of the time. The only thing to do after 7:00 is go to a sponsored party where you can hang out with flavor of the month cosplayers and streamers who are usually boring and unfun to be around anyway.

3. AnimeBoston is a shit show in the sense that con security is stupid, and the people who run it don't know what they're doing, but it has it's charms, and usually has good guests.

4. AnimeNEXT is now in Atlantic City, which is a dump these days, so my friends and I stopped going despite supporting it for years.

5. Castle Point Anime Con is a joke. A big fucking joke. Avoid.

6. AnimeFanFest (which is in April) seems promising though it's extremely new and only a two day event at the moment. It's where AnimeNEXT USED to be, so I'll be giving it a shot.

AnimeNYC does look promising. PAX East is fun but very exclusive.

Also keep Katsucon and MAGFest in mind, anon.

>>9368864

You could also take a train that goes directly into AnimeNEXT, which is pretty nuts I think.

>>9368912
New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival were two different events until NYAF merged with NYCC due to poor performance. Everyone likes to pretend NYAF was awesome, but it really wasn't. It was full of weabos who spent money on the tickets, but barely spent money at the vendors, driving off vendors from coming back, and the attendance was piss poor considering it was held in part of the Javitz, just made renting the venue too expensive to continue.

You have the New Jersey Comic Expo, East Coast Comic Con, Cosplay Collectible Con, Eternal Con, Winter Con, Inbeon Con, Big Apple Comic Con, Newark Comic Con and Flame Con also, but they're pretty much the same wannabe cosplay guests and shit shows.

>>9368912
>CPAC is a a joke
Can you explain why? I'm curious to get some negative opinions, I've only heard good things about it, and I was thinking of going next year to sell in the artist alley.

On the other hand, I heard shit reviews of anime fan fest from last year. They overcharged for everything possible ($200 for artist alley tables when $50 would've been pushing it for a first year con) and the attendance was not great. They held it during Mother's Day weekend or something.

>>9369570

You're hearing good things about it because people who treat it for what it is appreciate the effort.

It isn't an Otakon, nor is it even an AnimeNEXT. It's like a college anime club hosted event that everyone is invited to.

When your expectations are of a decent gathering of cosplayers on a college campus with limited space you can walk away from it pretty satisfied. But CPAC is not a con people would travel "long distance" for.

That anon just sounds like they have really high expectations for what makes a convention.

There are a lot of cosplay events that go on in the city. I frequent some but they do have their issues.
Theres a guardians of the galaxy party happening in a few weeks.
There's a cosplay contest at a pro lax game coming up.
Also once you get into the community you get a bunch of invites to other events.
I've gone to ab, nycc, midwest, otakon and anext.
Nycc is expensive and honestly not worth it lately but lets hope that changes.
I enjoyed ab more when I was younger but its still a chill con.
Anext was alright but I haven't gone since they moved locations. I heard the change wasnt for the better tho.
Otakon has always been my favorite con. Looking forward to it again this year.
Lets see what crunchyroll can do this year tho with anime nyc. I hope its legit. There's not much anime at nycc anymore.

>>9373063
>ANEXT

The new location is alright but I could see why people have some issue with it. Anext in Jersey had the advantage of being in a location that was somewhat remote and mostly the only people around in the area were others cosplayers also the place was awesome for the heated weather. The next AC location you do have more options of stores and places to eat but the area turns pretty shitty after it gets dark, remember that AC itself is on a downward spiral mostly with most of the casinos closing down. The area around it is okay but once you start heading further down left or right you enter some pretty sketchy neighborhoods pretty fuckin quick.

Otakon I'm gonna try to go to again. I hate the fact I only went once and missed the last time it was in Maryland. I hope to make it again this year as well.

You're spot on about NYCC

>>9373079
>The new location is alright but I could see why people have some issue with it.
Well I dont care much for the surrounding area when I'm at cons if I've been there a few times or can get there freely.

>Otakon I'm gonna try to go to again. I hate the fact I only went once and missed the last time it was in Maryland. I hope to make it again this year as well.
I hope you make it man. Its such a great con.

>You're spot on about NYCC
Like its so unfortunate because at a time I really liked nycc but now i shell out money for it and at the end of the day I'm like was that worth? And the answer is no.

>>9363201
Depends on what your goals are, there are a lot of cosplay gatherings in the NYC area. They have a large two day sakura matsuri in the spring, Castle Point anime con (small university con with a shit ton of cosplayers), Liberty City anime con (I hear very little about it).

NYCC is an absolute shit show, expensive as hell, you have to sign up to get tickets within minutes of the launch and it's filled with asshole press members and guaranteed con plague. Anime NYC launches this year in the Javits, I'm hopeful for it until it turns into NYCC.

Driving distance (few hours), I know anyone living in the city won't own a car, but why not.
AnimeNEXT - decently ran con in a horrible venue (atlantic city)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Con - Horribly ran con that wrecks of desperation in the same shitty venue as ANext
ConnectiCon - Been to it a few times, everyone I talk to says it's only worth going if you're local
Anime Boston - The average age at that con is the youngest of any convention I've been to, it's obnoxious and ever sense the Boston marathon bombing going thru security might as well be baby TSA.
PAX East - Boston convention, good luck getting tickets to that
Another anime con - Manchester, even the people in NH says it's a waste of time.
Otakuthon - (If you want to go to Montreal), one of my favorites, easy going, decent size
ColossalCon East - Poconos area, I expect good things
Katsucon - DC area, pushy staff, con age too god damn young, but the convention is okay enough
MAGFest - (favorite) DC area, same venue as katsu, everyone is laid back and friendly, less cosplayers than katsu
Otakon - DC area, just like katsucon in every regard but with 2x the attendees
Anime USA - DC area, "meh", it wants to be Katsucon

>>9368912
Considering that anyone can get to CPAC local to Jersey or NYC for the cost of whatever transportation is, I wouldn't call it a "joke". It's basically a decent sized cosplay gathering with a dealers room.
AFF was canceled

>>9373198
>>9373079
The problem with ACCC is the city clearly put the convention center in as an afterthought. It only has one nearby hotel. The next two closest hotels Caesars and Bally's are a mile walk. ANext used to advertise as the anime con with a beach, but let's face it, the convention center is a mile away from the shore. The city is an absolute dump and you have to be vigilant if you want to walk around anywhere that isn't Michigan, Atlantic or Pacific ave. The boardwalk is shit, at night it is so poorly lit if you aren't within 200 feet of a casino you might as well be begging to be mugged.

The convention itself is ran well, the venue just makes it horrible.

>>9373514
>AFF was canceled
Where did you hear that? There's no sign of AFF getting canceled on either their site or Facebook.

>>9363201
I see a lot of people shitting on NYCC, which isn't surprising I guess. The thing to understand is that it's size and popularity makes it a very different type of con. It's much less social than a typical convention. If you want to see new reveals, buy cool expensive shit, see actual celebrities, see props and costumes from recent movies, etc... then it's the place to be. Since a lot of companies come out to it, unlike at a regular con, you'll get to see some cool official shit. This comes at the cost of overcrowding, huge lines, and a less human/less social feel than you would get at most cons.

Depending on what you want from a convention, SDCC and NYCC can be either the best or the worst conventions in the country.

>>9373517

I went from the Tropicana to the con center (and back at night) in a shark onesie and nobody fucked with me.

Either I was lucky or nobody fucks with sharks.

>>9373514
I'm doing AA at AFF, no one has been sent emails about it being canceled.

>>9374089
>>9374387
There's rumors floating around, knowing the sketchy nature of AFF I'm inclined to believe them. Go to their public FB page, people are complaining about refunds and hotel issues. No one from AFF are refuting these claims and the link to purchase tickets for the con leads no where, the con is in less than two months, it's weird. I heard it from a FB friend that got it from someone in their email lists saying these things.

Believe me or not, the ticket purchasing thing raises flags on its own.

>>9374330
I'd imagine the one time AC steps up their police presence with OT would be during that con. Having a healthy sense of situational awareness is a good thing, and that boardwalk just doesn't feel right at night.

>>9374089
People who bought tickets already had emails sent saying due to complications AFF wasn't happening and instead their tickets were being replaced with tickets to New Jersey Comic Expo in November or they could email in their info for a refund.

>>9375317
Well shit, I appreciate the heads up. I was already kind of regretting signing up for it, I'm going to email for a refund on the AA table.

>>9375323
Awesome that AA artists never got emails about it, and they were just gonna walk with our money.

>>9375317
I've been to AC during non-con times and I always make it a rule with my friends that we travel in groups after dark. Not that anything happened it's just that this should be common sense in an area like that. On the most part AC seems fuckin dead during certain months and times of the day. When I got there on thursday the place seemed so devoid of life and it was only 2 in the freakin afternoon.

You sure about the police presence? Last year I don't remember seeing a single cop while I was there.

>>9375323
How do you just exchange tickets like that?
Not the same weekend, not even the same fandom, but sure, anyone that goes to an anime con /should/ like comics. I've been to NJCE, con bored me to hell

>>9375370
I believe last year the city was going through austerity measures to avoid bankruptcy and state takeover. How that city doesn't fall into complete chaos is beyond me. Having OT work might just be having few cops agree to work on what money they could find laying around.

It's a casino town that never gave a shit about appealing to family tourism. The vast majority of people going to AC only stay in the casinos, mostly old people spending away their pension funds on penny slots. You won't find normal people outside unless they have a convention.

You're living outside the city? Long Island? Jersey? North of NYC?

There's a lot of small cons on Long Island, but they're mostly glorified nerd flea markets. Programming is meh, and cosplay is a mix. ICON is back this year (3/17-19). It used to be a big deal, maybe it'll be good? Immortal-Con has a lot of promise, I think it needs some tlc and it could be a decent Anime Con.

There's nerdy events too, but I would avoid anything run by White Duck Events. The organizer is clueless and just wants to play dress up and get cosfamous. Also refuses to ban someone who sexually harassed a girl at an event. There's other stuff that's not too bad, but tends to have a more horror spin on it than anything.

>>9376292
To be fair the con attendess are the same in the NYC market. Idiots that tend to just look to cosplay to avoid their real life. These are the same people that hit Sakura Matsuri and then bitch about how cosplayers are treated there by the normal people who attend it. They forget it's not a cosplay convention. It's a Japanese cultural event.

>>9376312
WDE is also a scammer, her and her buddy, Perez Play, who runs nerd events in the city did a patreon thing to help promote cosplayers and photographers if they chipped in, but Jacqui was looking to also use the money to help fund her family vacation.

They also claimed a popular photographer harassed Perez Play, which no one believed pretty much considering how outspoken he is against harassment, while they defend one that has been outed many times for harassment (EMCP) and staffs their events sometimes

>>9376344
I get it's a little off topic, anime characters are actually relatable meanwhile comic characters are rehashed freaks turned superhuman used since the 40s. I have never once become emotionally invested in either Marvel/DC verse characters. Also, Marvel and DC keep virtue signaling their political views to the point of frustration. I'm way more into anime than comics, I only occasionally watch Marvel movies, so I may as well be nothing more than the other thousands of normal plebs attending comic conventions. I don't even like photographing comic cosplayers, empowerment poses look so unnatural and rigid. To say AFF and NJCE is interchangeable is nonsense, I know of anime cosplayers that attend comic conventions in anime cosplay and they feel like freaks when they do that.

>>9376344
Wow, does not surprise me at all that WDE is a scammer. I think she had a physical altercation with someone at her Gatsby Event. It may have been the photographer.

>>9376292
Both events are organized by the same company (MAD Events). People are getting fucked over with hotel cancellation fees though so I doubt they want to transfer to another event by the same group. The person who was in charge of AA table sales is not even with the company anymore to make this entire thing even better.

>>9376744
Con was supposed to be roughly 7 weeks from now and their website still has a ticker counting. I believe they've been circulating internally that the con has been canceled a little over a week ago and they still don't even have a hint of information publicly something is wrong. They already had a reputation of fucking over the dealers last year by charging them way too much for the size of the venue, now this? Why should anyone want to deal with these people.

>>9376982
I took a chance on them because they were "replacing" AnimeNEXT at the somerset venue. I completely regret it. So far they aren't responding to emails or phone calls.

>>9377207
I live in Somerset, I could practically walk to that con if I wanted. Could be the shittiest con available and I'd still go to it, sucks that they're incompetent.

>>9377275
Oh hey I do too! The lack of travel/hotel costs was why I wanted to try tabling there. Apparently there were issues with the venue which is why they canceled.

>>9376344
Perez Play is an embarrassment to cosplay around NYC. Her shitty maid cafes with fat ugly girls do nothing to help her reputation.