By the third day of Anime Expo, I can’t help but feel a bit lethargic due to being nonstop busy the last few days. However, since it is a once a year event, my mind’s wants can overcome my body’s needs. Arriving at the convention center early as always, it is unsurprising to see that hundreds if not thousands are exploring the exhibition hall.
While walking around the exhibition hall, I stumbled across a very peculiar booth by DLSite. The intent of the booth was to allow participants experience life with an animated through a virtual reality headset. What makes the booth interesting is that while the participants are interacting a cute girl virtually, there are cute girls surrounding them in reality in a traditional Japanese setting.
What I also visited was the Vertical Comics booth where they were showcasing various prominent series. There was a wall on the side of the booth featuring Mayoi Hachikuji advertising the upcoming release of the translated Bakemonogatari light novel series in December. A statue of Kei Nagai’s Black Ghost from Ajin was the most flashy. Along with that, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso was featured on the other side of the booth. In regards to that series, attendees at Anime Expo can participate in a quest that can lead to them winning prizes after completion.
The biggest highlight of today though was probably the world premiere of Makoto Shinkai’s Kimi no Na wa. After watching the film, I can confidently say that his latest work is probably his best. And comparing it with other animated films, it still is one of my personal top favorites. The movie has been licensed by FUNimation so we can expect a home release for the west in the future. Shinkai had a Q&A session afterwards, and it was inspiring to see how much effort and emotion was put into creating this film. He drew his inspiration from the devastating Tohoku Earthquake that affected the lives of millions of people 5 years ago. He wanted to pay homage to the victims by portraying a story that shows how people can overcome a disaster.
By the time the film ended and me taking a rest from the festivities, night falls and the Los Angeles area dons a new image. And with that, the final day of Anime Expo draws near.
