Do you enjoy waiting in line for hours on end for something you already paid for far in advance? Do you enjoy having to dodge people who are blocking the walkways with their huge groups, not allowing you or even handicapped people to pass? Do you enjoy the smell of B.O. mixed with flatulence in a crowded room of people? Do you enjoy waiting in even MORE lines with these people? Well, then Fanime Con is for you! I've been attending Fanime since the late 90s and this year was, by far, the absolute WORST year I have ever experienced. I pre-register every single year with friends and have never had to wait in line more than an hour on a Friday afternoon in all my previous years of attending. Last year, we waited 10-15 minutes to get our pre-registration badges on a Friday afternoon. This year, it was about 4 hours. For many others, from what I've heard, it was 7+ hours on Thursday. Granted, they are doing construction on the convention center and registration had to be moved to the Fairmont, but even so, this should have been planned out weeks to months in advance. There were tons of people, no organization whatsoever, no signs pointing to where the registration and pre-registration lines were... all in all, a complete MESS. Also, the halls were flooded with people this year, with many of these people extremely rude and blocking walkways with all their friends while people tried to get through, including people in wheelchairs. There was no crowd-control at all by staff, from what I saw. Again, it was a mess. If this is how staff is going to run things, then I don't plan on ever returning. Waiting for hours in line with a bunch of stinky, sweaty, angry people in a poorly ventilated room for something you are supposed to avoid by pre-registering online is not my idea of a great time. Fanime, get it together or you're going to lose a lot of your loyal attendees from years past. Zero stars for organization and registration this year. Two stars for the artist alley (which was amazing this year) and some of the panels (that weren't completely overflowing with people). That's about it. The pre-registration experience ruined it for me. read more

The event has fallen from grace. I've been coming to this event for years on and off since 2010. I went this past Memorial Day weekend. They no longer have the abundance of rare anime and talanted artwork at the vendors like they did in prior years all the while being overcrowded with annoying nuisance mortals. A word of advice, a ticket to this event grants you entry to the Steamwork Alchemy Convention in the nearby Doubletree Hilton Hotel. Go there should the Fanime event make you lose interest so you get your money's worth. ~Much of the interesting booths and events *i.e. voice acting* only occur on Friday and Saturday, so persons who go on Memorial day itself will be sorely dissappointed hence the subtraction of one star. ~Second, they do not serve beer nor wine at the their rave hence the subtraction of another star. I will be coming back next year; however, I attend with comrades and friends not so much for the event since this year has really let me down. read more

I have been taking my FaveRel and friends to FanimeCon for several years. It is a huge Anime convention in the San Jose Convention Center in DTSJ. Thousands attend this 3.5 day event. It is always held on Memorial Day Weekend, starting Friday, but careful, it ends at 3pm Monday, Memorial Day, and you can't buy day tix that day as registration is closed. This year I was fortunate enough to win some Tix from YELP South Bay! Thanks Candice G and Donna T! It is appreciated! This has all things Anime: Video showings, Panel discussions, Stage shows, Board and Card games, Cosplay events, Artists' row, Dealer merchandise, and of course hundreds if not thousands in Anime Costumed Fans. Probably some of the most popular Anime outfits are Sailor Moon (and other Sailor planets), Naruto, Goku, Lelouch, and more, and you can find multiple versions of these and so many more with the CosPlay enthusiasts at FanimeCon. FaveRel used to have her own creation character and outfit, which was half Wolf, half Anime, entitled the Dark Princess. But this year she again hand-made a new outfit based on the badass revolver toting Ginger, Magoichi Saika, from the popular Anime Game and series based on real historical characters (albeit modern and stylized appearances) from Sengoku Basura, based on the War Lord period in Japan, circe 1540s - 1610. read more

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I've been going to Fanime for over a decade, since it was held at Foothill College, and have nothing but great things to say about the attractions and vendors... however after this year, I'm sad to say that I wont be returning; not after the horribly rude, incompetent, and downright deceitful, scandalous personal they hire to staff the event. It pains me to have to write this. My friend and I arrived shortly after registration for the 24 hour event apparently closed(?)... and were refused tickets. We tried contacting Con-Ops, who told us they weren't "registration staff" and to come back the next day. Really? but you're open right now.... Just after leaving con-ops, we were approached by some girl who tried to sell us tickets and then promptly called security to have us escorted off the site. I tried to explain that we just wanted to legitimately buy tickets to enter the event and the security guy said "well maybe next year you can volunteer for night registration." Is this how you run a business? How can you afford to staff people (even if volunteers) to pull these shenanigans on people who just want to legitimately purchase entry to your event and not hire anyone to actually sell passes. I will never come back and will spread the word by any and all channels just how bad this experience was. Shame on you Fanime, how far you have fallen. read more

I've been coming to Fanime for a number of year, this year (2016) was actually one of the betters years. I actually talked to a lot more random strangers then ever this year, compared to prior years of coming. **Please also remember i could always have written more. First off I'd like to address the negatives... So first off yes, the lines are long if you have a 1 day pass i feel sooo bad you have to wait so long in line and by the time you get it you're already tired *MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT COME LATE AS REG CLOSES. I assume the staff is trying to help everyone as fast as possible, and they are probably working on new ways to fix the problems. I remember if it wasnt a year it was 2 years ago, people called it Maze con instead of line con because the line went by so fast and they still made you go through the lines. So until next year we'll have to see if it gets better **its always kinda been a long wait and i'm talking hours here. Second, Yes its so hot outside and warm and smelly inside, its always going always going to be like that make sure you bring deodorant. **if you go to the dance it always smells like BO or if you meet people who stay over 25 hours in the gaming room. Third, the parking is pretty bad outside but there are some ways to get around that without walking too far **Few parking places people dont know about or you can always take light rail or Uber/Lyft Fourth, All food places around the area are going to be packed, try getting a milk tea in the middle of the day and youre waiting an hour in line or try getting coffee in the morning its the same at some places. Events/Panels/Stage Zero- there is so much things going on here and i have to tell you that planning ahead is key, when you get your badge they give you a schedule of when events are happening make sure you look at this and do not miss something you want to be at. Make sure you come early **sometimes early doesnt it cut it as in speed dating it was a random draw for men **girls i dont know i heard they all get in. Make sure you know what youre getting yourself into....Late night fanime is not always the same as day fanime...just saying...Gaming is always open 24 hours open so make sure you come and relax and dont just wander the con. Stage zero is almost always holding something make sure you catch your breath and take a seat sometimes its just nice sitting on a chair *so many people just sit on the floor. Artist Alley and Dealers Hall- I have a preference for Artist Alley since its mostly original work if not all original work they sell, While dealers hall is what you might find at a anime online store, i do like this sometimes because i dont like to wait for shipping but prices are sometimes sky high! *wait till Monday..if youre not too tired you can find some really good sales since its the last day, there is also a swap meet. **Bought a One punch man poster from Artist Alley its pretty good i have to say that these people are pretty talented Cosplayers and Photographers: So this was the first year of me going and shadowing these people. I'm always on the other side of the fence just taking casual pictures. But when you start talking to these people theyre really friendly, both cosplayers and photographers work really hard here they put in so much time and money into these things. When you see a cosplayer and they are adorned by a huge prop or a photographer setting up his lights you have to remember that stuff cost alot! thats pretty crazy and all for this, when you think about it, its pretty crazy that theyre out here in the hot sun doing all this. **there are always photoshoots happening between model and photographer **also note that some photographers charge and other dont. But in general these are all super friendly people and if you know the work and youre respectful of their time theyre more then willing to talk to you about their passion Attendees: You're the best haha this couldnt happen without you your the Fan in Fanime *So Lame.... But yeah its true i've talked to a number of you this year and how you go about the con and how you dedicate your time here is amazing. I've met the people who go home early to the people who stay 24hr here **kinda insane but its awesome at the same time. You guys are awesome Thanks: I'd just like to give thanks below, these are also the people i talked to/followed around: Yelp Fanime Staff: Thanks for all your hard work! Cosplayers Instagram- OtaKev, Astralogancosplay, Ladyauroracosplay (Cosplayer/Photographer): Thanks for letting me shadow you during part of this convention, **I realized this year that Cosplayers have cosplay business cards Photographers: Instagram daddypop_culture : Thanks for letting me shadow you around while you took pictures of cosplays Attendees: This wouldnt be fun, without all of you, the fan girling/boying over everything the random yelling and dramatic scene in the middle of the con. *Awesome. read more

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This is mostly about my recent trip to Fanime in 2016. This year seemed very organized except for the registration line which seemed to be horrible almost every day. Thankfully I didn't have to deal with it, but I heard it was really bad. Overall, I really enjoy Fanime, there's tons to do and they seem to improve every year. This year the gaming hall was in the same space, but I felt that there was more to do inside. It was definitely overcrowded still though so it'd be cool to see even more in the future. Artists Alley always seems really popular. It's usually quite crowded. I really love that they've added a lot more food to the Dealer's Hall. Gives people a quick bite to eat that isn't from the crappy convention concession stands. While the prices are still marked up a bit, I'd rather pay for decent food. As for panels and cosplay meetups, Fanime really offers a bunch. Ranging in variety too! They're not limited to just Anime which is cool to see that they're reaching all sorts of interests. It was really hot this year though, they really ought to find cooler spots for meetups since they're usually out in the hot sun in their big costumes. Fanime is one of the coolest events to invade Downtown SJ. They offer a ton of attractions ranging from Maid cafes, raves, ballroom dancing, and fantastic panels. Can't wait to come back next year! read more

Reviewing on the free side of FanimeCon :) I didn't plan on going, but my friend and his lady asked if I wanted to go. Free? I'm down! Our only interest was checking out costumes and just people watching. I gotta say, kids were there in their superhero costumes, dads were there protecting their semi-revealing daughters costume, friends were there out to have a fun time, and of course cosplay enthusiasts were there ready to pose for anyone asking to take pictures with them. I had a kick out of it. nothing like frolicking with men in robes and girls with bright, vibrant hair, stranger danger was not a priority this weekend at FanimeCon. The fact that the event lets us wanderers around without a pass in the entrance area away and out of the heat was pretty kind of them, I'm pretty sure it's packed where they need the passes to get in. Where I was at? Fine by me, entertainment alone was just me watching groups of friends with coordinating costumes and posing without a care of strangers judging their every move? Nah, everyone was being themselves without judgment. Almost. LOL Outside people had music blasting and someone kinda made fun of SMASHMOUTH being blasted from some portable speaker. I want to say the folks making fun of Smashmouth probably isn't a local, and the fact that they even knew it was Smashmouth, don't laugh :) you knew whose music it was! LOL Hungry, thirsty? Yeah, you usually see the ice cream pushers, mexican chip cart, and elote at some parking lot of school. Pretty sure people were thankful they were there near the entrance! The only unpleasant experience I had was basically being stepped on. LOL, photographers or photo snappers would step back taking pictures of all the cosplay costumes not looking behind to see if anyone was already there or not. I'm not complaining, it's all in fun, it's not often you get to see sexy ladies in some pretty hot costumes come to life. read more

About half a year ago was my third year at Fanimecon, and I have to say it was thousands times better than Fanimecon 2012 for multiple reasons. Since everyone is jumping on the terrible line wait bandwagon, I will give my own opinion on this because the hell me and my friends went through needs justification. According to the site, the badge pickup was supposed to take place on Thursday May 24th from 7-10 PM, and I waited to around 4:30 after school, not knowing the terror that was yet to come. Arriving at approximately 5:30 P.M, I had known to come to a hotel a few ways from the old registration in the convention. Inside, I saw what seemed to be the start of the line which didn't seem too large at the time. I was ecstatic and thought, "well this won't be too bad!" Then it hit me. It hit me like the Colossal Titan elbowed me in the gut. It hit me like a thousand of Naruto's Rasengans, or the entire arsenal of Homura Akemi's rocket launchers, or the groin kick of a raging tsundere. That wasn't the start of the line. A rover told me "The line starts outside, literally around outside." I went outside and saw the Goliath of a line that has outlined every line that had existed in the history of lines. There were rows of people, in costume and without, endless rows, like it was a hall of mirrors. There had to be at least a thousand people, even more for the fact that the line extended inside the building. When I stepped onto a bench to take a better look? "DAYUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMM" is all I could muster. When me and my line buddies came to get in this mega line, we were unprepared for the hell that awaited. Little did we know, that beyond the doors going into the hotel, was another, mega line. Apparently Fanimecon staff heard we liked lines, so they decided to make us wait in a line for a line for a line. The time we spent outside in the cold and dark totaled about 4 hours. Get into the line as early as possible, by all means. 2014, make it happen. read more

My boyfriend and I went to Fanimecon this year and had a real good time. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it the three days so I decided not to buy the 3 day tickets online and decided to wait to get a one day pass. I left Fairfield, CA at 9am go there at 11am, waited in line till 4pm, got in the Con at 5pm, and only had 2 hours to shop. This is really unfortunate. Considering how large this convention is, you really need to get your organization together. I have been to Wondercon for years, which is way larger, and I never had to wait in a line like this. You really need to organize better; use your nerdy skills, and find a compromise so that customers can have a more enjoyable experience. I hated that I had to wait in line for 3-4 hours to only enjoy a few hours of the convention. One way of avoiding this is selling one day tickets online and opening up registration online before going to the event becaue having onle 3 computers available due to the high volume of guests is really unacceptable and downright a waste of money. I paid $40 for a one day ticket only to be at the convention for 2 hours. This is a sham. read more

This is a review about the thursday, day 0 pre req pickkup. Will update later IT WAS LIGHTNING FAST. They opened 3 hours early and after going through the caution tape maze there was almost no line at the end. I haven't seen what it's like at the clockwork pickup area but they definitely improved the pickup times by +1000% at the convention center. What a complete 180 from last year. Took me less than 10 minutes at 2PM on day 0 to get my badge. even the people on the forums agree: http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,19481.0.html "LineCon was MarathonCon!" 10/10 @HeroCosplay (not me) read more

One of my favorite cons. It has grown exceptionally over the years, but not quite as huge as Anime Expo. Plenty of things to do, but tickets have gone up a fair amount in pricing. At least $20 in the last 10 years, but I suppose it's to be expected. I wish some of the facilities weren't a few blocks away, but I do like the newly renovated campus. read more

I've been going to Fanime from 2004-2007, and decided to come back this year. The difference in experience was kind of amazing. I knew that the convention had become more popular for whatever reason (I'm still not sure). I was disappointed in the experience, but since I hadn't been at Fanime for a while I don't really know how to sum up my experience. Artist Alley Artist Alley was huge! While I'm not a huge fan of it being so darn hard to find (some volunteers were confused as to where it was...), I really liked that there was so much room and so many artists! Overall I liked the change. I did spend most of Friday hanging out helping my friend table at Artist Alley, and it was relatively comfortable. Badge required. Dealer's Hall Very crowded. So crowded. I got a headache and couldn't take it, especially since I was wearing a bothersome cosplay. Probably would have been better if I had worn something more comfortable. Lesson learned. I wish I experienced Dealer's hall better. Badge required. Food Court This was interesting. Jamba Juice? Why? I also didn't think that most of the foods served here were very healthy, so it was overall unappealing. Unless you wanted "exotic" junk food. Which to be honest isn't so exotic if you grew up Asian. No badge required. Video Rooms I felt that this year the anime viewings were unimpressive, but it might be because they weren't showing any of the newer animes and instead went with mostly old school anime. Not sure why they decided to do that. Asian film festival was also unimpressive. I don't know why they chose certain movies. No badge required, it looks like. LINE LINECON. OMG. I was here on day 0 to pick up my badge and it was a nightmare. The average wait time was six hours. Thankfully it only took me 2 hours that day, but six hours is way too much time for lines. They need to make it more efficient! And on top of that, they were printing out labels for our badges! This was super disappointing because I remembered previous years they would have your name printed on the badge. Small detail, but MAN. Six hour wait time though... I heard on day 1 it was still a 2~4 hour wait. What is up with that. Cosplay Cosplayers and photographers and boyfriends standing by watching other people photograph their girlfriends. That about sums it up. There were a lot of all three. Some cosplayers were more popular than others. Oh well. Unbadged. I know that for some people, not having a badge didn't affect their experience, but to me it changed my experience a lot and I guess it really depends on what you go to Fanime for. If you go mainly for people watching and cosplay, you don't need a badge, but if you are there to experience Fanime, then a badge is necessary. I also feel that Fanime is still a small convention, because if you have drama with a person, you will definitely run into them and it will be awkward for unrelated parties. Also, tip for cosplayers: if you cosplay, get a hotel room around the convention center or a person who isn't cosplaying to hang out with you and act as a cosplay slave to hold all your things when people ask for photos. Which will likely be every ten minutes. Fanime (for whatever reason) doesn't have a handy dandy bag check, so if you don't have a cos helper, you are pretty screwed. read more

Fanime by far is the best anime convention in california. Don't listen to all the hype of AX being the biggest and best, they don't have the staff to support the crowd that comes. Fanime on the otherhand is a very innovative and grass-roots based convention that listens to its fan. Sure you don't have any major anime or manga guest, but what it lacks in industry glam, it makes up in high energy community that is very positive. The location is great for photos and walking distance is Cal State San Jose which offers a great background if you're tired of the fountains across from the fairmont or the interior of the many hotels. The hotels are very supportive too and don't mind cosplayers setting up shoots and blocking traffic. I've never had a problem setting up strange contractions and people walk on by without giving strange glares of EWE. I would consider fanime a cosplayer's paradise. There's tons of great cosplayers that frequent this convention as well as great photographers. Their prices are very competitive and it's almost impossible to get an artist alley table at the price that fanime offers it for. Their programming is very fun and never really serious. The offer martial art shows, ballroom dance classes, and just crazy topics that people volunteer about. What really makes the con great is the attendees. Sure there's drama at every con, but I feel that the attendees at fanime are more refined and you'll find less childish bull%#)$ than at other cons. If you like anime and you like cosplay, do yourself a favor and save up for this convention. You won't reach enlightenment, but it definitely feels like revisiting the golden age of anime. read more

Ive been going to Fanime since before i had an opinion on anime conventions. I barely remember back when my brother attended cons, and he took me to Fanime (Back before it wasnt at the SJCC). I remember i loved the shopping. Then - 2003 or 2004, I attended Fanime on my own, without my brother with me. I had a blast all on my own. Made plenty of friends, had much to do. I got into cosplaying. I made a lot of friends cosplaying. You learn that there are a LOT of people with similar interests as you and friendships blossom. Then one year, 2009, I decided i wanted to help out more than just attend. I joined staff. I became a rover. I made a whole bunch of new friends. We have fun working together to put together this convention for all the attendees. Personally, I LOVE to help out the con attendees. I have my own fun of course, but ensuring other people are having a blast brings me pleasure as well. This con - I dont know how long it will be around... but I know I will be there for it whenever it needs help :) read more

I've been attending Fanime for about 3 years since 2010. I gotta say I love it not only because it was my first convention but it's so much more! I look forward to it every year. I love how there is a varieity of cosplays not just anime/manga. The artist alley is amazing there are so many awesome artists there. There's some pretty well known efamous artists there too. However I marked down on the score because: 1. Registration lines are crazy! Last year the power outage and the lines. (Maybe because it is just getting more and more popular.) 2. Construction last year. I felt a little claustrophobic. Again, Fanime con is getting bigger. 3. The fountain is gone! Noooo! Good side: 1. I love the location! There's a variety of hotels, restaurants (which are pretty cosplayer friendly), and the cvs is there. (I forgot to bring my tights for one of my cosplays ha ha.) 2. Public transportation the light rail is easy access to and from the convention. 3. The park! The park is fun to go to for photoshoots and its right across from the convention center. It's a great place to go and relax. My friends and I had a picnic there it was lovely. read more

It's a happy place! There are a lot of cosers. But the parking is almost full nearby. I think the best way is to take VTA read more

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I usually go for at least one day a year but this year I went all weekend long. This is my story. Thursday: Pre-reg badge pick up There has got to be a better way. Seriously, when I got to the end of the line the estimated wait was 2.5 hours and I thought that was long. Instead of being smart and leaving (or registering at Clockwork Alchemy) I waited (and wasted) 6 hours of my life. Mind you this was all pre-reg so all tickets were paid for. In fact I paid for my ticket last year at Fanime 2012 and still waited as if I didn't register at all. Friday: Day 1 This was slow to start but the parking lots were full by the time I came in. This is the best time to buy stuff if you're looking for the greatest selection, lots of items sell out on this day. Panels aren't too crowded in the afternoon and there's a lot of people in cosplay to see. Saturday: Day 2 This seemed to be the busiest of all the days to me. Crowds everywhere and with that a lot of un-welcomed smells. Instead of a Hi Chew booth (which I loved, don't get me wrong), they should of had one booth passing out mini deordorants and Gas X samples. Convention food and traveling don't mix well and I smelled the proof. I was only there for a couple of hours. Sunday: Day 3 This was a lot less hectic than Saturday. Maybe people were starting to leave or maybe they were too tired from Saturday but Sunday was Fun Day for me. The convention center wasn't too crowded and I had a lot of fun just hanging out with friends and taking pictures of people dancing and playing ninja. Monday: Day 4 Deal day! Not everyone was lowering prices but some vendors were. A lot less people and street parking was easier to find. There was still a lot of costumes to be seen, but by then a lot were pretty funky since they were worn all three days. The festivities end at 3pm so that gives you enough time to tie up loose ends and call it a Con. Things to note: The registration pick up system needs vast improvement. I really liked how the badges were plastic this year but there's no reason people should be waiting in a line for 6 hours to get something they already paid for. It was nice to have a food vendor area and even nicer that Asian Grocer was 24 hours. They had a lot of unusual ramune flavors and the guys working there were honest about what they liked and didn't like. Prices were on the expensive side ($4 Giant Green Tea Kit Kats) but what does one expect at a convention. Artists alley was in a giant blue and white tent with dim lighting, no air conditioning and was so confusing to find at first. I will admit I did like the extra space the tent dealy thing provided so people were actually able to walk around without looking like cattle in cosplay. The artists alley really is the highlight for me since I find a bunch of cute items and get to see the people who make them. Whenever I go I always ask for business cards so that I can buy there items online if they sell out. Having panels split between the Fairmont and the hotels attached to the convention center was a bit annoying. I know they are dealing with limited space due to construction but none the less annoying. The area with water coolers that used to be for gaming, was nothing but rooms of EDM at night and you needed a pass to get in. This is a great idea in case people want to dance, but with so few water fountains around it would be nice to have water coolers available to the public like in previous years. There was a walkway that went through the gaming room. This was nice because it allowed people to see what was going on and get a look at people playing Human Chess or Ninja. This was a nice touch indeed and the room was busy all weekend long. All in all I had fun but I will agree with others that this convention has gone downhill from when I first started going. Unless they change their ways I think I'll be sticking to either AX or CC. read more

Been going here since 2009 and this year, it was a lot better than the prior two Pros: - Lines were organized and non-existent for preregistered - Gaming room seemed a bit more open - Construction being done made more space - Dealer Hall & Art Gallery actually had proper amounts of space for their wares - Really interesting and different types of merchandise available - Beautiful cosplay - Maps were displayed well and the schedule was put into place in many areas - Anime being aired near constantly in various rooms with a wide variety - Bike rentals nearby for those without a car/hotel or did not want to walk - Some people are open to striking up conversations as you often are stuck with each other at lines/waiting - Easy and approachable to ask people to take photographs of their cosplay Cons: - Some fans are very rude, particularly in the game room. I had something on a table and a guy dropped his binder of cards onto it and almost ruined the artwork I had bought. These are the same people who have no concept of personal space - Seemed like less percentage of people cosplaying this year compared to prior years - The panels going on at the Fairmont vs the convention center itself was fairly confusing - Local merchants/restaurants came out in force to attract with bargains - Most of the panels were not as interesting as last few years - Buying merchandise or food at the convention can get pricy - Occasional hobos near the convention beg - Religious protesters (slightly better this year. didn't tell us outright that we were going to burn in hell) - Traffic and parking is a nightmare. Prepare to use the bus or walk if you did not get a nearby hotel Tips: - There are always oddballs but overall, despite it, they can be endearing and make this an interesting break from the usual. - Worth the time saved and money saved on pre-registering. - Buy a weekend pass if you will be there more than one day. Saves money and then you don't have buyer's remorse if you buy one day then decide to go another - Bring a purse/backpack full of food, drinks, napkins, sanitizer, or anything else you think you will need. Planning ahead saves time, money and makes things more comfortable - If cosplaying, be careful with your cosplay. Don't accidentally flash someone, be mindful if it stains easy, and don't hit people with tails/stray wings/broken pieces - Always say excuse me and thank you. It's surprising how far a bit of manners go towards defusing stress from this event read more

FANIMECON 2014 -- THE DEETS: - Decided to check out FanimeCon on Monday, last day of Con - Lots more booths added over the years - Many in attendance as always - Yaya Han's last year! --- OVERALL: - FanimeCon has evolved over the years and I want to just give them a round of applause for the great work they're doing. The difference about this Con versus others is that this is put together by fans for fans. I think I agree with other folks that this was definitely a good year for Fanime. Would recommend folks to come here next year, it's totally worth the visit. #459 read more

Overpriced, bad line management, few events. Just go Saturday for concert. Don't get 3day ticket. Not worth. They absolutely suck at organizing. For speed dating, supposed to be a lottery system. Register 1 hour ahead of 4-6 time slot right? Wrong. Got here 2:50, there's a line. Now it's 3:50, line hasn't move. No lottery or Registration had started. I can't believe these assholes charge $75 for a Convention that is this poorly ran. There's Anime Expo next month, just go there. There's a Jpop summit in SF at the end of June. Kpop Con in LA. Other anime jpop kpop conventions. Just don't give money to these clowns at Fanime. read more

this was my first fanimecon, and boy am i glad i went! my favorite thing about cons is always the cosplayers, who never cease to amaze me with their intricate and clever work. it's a sensory overloading parade of japanese culture, from the ubiquitous (dragonball, naruto, league of legends, Deadpools) to the obscure, and everything in between (RWBY, Attack on Titan, etc) at first i fretted over who to cosplay as. it was short notice, so recycling a wardrobe was in order: goku, ash, ichigo, pirate, or superman? settled on Captain Hammer. man, did i feel like an underachiever when i arrived. everybody's cosplay was 10 levels above! if you've never been to a Con before, or even if you have, fanimecon is a great feast for your inner nipponophile. read more

Held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the McEnery Convention Center in downtown San Jose, this show is a must if you are a fan of anime, electronic games or Asian films. Inside the exhibition hall you will find booth after booth of anything and everything anime. Whether your interest is in anime apparel, manga, cosplay, action figures, sword play, dvds or Japanese snacks (Pocky!) the big exhibition hall has something for you. There is also a separate exhibit hall for gamers. The exhibit halls open until 8 PM each night except on Memorial Day when the convention closes. As with most conventions there are panel discussions on anything anime-related or even for karaoke and autograph opportunities. There is 24 hour anime programming also available in six video rooms inside the convention center. Most are shown in their original state with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles, but the one thing that brings me back every year is the 24 hour programming of Asian films. There are three video rooms located inside the Marriott Hotel (which connects to the convention center) that will air a variety of action, comedy or horror films from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and other Asian countries. Again most are subtitled. Probably the coolest thing with this show is that about forty percent of the attendees show up in costumes of either their favorite anime characters or some motion picture icon. Bring your cameras because costumes will range from the simple to the well detailed and extravagant. Most attendees will oblige if you'd like to take their photo. They'll even strike a pose for you. If you go you might plan on pre-registration on the event website. There is up to a two and half hour wait in a long line for folks who choose to register on the day of the show. That's extra time that you could spend watching a hilarious Asian film! For the 2007 show the one day price was $30 per person, but you can save a lot by purchasing a multi-day or weekend pass. read more

I had a great time at the FanimeCon this year! The gaming area was huge and my gameboy was going nuts with streetpasses all day long. i could hardly keep up. I went all three days and got well over 400 hits!! read more

Since I've been getting back into anime, I figured I would check out fanime. A lot of my friends praised this event, and its been something I want to do since it brings in all of the anime otakus together!! But somehow, this con has been the worst experience I've had. Just one after another, bad things kept happening and alot of stupid decisions were made this past weekend on my part and on fanime. I personally didnt like any of the panels, and the guests of honor were cool but took way to long to announce. The worst was the organization of the event. Everything was so spread, it was confusing. Not to mention, the wait for Thursday badege-pick up, Ridiculous! 7 hours?!?! How long has fanime been around? Fortunately, I wont give this event one star. By chance, I got to have tea with Hiroyuki Yamaga and others. It was great. He talked about Evangelion, how he got into the animation business, what inspired him, his future projects, and gundam. I might come back again IF they announce more guests ahead of time, the gundam competition comes back, and prices go down. But I highly doubt that will happen. Next year, im definitely going to Anime Expo since they're more guests, its in LA, and gundam competition. read more

My theory on why people are getting bored with Fanime: 1.) You're getting older and the fans are getting younger. Good for pedo bear, but not always the best when the anime you held so dear is being replaced by things like Adventure Time 2.) If you go every year, it is going to be repetitive. I get excited every year, but comparing my excitement from 2006 to my excitement level in 2012, let's just say I found myself missing a whole day without breaking out in a panic over it. 3.) Fanime is getting bigger, geek culture is becoming normal, and the convention center is bursting at the seams. Oh and maybe because registration was a holy nightmare this year! No leadership. Tell us straight if we can or cannot use the email on our phones instead of a print out. Tell us that we are probably going to be here a few hours rather than leaving us literally in the dark with no AC. I appreciate the water bottles, but I would have been happier with proactive and concise updates on the status of our situation... But... of course I am still going next year! :) TRADITION! read more

My favorite anime expo in the Bay Area. There is a big exhibition hall with lots to see or purchase in anime, manga, action figures and accessories. I love the continuous anime programming. It's not as comfortable as watching this stuff at home, but soft cushioned chairs, carpeted floors, high chandeliers ... very cool! I like to go dressed up as my favorite anime heroine. Lots of attendees in their own costumes also. Some extravagant. Some fun. Some sexy. Fun for the whole family ... if you like anime, that is. Pre-purchase tickets online though because the incredibly long line for event day ticket sales is lame and a big waste of your precious time. read more

I've been going to FanimeCon for many years, and 2013 will be my tenth year. I don't see how it can be rated as such a low level unless the people here don't understand that the Japanese Animation fandom is incredibly popular, and managing so many people is NOT an easy task. IMHO they need to either go to more conventions to understand. Anywho. My experiences are usually good, 4-5 stars generally, but decided to give them a 5-star rating after what I saw in 2012 because of the organization. There was this horrible blackout, and their staff with the radios did such a good job serving the members even though registration was down. Not sure when they finished, but as far as I know, they make sure that whomever is in line is served with their badge despite the shortcomings they encountered. Yes, I was a little stressed, but it's like this: You can't stop an earthquake from happening, IT JUST HAPPENS, SO DEAL WITH IT... and they did! Bravo to them! About two weeks before every con, Fanime releases a downloadable/printable schedule for those who want to plan their schedule ahead. I've had my friends with their packet of papers with highlighter markers around all the panels and special events that they want to attend. Fanime also provides a portable events booklet for easy handling as well with their program guide. The staff means well. Even though it looks like the staff is saying "x because of y," there's probably a reason for it. There are blogs out there about "Fanime staff won't let me bring/wear this!," but there's going to be a real reason, not just because they don't want people there. Rules are meant to be set in place and I'm completely fine with it. The staff have been very fair to my friends and I over the years. Yes, it can be strict: that, I can agree on, but they are on top of their game. read more

Stumbling across this page made me lol. The things you find on Yelp... Anyways, Fanime is probably the highlight of my anime-obsessed life every year. It's the culmination of my raging fandom for anime/Jpop/Asian culture. It's heaven. Heaven with ultra-geeks and weird creepers, but nevermind that. There are video rooms with series marathons. Dealer's Room (SPEND ALL THE MONEYS). Artist Alley (SERIOUSLY good art going down there). And of course, the COSPLAYERS. You will see all kinds of cosplay, most of them being the legit kind. Honestly, I can't imagine downtown San Jose without Fanime, it makes the place come alive! Yeah! I finally get to upload my photos: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/6ASHGkFnC6w-Yw_yH8_Vjg?select=OogQydVIAi_Mf68J1M8Sew read more

FanimeCon - Festivals Near Me - San Jose, California

If you're into Anime, this is probably where you want to be. Fanime is admittedly not my deal so I was out of my comfort zone. The con itself though is full of things to buy, people to watch and art to see and games to play. Also worth noting that it's now the biggest convention in San Jose! read more

The host committee that puts on Fanime works incredibly hard and deserves a standing ovation. The convention itself generally runs pretty smoothly, but my biggest gripe is about check-in. They sorely need to fix their check-in system. No convention should take 2+ hours just to check in. read more

For four years in a row, I've driven up from San Diego to San Jose for this convention. The convention is unique because if the physical structure and city planning: three official hotels make a triangle around the convention center--and with the amount of people who show up, downtown San Jose basically turns into a city of Otaku for four days. The best convention in California, hands down. read more

I have been attending Fanime since 2011 and it has been improving a lot throughout the years. Besides the few pre-reg line mishaps, it is a great con! It only gets bigger and bigger every year. The environment is great and the people are amazing! Staff is super friendly and helpful. read more

FanimeCon - My bestfriend and I as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy at Fanime 2016 - Festivals Near Me - San Jose, California

It was nice but food was very overpriced ($4 for a bottle of water). When I asked for a cup of water I was told by many of the food vendors there that they "weren't allowed to give out water and ice" which seemed like a blatant lie since the vendors sold boba and water. My favorite was when the taco stall denied me ice. You heard that right, I didn't ask for water, JUST ice and the kind bald man lied to my face and told me that the ice they had could not fit my thermos...even though he did not look at it. I then asked him for a cup instead since they sold boba there too and he told me he could not, all this after subtely implying that I could buy a boba, dump the boba and just use the ice from there LOL..This just left a bad taste in my mouth and ruined the con for me. My only other option of getting water was to pay $44 or $55 for an overpriced mug so I could get "unlimited soda" for the cheap cheap price of $7 per refill. Go if you have money but don't expect even the stall vendors to give you water if you were dying on your knees begging them for a drop. It's obvious that they are only there to profit and even the bare minimum of human decency isn't allowed here with these leeches. read more

This year, Fanime Con was PERFECT. Now that the construction on the building has ended, things are much less hectic than last year's convention. The waiting was non existent this year. I went on Thursday to pick up my badge. I brought an umbrella and some books because I thought that the line would go outside. I was shocked to see the pre-registration line with at most, 15 people walking quickly to the front to get their badges. I was in line for only 5 minutes! When I got to the front, there were like, 9 people giving out badges (GOOD JOB FANIME)! This year, they even gave out fans since it was so hot. As with every Fanime convention, it can get boring if you're going alone. Always go with friends. There is plenty of food around the convention, so you won't starve. The manga lounge, artist gallery, and concert were awesome! Let's hope next year is just as good! read more

Fanime - you're getting one star back for fixing your line situation (7 minutes from entrance to actual badge pickup). But until you can fix that lackluster programming headache, you'll never get more than three from me. 2015 will definitely be my last Fanime - even though it's going to start a new trend of Clockwork Alchemy for me without a question. I spent almost 95% of my time this year at CA vs. Fanime - and I regret nothing. read more

I've gone to fanime every year for three years. I personally have a lot of fun. There is alot of downtime, to wish I wish there was a teeny bit more going on to maximize my time, but then again, what else can I expect with a 4 day ticket? The only thing I think fanime really needs to work on is their badge lines. The pre-reg line is still pretty lengthy, but the unregistered line is even more ridiculous. People were stuck in that line for over 3 hours. There's even a line to get into the main line. And what's silly is that the merchant and artist halls close at 7 and they halted the line until 6 PM. That's about half the fanime experience that these people in line couldn't take part in! Perhaps a solution would be to allow pre-registering for single days so that people can avoid this chaos. Regardless, lots of fun since I didn't personally have to wait in this line. I pre-registered for my ticket. read more

Fanime 2014 staff, thank you for being so organized and on top of everything this year! Pros: - No more "Line-con". Went there at 10am on saturday at the pre-reg line, got my badge within 2 minutes. - No more construction, so no more cramped hallways! - They had people regulating traffic flow so that there were no groups crowding in the halls - Fanime is becoming a bigger con so there are more people, which is always nice! - Everything was just super organized this year! Cons: - A hobo came into the con and tried to get our contact information as we were doing a photoshoot... thankfully he went away peacefully, but it still kind of put us on alert. Also there are a lot of homeless at night, so we kinda had to run to and from our hotel [Hyatt] to avoid them. - booking hotels was chaos. I dont know why but it just gets harder and harder every year to secure a room. 5 minutes after the site went live in Feb, it crashed. Somehow i was lucky enough to get a room at the hyatt, but still! The struggle was ridiculous! This fanime was actually very fun and organized compared to the last 2 years. Thank you Fanime 2014 staff for listening to our feedback and making sure the con was a lot better this year! read more

I've gone to this convention 2 years now and I love it! There is so much merch to explore in dealers hall and the art in artists alley is beautiful. My experience with the volunteer staff has been okay so far. Registration wasn't as bad as people said it was in the past. (Good time to get Street Passes) There are tons of places around the convention center to eat (ie. Pho 69, Thirsty Tea, Cream, etc.) and I like how the events are spread out, like pannels in the Fairmont as well as the cosplay gatherings all throughout the convention center. The cosplay community is so great and as soon as my friend introduced me to Fanime, I got pulled right in. It helped open new doors in terms of hobbies and friends. It's always one of the main events I look forward to every year. read more

FanimeCon - Went as Korra this year. Had a great time! So much to do... ^ ^) - Festivals Near Me - San Jose, California

This was my first year at Fanime, so it's pretty obvious I will give this a 4/5. I heard rumors before from last year and the other years that Fanime became known as "LINECON" because of the OVER LONG LINE THAT TOOK MORE THAN 3 HRS! It was actually true, but this time it changed. There wasn't even a line at all when I first arrived on Day 2, Saturday. It was just only me and my group. That was probably the best thing that happened this year, but I have pros and cons to explain about for this convention. Pros: There were like a THOUSAND of people in there, and almost the entire convention is filled with cosplayers, including me, but I was only an average Survey Corps member from Attack on Titan. -The dealers place and the artist alley were amazing. So much stuff for otakus, and the price for the posters in the artist alley were pretty cheap and decent. The figures were so expensive though! -I saw many celebrities like LittleKuriboh, Cherami Leigh, and Yaya Han! :) I think I also saw Monty Oum, but I probably didn't notice him......and other professional cosplayers. I didn't get to see J. Michael Tatum though :( -There were a lot of creative cosplayers, especially Homestuck, Attack on Titan, and Mekaku City Actors/Kagerou Project. BUT THERE WERE SO MANY ATTACK ON TITAN and LEAGUE OF LEGEND COSPLAYERS! I also saw a lot of Rubys from RWBY! I saw the famous Dugtrio too, but I didn't took a pic of them. Cons: -Panels.....I didn't went to a lot of panels but I heard they're pretty bad like the Q&As. - Myself....when I look at the cosplayers...I was like DAMN I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WORK SO HARD ON THEIR COSPLAYS! LOOK AT ME......wearing my lame survey corps cosplay..... -The video game place looks really fun, but had a lot of empty spaces. I was expecting a really cool dark arcade, with glowing lights and so many games to play, but it was really bright and dull. Sorry, it was cool but wasn't my favorite. I would love to hang out and play there, but I think the workers need to work harder on that area. I think I missed out the dark part of the arcade at night.... -Some of the cosplayers looked tired out and bored, mostly the professional ones. I think because a lot of people took pictures of them. If I were them, I would be excited as hell, but I would get exhausted too! -The dealers,artists, and workers in there look tired and miserable working for Fanime. There were really nice though, especially that one artist who wore an Eren cosplay with a flower crown. (I think she was wearing that I don't remember :( ) She was really adorable and she smiled at me. I should be creeped out by that, but I was pretty happy that happened. I think she expected me to buy a poster from her. But I'm gonna give credit to that artist for being enthusiastic and kind to me! XD Finally, sorry for the really long review, I was really disappointed that most of the panels were at the hotels, especially at Fairmount. I had to walk like ten minutes to get to there, with a huge crowd busting through my way. It was a short walk though. I almost got lost though and about to drop my camera! I'm so careless! Also there wasn't a lot of food and the badge was so EXPENSIVE! -_- One more thing, DON'T GO AT NIGHT! Why can't we attend at night, because it's 18+ only! And I'm sure it's bad thing to go, especially when there's going to be perverts there......sorry Thank you for reading my review, and sadly this is my first review! Fanime was so fun though, and I recommended this place for first timers and people who are new to anime conventions! read more

FanimeCon - Erza Scarlet - Festivals Near Me - San Jose, California

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I've been attending this con for many many years. First coming to fanime con back in 2009 it was exciting, they truly stuck to there motto "by fans, for fans" and it was obvious then that fanime was going to be as big as AX one day. Oh how it's changed, now I think fanime is sorta just throwing things together last minute. The last couple years the communication between fans and staff have been non existent. An example would be announcing hotel registration literally at the last second, causing fans to miss the window of hotel registration. The guests have gone downhill from what it once was, we used to get big name bands like flow or an cafe.If you want a con that is exciting and worth the money try going someplace else, fanime isn't stepping up to the plate. read more