Anime Expo 2025 Opens at the Los Angeles Convention Center

Every Fourth of July weekend, Anime Expo comes to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Anime are Japanese cartoons, known for exaggeratedly stylized art that sometimes contrasts with the stories they tell.

Each year, Anime Expo draws over a hundred thousand attendees to the three-block area around the Convention Center. Inside, people can buy both official artwork and fanmade pieces, meet with industry professionals, and enjoy a variety of Japanese food from the various food carts and trucks around the venue.

While anime are animated movies and shows, Anime Expo also features panels and vendors detailing recently released and upcoming books, graphic novels, and even video games of all different types. Guests include Naoki Yoshida who is behind multiple installments of the world famous "Final Fantasy" role playing game series, and Ryukishi07 whose acclaimed visual novel games like "Higurashi" and "Umineko" have word counts comparable to the Bible. Adventure anime TV show "Leviathan" is going to premiere at Anime expo, along with the first US screening of the latest movie in the classic detective anime series "Conan."

Organized and run by the nonprofit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, the goal is to use this incredibly popular and unique facet of modern Japan to expose more people to Japanese and Japanese American culture.

At press time, the prices for one-day and four days passes were $87 and $178. Parking typically fills up around the venue, and can run up to $50 for a single day. However, there are several public transportation options available to get to the Convention Center. For the Metro, you can take either the Metro Blue or Expo Line trains to get to Pico Station, directly across from the Convention Center. By bus, you can take lines 30, 81, 442, 460, and the Silver Line.

Some notable panels include a screening of HYPNOSISMIC, Japan's first interactive anime film, the US premiere of upcoming anime Gachiakuta featuring a live Q&A with the author, and an exclusive concert with underground nerdcore rapper NoneLikeJoshua.

The Observer will be covering the event as it runs from July 3 through 6, 2025.