Return of the Con: Otakon 2025

Otakon has always been one of my favorite conventions. Ever since I started attending in 2018, it’s been a highlight of my summer—meeting friends, laughing with fans, and soaking in the energy of the community. This year, though, something felt a little different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but despite a few hiccups (which I’ll address later), I still had a good time.

Attendance was a bit lower than last year: around 43,000 people compared to 46,000 in 2024, though still higher than 2023’s 42,000+. Those are impressive numbers, no matter how you look at them. Otakon has always felt like more than just another anime convention—it’s a summer tradition. Part of the fun is knowing you’ll always run into familiar faces, while still discovering something new each year. Going into 2025, I was curious to see how the weekend would compare, especially with so many big guests on the schedule. Numbers aside, what really matters is the experience—and for us, it began on Friday.

Friday

Friday, we got up bright and early to collect our badges. We headed to the “From Shojo to Josei” panel and then hung out in the press room. Once again, we got to see the Dealers' room before the general attendees did. It's always great to see the area without the stress of crowds looming around you.

A rarity for me, I got something on the first day. Why Conan look so sad?

We built up an appetite by walking around, so we left the convention center for lunch. As we left the restaurant, we passed by Shuichiro Umeda (voice of Hikaru)! We didn't want to disturb him, but it was amusing to see him outside the con. We didn't interview him this year, but we did see him at the Summer Hikaru Died panel, more on that in a bit. It took place after the Rock is a Lady's Modesty panel. We had the opportunity to hear Miyuri Shimabukuro (voice of Otoha Kurogane) and the director discuss their experiences and thoughts on the series. If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend checking it out; we enjoyed it more than we expected. Who would have thought a group of private high school girls would keep us so engaged? Also, we got a message from Band-maid; they enjoyed working on the songs for the series.

The Summer Hikaru Died Panel

As mentioned before, we stuck around for Hikaru's panel. It was packed! They didn't clear out the room before, and maybe they should have. They might have underestimated the show's—and Umeda's—popularity. There was no photography or recording of any kind allowed, and I couldn't have live-tweeted, as Panel Room 5 has a terrible signal. During the panel, we heard a message from the director, and Umeda answered some pre-selected questions about the series and his performance. We even got treated to a live reading! Umeda read three lines from the anime, and the crowd was dead silent, only to erupt in applause when he finished. Umeda's energy was as palpable as it was last year when we interviewed him for “Blue Wolves of Mibu”. I wish they had time for a Q&A, but it seemed very time-constrained.

Photo from the Rock is a Lady's Modesty panel

Our final panel for the night was “Akira Toriyama - The World: A Multimedia Tour of His Lesser Known Works”. Here, we get to see what else Toriyama created. Most people are familiar with Dragon Ball, Sand Land, and possibly Dr. Slump, but few know where his career truly began. There were some series I genuinely wanted to read or watch (if they got an animated adaptation), but they might be hard to come by, as no one ever licensed these works.

Saturday

Saturday was another early start. We hung out in the press room until our first interview, which was with Kurata, the mangaka behind the manga adaptations of Assassin's Creed and Shogakukan's Apothecary Diaries. It was wonderful meeting her! She has a lot of passion for her work.

Immediately after we had the press conference for Tougen Anki, featuring Hiroshi Kamiya (voice of Naito Mudano) and Koutaro Nishiayama (voice of Jin Kougasaki). Kamiya noticed my Urusei Yatsura cap! I was so happy! The conference went well. Each outlet got to ask a question. (Link coming soon.)

My cap featuring Lum and Ataru

The press conference ran a bit longer than expected, so we missed the opportunity to join the Discotek panel. However, we followed along via the live stream and live tweets. They got the anime adaptation of Monster by Naoki Urasawa (Pluto, 20th Century Boys, Billy Bat). The series is also available on Netflix here in the US; however, the English dub is not available on the platform. Discotek's release will have both the Sub and Dub versions.

Other notable announcements include: the rerelease of Funimation episodes of Crayon Shin-chan, Digimon movies 4-6 (covering the two Tamers movies), and the Project Arms anime. Project Arms ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday from March 1997 to April 2002 and got a 52-episode anime from TMS in 2001. Both the anime and manga were licensed by Viz.

Our final panel for Saturday was Azuki. If you're not already aware, Azuki is a digital manga publisher and distributor. They also work with publishers both big and small, and now they're working with Manga Maverick Books! If you follow our social media, you'd know we're partners with them and they've released a few titles.

Sunday

The dawn of the final day: Sunday. It wasn't my favorite day; plans fell through, and I wasn't really interested in anything. That being said, I found myself once again in Panel Room 5 to hear Ryota Takeuchi and Nobutoshi Canna talk about their travels. Takeuchi talked about riding his motorcycle, standing next to the screen as if he were a professor giving a TED talk. He went to Kakashi village, aka “The Doll Village,” and showed us a video; it was eerily calm. Also, he recommended checking out the Tokyo skyline at night. 

Takeuchi (left) and Canna (right) are having a great time during the Q&A

Canna had a video with him narrating about his trip to Tabi-no-Eki, a rest spot near Lake Kawaguchi. He mentioned that, compared to the US, roads and gas stations in Japan are generally smaller, at least outside of Tokyo. During the Q&A, he mentioned he likes travelling to get away and be alone, which is entirely valid, especially for anyone living in Tokyo. They were also asked what they enjoy listening to on their travels. Canna said “Foo Fighters,” and we didn't need that to be translated. Takeuchi took a moment to consider his answer, and Canna suggested, “Wouldn't it be the sound of your motor?” It was a great panel; both voice actors played off of each other wonderfully. My only regret is having to leave early because...

Manga Mavericks Books Panel

My final panel was for Manga Mavericks Books. I was put in charge of filming the panel. Two more titles were announced: FISHGOD by Chlona and Ballet Hero Fantasy by Takafumi Adachi (Beyblade: Metal Fight). Think Princess Tutu meets shonen action for the latter. I'm excited to read both when they release next year. 

The MMB squad sets up!

The panel and the con ultimately went well, Sunday wasn't my favorite day. (Strap in, this is Jecka's Complaint Corner.) In addition to the plans falling through, another incident occurred. The MMB panel overlapped with the Canna autograph session, and throughout the entire weekend, I signed up for multiple wait lists. Finally, finally, I got one: Canna. I was so excited, especially after our earlier plans fell through. As soon as the panel ended, I ran. Or, rather, I speed walked (don't run, kids) to Artist Alley, which would have been the fastest way down to the autograph area. I didn't make it. The line had capped it right as I arrived. Needless to say, my heart broke. One of the staff members was kind enough to ask, but Canna had to leave at 2 pm. I'm grateful for his help, but I just wish I could have gotten one autograph. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous issues with the Guidebook App, including a confirmed delay in the waitlist notification. 

One more thing I want to address, on Saturday, there was a signing with Kamiya and Nishiyama that was supposed to last from 5:45 to 7:15. I hung around the area waiting to see how quickly the line moved. And it moved pretty quickly. By 6:30, they were just about done. So I waited... and I waited. I never got a notification, and I definitely had signal in the dealer's room. By around 6:40, I watched as Kamiya and Nishiyama stood, bowed, and were escorted out. If anyone from Otakon is reading this, I understand the guests may have been tired, but no announcement?? There was a half hour remaining; if the schedule was wrong, should this not have been addressed? 

I appreciate Otakon's efforts to address the crowd issues, particularly around the autographs; however, more work is needed in that area. Anime NYC has its own autograph lottery system, and it works well. Otakon felt rushed, given that reservations opened only a week in advance and filled up in seconds. The waitlist was somewhat disorganized. The notification provided a ten-minute window, which is acceptable, but what if the notification is missed or the person is too far away? I don't know what they'll do next year, but this needs to be reassessed.

That may have been my only real “con” (no pun intended) this year. Sunday was rough—between plans falling through and autograph frustrations, I ended up more disappointed than I’d hoped. Otakon has made progress in managing crowds, but the autograph process still requires fine-tuning. Even so, one rough patch doesn’t outweigh the rest of the weekend. Something about Otakon 2025 felt a little different, although I couldn’t say if it was due to my own circumstances or just the overall vibe. I know I wasn’t alone in that feeling—others online seemed to notice it too. Maybe it’s the looming presence of Anime NYC so close on the calendar, or maybe it was just one of those years. Whatever the case, Otakon remains a summer tradition I look forward to, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters. 

Here's to 2026!