Fanime 2023, and a cool way to read manga for free · 10:55pm May 28th, 2023
I spent all day yesterday at Fanime San Jose, a general anime convention, with autolumen and a colleague. As my first general anime convention, it was quite fun, but my verdict is I still prefer My Little Pony conventions.
The cosplay and vendor hall at Fanime were much more extensive than any pony convention (besides BronyCon, RIP), and the overall spirit at Fanime felt lively and electric. The facilities were also top notch, with a fully serviced cosplay lounge, a manga room, and a paid storage space or your bags. I personally dressed as maid Najimi from Komi Can't Communicate, but was only recognized once...
As for other cosplayers at Fanime, I saw quite a few Rainbow Dashes 
, and at least one group dressed as the Mane 6. The flipside is that the crowds at Fanime were a little much for me (I believe attendance is on the magnitude of 10000 or more, 10 times as much as the largest pony conventions nowadays). And there were so many different fandoms in one venue--everything from Pokémon to Spy Family to Mario to Genshin Impact to the kitchen sink--that there wasn't the same social unity that you find at pony conventions.
I've heard anecdotally that there are two fandoms that have succeeded in creating dedicated conventions: Star Trek and My Little Pony. There's a unique social connection you can get from pony conventions that is missing from general anime cons like Fanime. When the vast majority of attendees have watched the same Friendship is Magic show, it's easy to start a conversation with total strangers at the con or create panels that will appeal to many attendees. You're all going for the same fandom, same purpose. So in summary, I will still be happily going to pony conventions, including EverfreeNW coming up in August!
On a semi-related topic, do you read manga? Are you broke or just don't like wasting money? I have a great way to read free manga that I can't believe I didn't take advantage of until today!! You ready for this...?
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...the public library.
I know...right? 
Maybe because I'm Gen Z I've totally forgotten there's a place you go, where you already know, you can borrow books for FREE, when you step through the door. I must've derped out. I'm totally Trixie in this clip. 
Now admittedly not all public libraries will have manga, I'm lucky that my local branch does, albeit a limited selection. It's not Kinokuniya bookstore, put it that way. The copies were also in varying condition, sometimes I couldn't find the complete series, and my local branch relegated the manga to the teen section because apparently big boys and girls don't read cartoons 
But I love reading a physical copy instead of on a screen, IT'S 100 PERCENT FREE, and I can browse and try out manga that I might not have otherwise decided to read. (My local branch had an oddly high amount of BL manga for some reason.)
So if you like manga but don't want to spend $10 on a book you'll probably finish reading in 1 hour, maybe check out your public library. You might find something you like.
the Star Trek to MLP pipeline is just
blowing my mind
like... that's it?? really???
Ah Food Wars....shame the ending was....hit or miss. Also wait, there was a con in my city? Fuck
Thought you were gonna advocate for like pirating or something tbh.
I might check out my local libraries to see if they’ve got any (I’ve been looking hard for the Machikado Mazoku manga), maybe I’ll find something interesting.
I decided to skip out on Fanime this year. What you described sort of sounds like what I felt last year. It's a really cool place, and I especially love their gaming hall, but it is a very large crowd. There are a ton of fandoms there, but as someone with a passing interest in anime, I did feel a bit out of place last year. I was on the fence about going last year too, but main reason I went was to see Owl House and Amphibia cosplays, and potentially art pieces. Aside from those, it was pretty light on western stuff.
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. I'll probably pass on it
I do agree that if you were to go on your own it's easy to feel lost and out of place. It's not like BronyCon where I could just say hi to someone in the line and instantly strike up a conversation. If you decide to go to Fanime next year I'd be happy to meet up!
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Read the first volume and too much gratuitous nudity and fan service for my taste
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Eh fair, there are a lot better food animes. Depends on one's tolerance for nudity and fan service