The adventure begins with Day 1. The hunt for items before they run out, especially promotional items that are not for sale. But first! Before I was able to enter the show floor, I had to get my inaugural AnimeNYC pin, which was a breeze. I was surprised to see that it really looks bright gold and not bright yellow. Sometimes gold as a color on items can come out dark or dull looking. Next it was waiting on a long line to get into the show floor. “Long” as in it extended and coiled like a snake in the spacious lobby. The wait wasn't terrible, but once I got in, I dashed to what I needed to get first!
Just to provide some background information, Funko released convention exclusives during New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2017, some available at specific retailers. One such retailer was Toy Tokyo. I found out on Instagram that the Black and Gold Dragonzoid was going to be available at their Anime NYC booth. Luckily, they had plenty in stock so I was able to purchase one. Then I was off browsing each vendor booth to find other exclusives or freebies.
Boy were they’re plenty. Prior to this hunt, honestly, I didn't have a list. Haha. I usually have one, like at NYCC, of what booths to check out because they were doing promotional giveaways. For some strange reason, I don't remember ever hearing about these promotions. Either that, or I completely missed it on social media. However, being that this was not insanely crowded like NYCC, acquiring any promotional item was a breeze...unless there was a long line and I didn't feel like waiting. :-) Side commentary, I went to the Viz Media panel to get freebies, but that's because it seems to be a tradition for the publisher to give away things.
One of the booths that I visited was Yen Press. They had a colorful large poster for No Game No Life. Unfortunately, it was given away before the afternoon hit! Couldn't get the poster unless you brought something and now I'm curious how many buyers they had in the morning that the posters end up being all gone. Sad.
I remember the Fate Stay booth, which was really Aniplex USA. It was designed to be a retail booth and there was a poster giveway, if you brought something. They had a picture of the poster on display and I wanted it. A lot of the merchandise was pricey or I wasn't interested in getting. However, I saw something I thought was worth getting because it was something I could have received if I attended the event: Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel movie book. It was fairly cheap too; cheaper than the fan that they were selling. If I remember correctly, it was about $15 and the poster that I received was a nice size one. So, I can't complain.
Another booth I recall was the Sentai Filmworks booth. I haven't seen them in a while, honestly...at least not at NYCC...So it was good to see them back in NYC. They were promoting “No Game No Life.” I've seen the first season, but not the movie. Since the booth was giving away a lanyard with purchase, I was comfortable enough to buy something relating to the anime. Funny thing is, while pondering about what to buy from the series, I spotted an intriguingly cute odd looking plush. It was a round white object with cat ears. It looked like a cat, but then it didn't look like a cat. I'm not a cat person, but the design of the plush was enough to prompt me to ask questions. Apparently, I can insert a headband underneath the plush and wear it on my head. Yeah...that got to me...So, I picked the No Game No Life buttons, got some freebies and then later, went back to the booth to get this cat plush.
At some point, I was hungry. The neighborhood around Jacob Javits Center is horrendously inconvenient for food shopping. So, you would either bring your own food, eat convention food or try their food truck options. Yeah...ok. So, I saw a sign that said “Food Trucks Outside.” Keep in mind it's plural, truckssssss. Well...either the vendors forgot about AnimeNYC, left early or someone needs to fix their sign. All I saw was ONE truck. Go figure!
So, onward with my show floor hunt!
At the Crunchyroll booth, they had a specific button to give out each day. So I got one that was given out that day, but now I'm wondering how I got the string bag and lanyard. LOL. Probably got passed out by someone, because the button I took it off their table. Yen Press had a variety of freebies, but they were smart in scheduling when to give it away. This strategy makes it fair for attendees that couldn't make it in the morning. At FUNimation, they were giving away Gundam cards, but to acquire them, you had to take a picture with their life size stand ups. Simple enough. The ever popular publisher Kodansha was giving away free manga previews. Just pass, grab and go.
Now there were two booths I was surprised at, but delighted to see. GKKids and the New York Public Library. The former was giving out a pin and nice size poster, while the latter had plenty of supplies to give away. Lol. Don't worry, I spread the love by giving them to my fellow librarians.
Besides the freebies, there were a couple of activities I spotted that was happening on the show floor. There was one booth that had the Japanese crane game. Well...I tried for fun, but jesus...I couldn't only imagine how much money I would have to spend to get the item. I might as well just BUY the item. Another thing happening was a signing at the Sentai Filmworks booth. Unfortunately, I don't know what series the actors were from, but fans did get autographs.
Towards the end of the day, I visited the Artist Alley with a friend. As I walked through the rows in the front area, I spotted a corgi!!! Sort of. It was a corgi butt pin. Yes, their famous tush. Then I saw other original art from the artist and bought the Salty pin. Oh...gamers laugh with me. Ok, so after this purchase, I continued on with my browsing. At some point I reached the back of the area and spotted a lolita. She told me about a booth that was selling authentic lolita pieces for dirt cheap! Off I ran! So, you'll hear about THAT shopping adventure in a solo post! This is why I never finished looking at the artist alley. Also, I never got a chance to go back to it the rest of the weekend.
My day ended with a Japanese Female Artists Singing Concert. I wasn't going to attend, but I don't know that many anime songs nor did I know the singers. However, my friend convince me to go, cause it was a free concert being held at the convention. I figured might as well try and enjoy the convention as much as I can with what they were offering. Even though I only recognized two songs: Sailor Moon and God Knows, probably one more that I can't think of, I don't regret going. The concert had a mix of genres from ballads to rock to pop, so I didn't feel bored being there. Definitely full of energy by the performers. The crowd was definitely excited to be there.
Well, that was basically my day! Come back for Day 2!
© 2018 Linda Thai
Photography by Linda Thai
For more pictures, check out the Something Deeper: Anime, Manga and Comics Page on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment