A Huge Artist Alley, K-Pop Random Play Dances, And Crunchyroll Announcements | My Experience At Anime NYC 2025
I have been attending Anime NYC since its inception on November 17, 2017. In 2017, the attendance was roughly 20,000, and the convention used less than half of the Javits Center. In 2024, the attendance skyrocketed to over 100,000, and the convention is now utilizing 90% of the Javitis Center, making it the biggest anime convention on the East Coast. And the 2025 version of the convention was one of the best.
About Anime NYC
Anime NYC is New York City's anime convention! A showcase of the best of Japanese pop culture in the biggest city in America, Anime NYC brings anime fans and publishers together for three days of unique exhibits, exclusive screenings, extensive panels, and appearances by some of the biggest creators in Japan. Join us for a celebration of Japanese animation, manga, and cosplay in the heart of NYC!
Summary from AnimeNYC.com
Entering The Building To Pick Up Badges
Before the doors open
This is my seventh year attending this convention. I was even there on the very first day back on November 17, 2017. In the past, there have been many infamous instances of a lack of communication and an unorganized process of entering the building. But this year it was flawless. The workers/volunteers at Anime NYC were knowledgeable and friendly, ensuring everyone entered the correct entrances with the proper badge type.
This year, I was only able to attend on Saturday due to financial reasons. I arrived at the Javits Center at 9:50 am and picked up my Press Badge within 2 minutes, as there was no line (Thank you again to Anime NYC for approving me for Press). I was among the first to enter the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley.
Artist Alley
Nice and quiet before the crowds
Once they opened the show floor, I immediately made my way to Artist Alley and was shocked by how MASSIVE it was. It was labeled by row signage hanging from the ceiling, similar to NYCC, from row A to row W, and I was overwhelmed. I spent the first hour of the con exploring each row of the Artist Alley, starting with Row A, and I was able to get to Row T before leaving and heading down to the Kpop Random Dance panel at 11 am. I later returned to finish going through the alley, and it was super crowded and didn’t really thin out until around 5 pm.
One thing about Artist Alley that I did not like, and this is just coming from an older woman enjoyer nothing against any of the artists or Anime NYC, but I was specifically on the hunt for some fan art of Ambessa, Sevika, and Grayson from Arcane, and only found two artists selling merch for them.
One of the artists I had already purchased Sevika fan art from the week prior at Flame Con (Subscribe for my email updates to know when that con blog post is live), so I really didn’t spend much money in the Artist Alley. Still, I enjoyed seeing all the incredible fan art, interacting with some of the artists, and also seeing artists I have seen online or watched on YouTube, like hanavbara and bionyo.
The one purchase I did make was super cute durags from Kembeckled. It was $40 for three, and I couldn’t pass it up. I am a sucker for a practical con purchase.
Exhibit Hall
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good look at the exhibit hall because it became too crowded to explore properly. Companies like Crunchyroll, Hololive, HiDive, Viz Media, Good Smile Company, and Kinokuniya had a significant presence on the show floor. But I did make an effort to visit the Aniplex of America booth because Aniplex of America is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and it had props from Madoka Magic, one of my all-time favorite pieces of media. They had a prop of Kyubey and soul gems of each character. There was also an advert hanging at the con advertising the return to theaters of the movies amid the release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising next year.
We are so freaking back, ya’ll.
Panels
I only attended two panels: K-Pop Random Play Dance hosted by CSMICORE Dance Crew at 11 am in Room 1B01 - Movement Room, and the Crunchyroll Showcase at 4 pm on the Sakura Stage.
Watch their KPOP PUBLIC NYC cover of Eve Psyche and the Bluebeard’s Wife by LE SSERAFIM
I loved how Anime NYC added a specific room for all of the panels that required movement. In the past, especially in the earlier years of Anime NYC, Random Play Dances were usually just spread throughout the con and put together by random people, and were not official panels. Last year, the Random Play Dance was quite awkward, as it was held on a stage rather than in a panel room. But this year, the upgrade to an actual panel room was a welcome change. My only issues with it were the lack of ventilation, as the room was very hot and humid, and the lighting was not the best.
The panel itself was a lot of fun, like K-Pop Random Play Dances usually are, and there were several of these events held each day. This year marks 10 years since I first got into K-Pop, and I only really know the choreography for girl group songs from 2015 - 2018, and those aren’t songs you really hear in these dance games anymore, but they did play Navillera and Rough by GFRIEND, and I almost ran out onto the dance floor.
The Crunchyroll Showcase was fun as well. It reminded me of the Empire Stage panels at NYCC. There were people there to hype up the crowd before the panel started, and they were even giving away free stuff.
Giveaways at an anime convention in this economy?
There were many world premiere trailers shown at this panel for the upcoming slate of anime coming to Crunchyroll, but the two anime that stood out to me were Pass the Monster Meat, Milady, and Let’s Play. Both will premiere on Crunchyroll in October 2025.
About Pass the Monster Meat, Milady
Credit to Crunchyroll and Kodansha
Any proper noble lady must cultivate refined tastes, and Lady Melphiera’s delicacy of choice is…monsters! Unfortunately, society frowns upon such unladylike cravings and brands her the “Voracious Villainess.” At a banquet, she’s attacked by a monster, only to be saved by the feared “Blood-Mad Duke.” He’s brutal, mysterious, and charming. Could he be the one to appreciate her monstrous appetite?
Synopsis from Crunchyroll.com
When we all saw the male protagonist in the teaser, we were all like damn, and one girl yelled, “Oh no, he’s hot!” and I understood her pain.
Watch The Official Teaser:
About Let’s Play
Credit to Crunchyroll and Let’s Play Production Committee
Samara “Sam” Young is a developer in Los Angeles who’s about to achieve her dreams with her first video game, Ruminate. That is, until a popular streamer gives the game a scathing review. Even worse, Sam finds out the troublesome critic is now her new neighbor! Get lost in a comedic, romantic, and all-too-real story about gaming, memes, and social anxiety. Come for the plot, stay for the doggo.
Synopsis from Crunchyroll.com
I was sold when one of the panel hosts said it’s a romcom that deals with social anxiety, and now I am rooting for her to pick the hot one with the sports car.
Watch the official trailer 3:
Food
This year, I decided to go against my advice in my First Time at Anime NYC? post, and I did not leave the Javits Center for food because I wanted to try some of the food throughout the convention, especially in the Japanese Food Court, and review it for ya’ll.
Please consider supporting me through my Etsy, Patreon, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee because I don’t know when I will financially recover from spending so much money on food at Anime NYC 😅.
One thing that I noticed with the Japanese Food Court was the lack of prices at most of the booths. Only a few vendors had prices next to the menu items. Times are hard, and most of us are on a budget. We need to know the price of something before checking out, as it can be embarrassing to discover the cost and have to return it.
Author’s Note: I didn’t take a photo of either vendor, so I don’t know their names. However, I remember the locations and will do my best to describe them. If you know the name, please message me!
For lunch, I got a BBQ Pork bowl from a bahmi vendor located in the back of Artist Alley. This bowl was the cheapest on the menu at $17, and it was pretty good, but not worth the price, as I have paid the same for poke bowls and got a lot more food. It was a fresh bowl and a nice, healthy meal. The pork was not greasy, well seasoned, and the rice was nice and sticky, how I like it. The jalapeños were very spicy, and I had to take them off, but I wish they had given more spicy mayo on top of the bowl.
This is from one of the places in the Japanese Food Hall, and they didn't list any prices for their items. They sold Bento boxes as well as Ornigiri. I bought this on a whim because I am currently struggling with low blood sugar and have to eat every three hours, and it had been over three hours since I last ate, and I knew this was going to be expensive, but the effects of low blood sugar were kicking my ass. (I legitimately barely remember buying it) This bento box was $21.
It was NOT worth that much at ALL. I didn’t care for the Karage or the rice, but the rest of the box was decent. Definitely not worth the price tag. But I also did not know the price until the cashier rang me up.
Can we not normalize this?
There were not enough options for people with food sensitivities. I saw a few vegan options, but I didn’t even attempt to get any boba tea, just in case they didn’t have plant-based milk, or it would have been a $2 upcharge or something. I also didn’t see many gluten-free options. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough, idk.
My Biggest Con of The Con
The only issue I really had with the convention was one of the biggest issues I had with Fanatics Fest NYC 2025: The lack of checking badges.
I do not blame Anime NYC for this, as their staff was well-trained and did their jobs exceptionally well this year. I do not know if this was a problem in the other entrances. But for the ANYC+, Pro, Press, Exbihitor, Artist Alley, Panelist and Content Creator entrance it seems like the third party security company that was in charge of bag check and allowing people acess to the con once you pass the glass doors to enter crystal palace were checking badges in the morning, but as the day went on they slacked on this.
They were not ensuring that everyone entering the con had a badge, which is disheartening to know, as it may have allowed people who did not pay to enter the show floor. I think Anime NYC should implement the process NYCC has, where they check for valid badges before bag check.
Final Thoughts
Other than my issue with badge checking, I enjoyed covering Anime NYC this year. This was the best year for the con since pre-COVID, aka 2019, and it is great to see how much the con has grown to become another four-day con at the Javits Center.
The convention has reached a point where it needs to utilize the new section of the Javitis Center to spread out attendees further, as crowding was somewhat problematic this year. This con is near and dear to my heart as it was the very first anime convention back when they started in 2017, so I am excited to see what next year has in store for Anime NYC.
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.
FOLLOW ME!
RELATED POSTS
Fanatics Fest NYC Is Fun, But Not Worth The $70 Price Tag | My Experience At FFNYC 2025
First Time At NYCC? Here Are Tips From A New York Comic-Con Pro
First Time At Anime NYC? Here Are Some Tips From A NYC Comic-Con Pro And Anime NYC Veteran
My First Ren Faire - What To Know Before Going To The New York Renaissance Faire