r/animecons

I'm holding my first panel at Tekko in a few weeks, a panel about pre-war shoujo culture, but I'm so worried that I'm gonna stumble all over my words and be a mess. In the worst case scenario that things go badly, do you think people will judge me too harshly?

Hello r/animecons.

I am a long time con attendee in Chicagoland who has been going to cons in the area for over a decade. And this latest Anime Midwest was just downright bad this year. It had issues with panels, 18+ ID checks, general badge checks, and more. Let me get into it below.

NOTE: I am well aware of the accusations and reports around Ryan Kopf. I will not be addressing this in this post, as others have done a far better job at this, and any attempt to mention it would only distract from the core of my critique, and could be factually incorrect on my part.

Alright. So for some background on this years convention.

1. Anime Midwest has moved away from the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, and into the Doubletree and Embassy Suites. The reason they cited was due to the rising costs of the Hyatt Regency.
2. Hall A in the Donald E Stephens Convention Center is undergoing maintenance, so Hall E had to be used instead. This was completely out of their control, so I won't hold them for that.

So let's begin.

I want to lend some credence, as there was a few things I thought were good.

One, preregistration was simple and fast. Adding in QR Codes really improved the speed of the lines, which have been a problem in the past.

Two, the Consweet is always a welcome addition to any con. The ability to get free soda, cup ramen, and rice will always be appreciated.

Third, the Artist Alley was pretty good. It had a good variety of artists, and they were all pleasant.

Four, all the panelists and people I met at the convention in general were all great, and were awesome to be around. But this is for almost every single con I go to anyway.

Five, the guest list (for a convention of its size) was okay. They were mostly English dub voice actors, but that is to be expected of a con of this size (more on that later).

But now, we have to get into the plethora of negatives.

One, there was minimal arcade games for the video gaming section. Only crane booths (which cost money), and console games were in the video game room. There were a few arcade games on the mezzanine level, but not enough for Anime Midwest. While this would be okay for a smaller convention, this is not okay for a con like Anime Midwest.

Two, there was just no formal TCG presence at all. This was allegedly due to the people who were supposed to run it bailed on the convention. As someone who regularly plays MTG, this was a let down. As for why they couldn't contact one of hundreds of card shops in the Chicago area to do it, I do not know.

Three, the "Main Events" room in the Embassy Suites could only hold around 200 people, and got really hot and humid during the rave. For reference, this room was much smaller than the Medium Room at Anime Midwest before COVID. It was about the size of the TCG/Board Game area of years past at the Hyatt. Popular things like the Burlesque show capped early, which was a first for me at a mid sized con. It really made me miss the rooms at the Hyatt, which I never thought I would.

Four, there was no checking IDs for any 18+ panels. I attended around 4 18+ panels (I am 22), and at none of them was I ever checked for ID. Checking ID for 18+ panels was the standard not even a year or two ago. It was so unusual that even people at the panels were joking about it, holding their IDs up to each other to prove they're adults. The only exception to this was the Burlesque show, but this was probably more of a hard requirement by legal.

Five, 18+ panels were WAY too early in the day. 18+ panels should be left for after 7 PM. However there were 18+ panels (where there were no checking of IDs) at noon on Saturday. Meaning any high schooler could've walked into the 18+ panels after getting dropped off by their parents at noon, and made the odds of a minor going into an 18+ panel all the more higher.

Six, the Rosemont crossing guards left after dark. Meaning that if you wanted to get to the convention center (all the panels) at that point, you either had to take the sky bridge, adding 10 minutes to your walk, or cross a 4 lane road where cars are going 50+ miles per hour, and don't stop for pedestrians. This was fine when it was the Hyatt, as most foot traffic was going to and from the Hyatt and Convention Center, where there is minimal vehicle traffic. But with the hotel change, this could prove to be more dangerous.

Seven, there wasn't enough variety in panels, and a lot of them were repeats for Chicago conventions. Anime Midwest used to have around 10 panel rooms spread across the Hyatt Regency and the Convention Center (including Main Stage and Medium Stage) in 2022. This meant that there was always a variety of panels. But with the move, the amount of panel rooms has lowered to 6 (only including a Main Stage). This means that there can't be as much variety in the panels, and that groups might find themselves having nothing to do. My group ran into this problem multiple times, where we didn't not even a year ago. Also, a lot of the panels were repeat panels, where although good, were repeated without much changing from year to year.

Eight, the Doubletree had small issues hosting. The big problem was a lack of an easy way to get to the second floor without taking the elevator. This means that everyone who is trying to get the Consweet, Karaoke, Escape Rooms, etc. all had to take the elevators with the people trying to get to their hotel rooms. And only three of the four elevators were working, causing lines for the elevator on the first and second floors. And no panels were hosted in the Doubletree, making it much harder to justify staying with the convention.

Nine, there were very few badge checks anywhere at the convention. The only places they actually checked that I knew of was at the dealers room, rave, and the burlesque show (so maybe the Main Events room only). No other panels, activities, or events had badge checks that I was aware of. It made me paying 55 dollars for my badge feel like I got minimal reward for it. Like someone could've just ghosted the con, and still got more or less the same experience I did.

Ten, for some reason, they put the AnimeCon.com table right in front of the doors to get into Registration and the Dealers Room on Saturday afternoon. I don't understand why they did this. My theory is that they wanted more people taking their convention books and ads for the next conventions. But the book is useless, as it doesn't contain a list of the panels, and no one would ever take an ad. Like most people who were attending know about their other cons, and they didn't need the badge check, as they had convention center staff doing this for the dealers room. All it did was force force foot traffic to route around them. Honestly, this one is pretty minor, but it's enough to note.

So before I dive any deeper, I want to say that everything below is pure speculation, and should not be treated as a hard fact.

First, the decrease in attendance is obvious. Anime Midwest used to attract around 15,000 people pre-COVID in the Hyatt. Hotels rooms in the Hyatt would sell out a month or two before the con. It wasn't as bad as ACen, but there certainly was demand. But this con had maybe 7,000 to 10,000 people max. This has overall decreased the quality of the convention along with it. Look, I'm a huge fan of small cons, but this felt like it was trying to be a larger convention, without any of the organization or infrastructure of a large con, and it really showed.

Second, there is also a massive decrease in volunteers and staff for this convention. Volunteers and staff are the unsung heroes of all anime conventions in the US. But most of them left, either due to Ryan Kopf and the issues surrounding him, a lack of organization, or Anime Magic attempting to usurp Anime Midwest, and driving most of the volunteers and staff with them.

All in all, this convention felt like some kind of compromise. Like we don't have enough attendees or good panelists, so we compromise with this. We don't have much space, so we compromise with this. We don't have enough volunteers, so we compromise with this. Look, a few compromises would be okay, but this many compromises causes a major problem, and makes the event less fun for all attendees.

This is a really painful thing for me to say as a long time Chicago con attendee, but I would NOT recommend you or anyone you know go to Anime Midwest next year, especially if they don't move back to the Hyatt Regency. I know me and my party won't.

Who’s going to san japan and as what?

I also want to know how it works because it’s my first time ? i’m kind if nervous more cuz i’m not good with large crowds but i still really want to go.

Do they accept apple cash cuz that’s all i got? (I’m 14)

I’ve been an attendee for a couple of years now and it just sucks.

First time I went a couple of years ago they didn’t even have panels going on the entire time. There would be a few gaps so you have nothing to do. The food sucked, they only served rice, and random small snacks that aren’t at all filling. Also, the panels sucked. I don’t know who’s overseeing the panel selection process, but they need a new person doing that because these panels are not at all fun. This year they even had a whole section in their guide that highlighted panels for different races of people, like, “panels for black people! Panels for asian people!” So that seemed a little weird to me

It could be a really good con, but it needs more fun activities that make you excited to actually attend. They don’t have good guests, they don’t have annual panels, and the artist alley is full of amateur artists. I got called out by this very autistic woman on staff this year who told me I couldn’t take photos (I didn’t know) and not only that but told me to “delete it, and I will WATCH YOU delete it.”

I feel like conventions have really gone down hill since covid and they’re just not enjoyable anymore. I want FUN ENGAGING PANELS. I want FUN FOOD. I want a FUN, normal staff.

Also, parking sucks there. You have to pay street parking. Why can’t it be at a hotel with a large parking lot?

This post is a month late but the topic is still bothering me.

This is the first con I’ve gone to where I didn’t buy a single print from artist alley. A lot of the artists had similar styles, and they were styles I don’t personally vibe with. I don’t want to say the art was “bad” but a good chunk of it was gaudy. The con also puts dealers hall and artist alley in the same room, and it creates a discombobulating experience where you can’t tell where you are.

They had panels but didn’t advertise them in-person. They didn’t even put signs outside the doors. They had loud speakers but couldn’t be bothered to use them to announce panels, especially when there were va panels that no one knew the locations of (or that they were even happening).

Speaking of voice actors, the Altered Reality attendee for an actor I wanted to meet had no idea who this person was. I asked if there were any funko pops of a character he voiced (“E”) since I only saw a different character, and she went behind the curtain and grabbed one of the exact same pop that was on the table instead of “E”. I get the attendees don’t have to know about the actor they’re helping, but it felt off that she couldn’t take a second to actually check if they had “E”.

For reference, my first year attending was 2025 and I was impressed by the con. I bought a lot of diverse prints, and there were actual things to do instead of just peak into the game room to see what wasn’t being used.

A convention in my home towns comic con (that is in the middle of nowhere and keeps getting guests I wanna see) will have both Brittany and Allegra. Are there lines super long? Debating if I wanna get a normal or VIP pass

I go to a decent amount of Conventions a year, I cosplay but never get past the initial being asked for a picture and talking about the cosplay phase with men.

I also love to go to the raves, I have a group of friends I dance with but never get approached or asked to dance.

Are guys at cons just not interested in meeting up with women? Id really love to flirt and hangout with an attractive guy for a night.

I just finished day one of anime Midwest, I’ve only ever been once before back in the 2010’s. I remember there a being a ton of panels where the panelists were cosplaying and doing Q&A’s in character- it was like my favorite part of the con. I didn’t see anything like that today nor have I found anything similar on rest of the schedule. Was this just a trend that died or is anime Midwest the odd one out for not having panels like these????

Hi! I had a question about convention guidelines for metal props at Metrocon in Tampa this year. I have a metal sword that I would love to bring, but the guidelines aren’t exactly clear on whether or not I can and how I can, if that makes sense. The guidelines state that no metal weaponry is allowed, but the line immediately after says that metal weapons CAN be allowed in if they are dull in both edge and point, which mine is. Furthermore, the rules afterward make it a point to specify that SHARP objects are not allowed in.

Looking into the website on what they allow, they define the line between a prop and a weapon as such: ‘A “prop” is something that you carry around as part of your costume in your hands or on your person. The moment a prop of any kind is misused or brandished in such a fashion, it becomes a “weapon” and will be treated as such.’

They then proceed to explain that Prop Check will evaluate props on a case-by-case basis depending on circumstances and how well the prop aligns with the guidelines I talked about above. From what I can tell, due to it being metal, they may let it in on account of it being either zip tied to my person or secured in some other fashion. However, posts from members of the Prop Check desk from past cons say that they’re often willing to let metal props through as long as they’re dull and loosely secure.

What are your experiences with cons and metal props, and if you have any way to gauge whether or not I may be able to bring mine in, please tell me. I can share a photo for specification if needed. I’m completely okay if I can’t bring it in, I just don’t want to cause any of the people I’m with or the staff a huge hassle. :)

Hey yall! I applied to Anime Magic for Artist Alley back in Jan! I did ACEN and have another con soon. However i still haven’t had an update on if I had gotten into Anime Magic! And it’s a month away. Do they normally take this long?

We had the chance to meet the amazing voice actor Bill Butts at anime central this year! He is legit one of the nicest people.

I've been doing cosplay for over 10 years, and lately I've been feeling really disconnected from the community.

Back then, cosplay felt like a niche community where people gathered because they genuinely loved the same characters, series, and fandoms. The atmosphere was more about shared interests, creativity, craftsmanship, and simply having fun together.

Over the past few years, though, I've felt that cosplay has become much more accessible and mainstream. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel like the culture has changed. In many events, there seems to be a much stronger focus on appearance, beauty standards, popularity, and social status rather than on the shared passion for the fandom itself.

Personally, I've had some negative experiences at conventions that left a lasting impact on me. I often felt judged and compared by photographers and the overall social atmosphere. Because of that, I've developed a lot of anxiety around attending conventions. I experience intense stress, heart palpitations, and even nausea or vomiting before going to cosplay events.

At this point, I've stopped attending conventions entirely. I still enjoy cosplay, but only in private settings, studios, or outdoor photoshoots where I feel safe and comfortable.

Sometimes, attending cosplay events now feels more like attending a fashion or social scene than being part of a niche hobby community, and I've found myself feeling like an outsider in a community I've been part of for so many years.

To be clear, I'm specifically talking about the cosplay community in Southeast Asia (SEA). Has anyone from other countries noticed a similar change in their local cosplay scene? And if you've experienced this kind of anxiety or disconnection from the cosplay community, how did you cope with it?

Hi there!

I'm going to be in Montreal on the weekend that Otakuthon will be running.

For those who attended, which day do you recommend getting a ticket for?
Should I maybe consider a weekend day ticket?

I'll be mainly interested in the Artist Alley and such.

🌙✨ Great news, Moonies! ✨🌙

My Sailor Moon Cosplay Meet-up has officially been approved for Otakuthon 2026! 🎉

📍 Friday, August 7
🕔 5:00 PM
📍 Meet-up Location 1 (Staircase)

Whether you’re cosplaying as a Sailor Scout, Tuxedo Mask, a villain, or any character from the Sailor Moon universe, I’d love for you to join us! This will be a fun opportunity to meet fellow fans, take group photos, and celebrate one of the most iconic magical girl series ever created.

I’m also a portrait and event photographer, so I’ll be bringing my camera to capture some great memories throughout the meet-up. 📸
I have badge ribbons to handout too!

Please feel free to share this with any Sailor Moon cosplayers attending Otakuthon. I hope to see a fantastic turnout!

In the name of the Moon… I’ll see you there! 🌙💖

Going to apologize for the AI use in advance 😂
However this will be my first con and id like some advice from people who are con veterans.

VIP vs GA:
VIP for me + GA weekend pass for my girlfriend runs about $272. Two GA weekend passes is about $120. The $152 difference is significant for me since I still have pre-con costs. Downside is I won’t even arrive until around 2pm Saturday so I lose the early access perk that day. My core signing list is about 9-10 pops, mostly Gojo (3 pops), Death Note characters (3 pops), Death the Kid, Chrollo, and Hinata for my girlfriend. Is fast pass worth an extra $150ish at a regional con like this, or is GA totally manageable?

Supplies — what do I actually need?

•	Should I bring my own paint markers or are the ones the VA’s have suitable enough.  
•	Is a wagon actually necessary or overkill for around 10 pops?  
•	Ive seen some autographs spider and id like to know how to prevent that. What to bring to help the autos dry, any tips to make sure it doesn’t get messed up etc.   
•	Anything else a first timer would regret not bringing?

Appreciate any advice!

I haven't made it to a con since 2015, but back then StreetPass dominated my waits in line and I often got in some matches in with Super Smash Bros 3DS and Pokemon. What do people do during line waits now? My kid is getting old enough that I'd like to take her to an anime con in the next year or 2. What's the meta?