I can’t believe it’s already been the third year of Anime Impulse. It was another great year and another way for us to remember how I met so many people; how I gained so many good friends.
Anyways (before I start getting all sappy and stuff), Anime Impulse this year was held on January 19th and 20th at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, CA. It was always held there, so everything seemed familiar, but everything would get better and better every year. Tickets were $11 each day, so I would say that’s a pretty nice price for the event, Asian America Expo, and Blushcon. It had good entertainment, awesome cosplayers/industry, and of course, the food was superb! 😀
Before I start rambling on and on, I should get in on this blog post about the experiences that you could of had at this con.
*Disclaimer: I was only there for that Sunday, so unfortunately, I can’t talk about it all entirely, but thanks to my friend, RDSPLN, I got some pictures I can show y’all. xD
Let’s begin!
GUESTS ON GUESTS ON GUESTS
There were so many guests to this convention. If you guys aren’t familiar with Anime Impulse, this con always has a ton of guests, from cosplayers, industry, voice actors, and influencers. There are so many people that you can meet and have a chat with.
Here is a full list that I took from their website:
COSPLAYS
Since we are on this talk about guests, why don’t I just segue into cosplayers. There were a bunch of guests who are cosplayers, but can’t forget about the attendees. If you had an itching for some dope cosplays, here was the con for you! You would see a bunch of anime related cosplays as well as video game ones, and even a Deadpool or two. I’m talking about you @dpiddy! xD
VENDORS//ARTISTS ALLEY
Whenever I think of Anime Impulse, I think of how much my wallet cries. Anime Impulse always has a bunch of great vendors and artists showcasing their products and leaves me wondering, “How am I going to carry all of this stuff around?”
There’s always something to check out if you want some anime merchandise for your figure collection, if you feel like picking up some dope anime styled clothing from Lowkey! Geeks (@lowkeygeeks) or Shinya (@shinya.co), or feel like building up your itabag! You’ll always find something good here, so make sure to drop on by and zig zag through those booths.
Here is some of what you could find there:
ITASHA CARS
I could never forget the Itasha cars. Here are a bunch of cars that are a part of the Itasha Alliance group, as well as other local otakus showing off their sexy cars.
PANELS, PERFORMANCES, AND MORE
There were plenty of panels and performances that happened on the outside main stage during the convention. Since I wasn’t there on that Saturday, I can’t really say too much, but from what I heard, here was some key stuff that I would of definitely checked out.
Fashion Show
The Fashion Show was an event where a bunch of different brands were able to showcase their current released clothing, as well as give the attendees a sneak preview of what’s going to come out! You were able to see the apparel from Morigalaxy, Toshikigirl, Creator’s Guild, iiii Clothing, and Weeb Apparel.
Cali Crisis
Cali Crisis is a synth pop duo based out of California that rocks out on stage with their very 80’s style music that is heavily influenced from Anime and Japanese music, like Maria Takeuchi.
The Corps Dance Crew
The Corps Dance Crew is a dance group that is bases their performances off of different anime and comics. Their performance for this convention was titled, “Oh! My Otaku!”
Smash Tournament
What else do I have to say?! IT’S A TOURNAMENT FOR SMASH BROS ULTIMATE! HAHAHA xD
Taikomotion
Taikomotion is a taiko group from UCI that showed off their classic Japanese style Taiko Drum performances and more. It was a great, lively performance that got me wanting to learn!
Ramen Boy @ramenboy
Ramen Boy is a DJ/producer that loves ramen, hints*** the name. We were able to check out his performance and woahh, so good! Got me on my feet and banging my head everywhere. xD
JVNA @jvnamusic
JVNA is a DJ, Music Producer, and Pianist. She’s done a bunch of remixes of anime and video music that you can find on YouTube and does amazing performances. We were able to check out her performance, and man, IT WAS TOO GOOD!
ASIAN AMERICAN EXPO & BLUSHCON
Besides Anime Impulse, your ticket also bought you access to these two events.
Asian American Expo allowed for a bunch of Asian American vendors to show off their products, where you could get samples (if you want a little taste) and even buy their products. In some areas, you were able to interact with certain booths and watch performances as well. They also had tons of food there too, so can’t forget that. All of the different restaurants and pop-ups would bring out all the goodies as far as Asian food. You’ll definitely be set, I’m sure of it!
At Blushcon, they had different brands showing off their products as well as giving samples to some of what they create. They had some interractive booths where you could take your next Instagram photo as well as just have some overall fun. They even had some panels where they spoke about fashion and beauty, Instagram followings, and how to market yourself. This was definitely something worth checking out. 😀
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Overall, this event was great! It got my fill of anime, had the feels with my wallet, and hung out with all the friends. OH AND FOOD! YES FOOD! TOO MUCH GOOD FOOD!
If you guys are interested in checking it out next year, definitely give them a follow below and check out their social media!
See y’all there!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: animeimpulse.com
YouTube: youtube.com/animeimpulse
Facebook: facebook.com/ANIMEimpulse
Twitter: @animeimpulse
Instagram: @animeimpulse
