Convention Review: Anime Impulse 2023
This is the first convention I review for the year. I was unable to attend Anime Los Angeles because of the weather and the first day of Anime Impulse had similar weather.
Ticket price: $20 for 1 day, 30 for both days
Parking: $17, card only. Took about 25 minutes to park.
Anime Impulse is a convention I would recommend to anyone who wants to attend a convention for the first time. Its ticket price is more than worth it because it also allows you to enjoy 3 other events. Anime Impulse held in Pomona has 4 different events that are covered by your ticket. You get to enjoy KPlayfest, Sneakercon, and the Asian American Expo. The entirety of the event takes up 7 "Halls" which are large warehouses that house the separate events.
By combining all of these separate events under one it allows people to explore other fandoms and other hobbies. Right when you enter you are greeted by a display of about a dozen Itasha Cars, cars that are decorated to prominently and proudly display one character. These ranged in style and character, from anime characters to game characters. I personally saw one that was displaying the Gengar evolution line. Their location between the artist alley hall and the vendor hall allowed attendees to not miss this display.
The vendor hall housed a variety of exhibitors that sold items ranging from shirts and clothing, car accessories, figures, games, keychains, and stickers. A great selection to choose from for first time convention attendees. At the far end of the vendor hall you would find dreamland maid café, they are pop up maid café that recreates the maid café experience from japan. You can find an example below:
The artist alley allowed you to find the explore fandoms art made by local artist. They sold handmade items ranging from stickers and prints to to crochets and shirts. If there was a fandom you were interested in you are sure to find a couple of art pieces. This same hall also housed the voice actors which caused it to be a bit crowded at times. There were issues with the rain that caused the roof of this hall to leak. On the opposite of the vendor hall you would find a free arcade and a stage dedicated to vtubers.
KPlayFest and Sneakercon both allowed a new experience for me. I have never been to a K pop event or a sneaker convention so I was excited to try them both. I really enjoyed what KPlayFest had to offer. The booths sold a variety of photocards and photocards accessories and many cute accessories. My wife bought more from this hall than any of the others. Sneakercon was not as fun. Since the convention encouraged attendees to sell and trade shoes also it caused a lot of traffic. Attendees were carrying dozens of shoes in carts trying to get the best offer and this caused it to be hard to walk between booths. If you like shoes or streetwear fashion this was the place for you to be.
One of the best things this con has to offer is the sheer amount of food options there are. I personally lost count but there were more than a hundred different food options both inside the Asian American Expo and between all the halls. If you have any type of craving you could find a food truck or food stall that could satisfy it. I personally picked up a turkey sandwich and Vietnamese coffee. I wanted to get more and you will definitely get decision paralysis from trying to pick. I suggest going with a vendor that has a short line because you cannot go wrong.
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