“Back in 1994, AX smelled like VHS tapes, stale carpet, and freedom. In 2023? It smells like LED panels, QR codes, and brand deals.”
— Wing

🎆 July 4th at Anime Expo: Then vs Now#

For a certain breed of fan, July 4th doesn’t mean fireworks.
It means AX. Anime Expo.
A pilgrimage to SoCal for sweat, panels, prints, and people who get it.

But AX 2023 is a far cry from AX 1994.
The soul’s still there… if you know where to look.

🕹️ Anime Expo 1994: The Fan Era#

Held at the Red Lion Hotel in Anaheim, AX ‘94 was barely over a thousand attendees. Mostly locals. Mostly broke. All obsessed.

  • Cosplay wasn’t competitive—it was brave.
  • Panels happened in overheated conference rooms.
  • AMVs were shown on CRTs from fans who edited with dual-deck VCRs.
  • Most anime hadn’t been dubbed—you watched it subbed, bootlegged, and with grain.

If you were there, you probably:

  • Bought a fan-subbed tape in a ziplock bag.
  • Had your con badge on a lanyard with hand-drawn art.
  • Argued about Macross vs Robotech like it meant something.

The vibe?
Homemade. Intimate. Kind of magical.

🤖 Anime Expo 2023: The Algorithm Era#

Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, AX 2023 was a six-figure mega-convention with corporate sponsors, digital badges, timed-entry merch queues, and enough LED light walls to rewire your sleep cycle.

  • Entire studios hosted booths.
  • YouTubers, V-Tubers, and TikTok celebs filled the guest list.
  • Panels included executive strategy Q&As and NFT tie-ins.
  • Lines. So many lines.

The fans still came. In force. In heat.
But the edge felt different—less discovery, more curation.
Less trading, more vending.

🧓 Wing’s Retro Lens#

AX ‘94 felt like the underground finally bubbling up.
You didn’t know what you’d find—and that was the point.

AX 2023?
It’s slick, safe, and sensory-overloaded.
You’ll find what you came for… and maybe nothing else.

🧠 So What’s the Difference?#

1994 2023
“Fan-subbed tapes” “AI-generated trailer drops”
Paper schedules Mobile app + push alerts
Cosplay from scraps $800 VTuber armor builds
Waiting in hallways Waiting in QR-coded cattle pens
4th of July BBQ nearby Fireworks visible from artist alley

🧨 Still Worth It?#

Yeah. Because somewhere behind the industry booths, there’s a 14-year-old discovering Evangelion for the first time.
There’s a 40-year-old cosplaying Sailor Mars like it’s still 1996.
And there’s someone in the back of a side panel showing their weird indie zine, just like we used to.

💬 Got memories of early AX? Or just survived 2023’s heat and badge lines? Tell me your AX story.
Because whether it’s on VHS or streamed in 4K, fandom remembers.