Anime Expo: From 1994 Fireworks to 2023 Corporate Cosplay
“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.