You call this a Revolution?

Anime convention not one of Vancouver’s finest

By Angela Espinoza, News Editor

In a city full of fandom conventions, such as the NorthWest Fan Fest and Fan Expo Vancouver, expectations were high for the 2014 Anime Revolution (AniRevo) event that took place from August 22 to 24 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. With celebrity guests, a dealers’ room, speakers’ panels, gaming rooms, music events, and dozens of cosplayers, the event held a lot of promise. However, AniRevo had one too many issues to compete with the greats.

The highlights of the convention were specific vendors, mainly within the artist’s alley (fan art vendors); Japanese industry and voice-actor guests (specifically Megumi Ogata and Marina Inoue); and the impressive, gorgeous costumes that attendees—not guests—put together themselves.

The biggest problem AniRevo had was a lack of information and communication, including volunteers who had few details to relay to attendees. Ticket prices ($50–60 per ticket) were also a concern, given that the convention featured several repeated special guests, few panel options, and a surprisingly limited dealers’ room.

AniRevo certainly isn’t in the big leagues with other local conventions, but if you’re interested in anime and cosplay and set your expectations appropriately, you might want to check it out next year. If not, you can always hang around outside the Convention Centre and take in all the amazing cosplayers.