Geek Babble- Anime Detour 2019

 

Last year, Anime Detour easily earned the award for being the “most improved” anime convention, thanks to its new venue solving many of the issues which were present from years past.  Unfortunately, the biggest issue that remained was still, unfortunately, the venue.  While there was sufficient space at the new venue for last year’s convention in a pinch, the new venue was already starting to strain in having to cope with the sheer number of attendees, and inadequate parking is a major issue.  The best solution was to begin utilizing the Millennium Hotel next door for both the rooms and event space, but that did not happen this year, unfortunately.  Nonetheless, Anime Detour for this year managed to make a series of small changes for an overall better convention, but there was something that was still missing for me.

 

This year, Anime Detour was again held at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Minneapolis, and surprisingly, the hotel rooms cost exactly the same as the previous year.  However, once at the convention, it was a bit surprising as somehow, the hotel was not straining against the number of attendees as much as last year.  Had Anime Detour’s attendance somehow shrunk, was it just better crowd control, or had people just started spending time elsewhere downtown?  There were some slight adjustments to the hotel layout regarding lighting and the hallways themselves but these were so minor that they could not have themselves contributed to much more usable space.  Whatever it was, the crowds themselves this year were much more manageable than last year, a welcome start to Friday.  While Friday’s 12:00 noon start time for the artist alley along with an 8:00 PM closing time was welcome, along with long hours for the subsequent days, a 4:00 PM dealers room opening time on Friday was much too late.  Somehow, Anime Detour is now attracting a large number of artists who travel to conventions all across the country to sell their art, and the caliber of these artists is absolutely fantastic.  While the artist alley could have held a few more booths and there was a much stronger emphasis on prints this year versus prior years, the high quality of the merchandise could not be denied.  The dealers room, despite a long wait on Friday until it opened, was absolutely spectacular this year, especially when considering the size of this convention.  It felt like no two vendors carried the same merchandise, a task which felt like it was accomplished through each vendor collaborating with several others so no two booths had the same merchandise.  Nick-nacks, cosplay wigs, swords, props, snacks, figures, DVDs, manga, clothing, Japanese cultural experiences and several other conventions set up shop at this year’s Anime Detour dealers room, which while the same size as last year, somehow felt larger and arranged more efficiently.  There was more emphasis on older series versus newer series, but the variety was both shocking and impressive.  A final welcome addition to the venue would be the fact that there were two food trucks this year most of the time instead of just one, though the food trucks themselves varied based on when one lined up.  A conveyor-belt-style sushi restaurant also opened up next door, though this can’t be considered a full replacement for the nearby large Japanese restaurant which closed almost 3 years ago.  For those on a smaller budget, the hotel did have a concessions stand stocked mostly with prepared fried or frozen food, though once again the hotel restaurant replaced its traditional menu with overpriced anime-themed cafeteria food.

 

 

The programming structure was much the same as in years past: there are one-hour time blocks with 30 minutes in between panels.  The variety of content this year was excellent, with panels thankfully not just limited to things like “ask a character” or “OTP” panels.  Now, things such as advanced cosplay or construction panels are still not very prevalent at Anime Detour, but the abundance of educational, analytical, and informational panels spanning a wide variety of fandoms is welcome, plus panels promoting a healthy fandom experience.  A major shoutout is due for the “The State of Anime Conventions” panel on Friday, which covered current issues and administrative struggles for various conventions today.  One intriguing addition this year was the fact that there was a concert held in the main event hall on Friday evening for the band Kazha, though I did not attend this function.  Do note that there was no extra surcharge to attend, unlike concerts at some other conventions.  What was less pleasant, however, were the photoshoots.  The venue for the photoshoots was the same as last year, but the lack of variety fandomwise for the photoshoots was unacceptable.  RWBY?  My Hero Academia?  Sports anime (which was the theme of the convention, mind you)?  Fate?  Persona?  Final Fantasy?  Naruto?  One Piece?  All of the aforementioned fandoms did not have photoshoots, and it also begs the question why Nintendo was given 2 photoshoots.  Instead, one may have been better off attending one of the many public room parties on the hotel’s fourth floor, a major unique selling point of Anime Detour, as it provides an oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of the convention, plus allows folks to engage certain groups or people on a more personal level.

 

 

And that’s another great selling point of the convention- the people themselves.  Despite very small growth numbers this year, there are plenty of attendees flying in from out of town, and the level of cosplay is steadily rising.  Having Anime Detour be a beacon for congoers is very encouraging, and having quality congoers is excellent as well.  There was still a great degree of enthusiasm surrounding the congoers but this was tempered enough in that people didn’t get too much out of hand.  A visible instance of this exception was one of the elevators on Sunday morning that had to have its flooring ripped out and dried out.

Overall, Anime Detour for 2019 represented an improvement over 2018, though only mildly.  Its main strength is its value for money and for being well-administered.  The cost is low, and what makes it compelling is the sheer number of things that are solid.  It may not go above and beyond in many areas, but aside from a poor showing for photoshoots there are no glaring faults.  However, despite that, there was something missing this year.  Despite the new venue, the feel of the convention this year remained mostly the same versus prior years.  It felt like the convention again is beginning to once again rest on its laurels, not pushing the envelope and once again falling into the old folly of “don’t fix what ain’t broke” earlier this decade.  Now, don’t let that deter one from attending, of course, and there are signs that the crowd and content are evolving, but part of me wishes it were done a bit faster.  Maybe it’s because this is the convention I have been to the longest, or maybe it’s just local pride.  This is still a convention that I would wholeheartedly recommend, and I of course will continue attending, but the calls for pushing the envelope will only grow louder.

 

Do check out my pictures from the convention here .  More to come later.