Conventions / Miscellaneous

「Anime Los Angeles 2016」

Anime Los Angeles 2016

With a completely new venue in a totally different area (still in sunny California though), how does this year’s Anime Los Angeles or ALA stack up compared to previous years? Let’s find out!

The New Venue

Compared to the modest hotel venue from previous years, I would say that the move to the Ontario Convention Center was a huge upgrade and a breath of fresh air. Not only does it give the convention itself a ton more space to hold its various events, but the fact that it’s in an actual convention center gives offs vibes that this is truly a “con” now. At the same time, even with a larger venue, ALA still hasn’t lost that down-to-earth feel that draws in newbies and veterans alike. With nothing too far away from each other, it doesn’t feel like your traversing across separate continents to find things.

When it comes to hotels though, here’s how I would break it down for those who didn’t make it this year.

  • Sheraton: Nice hotel with food offerings right next to it (there’s an Inn-n-Out and Yoshinoya!). It’s about a ten minute walk to the actual convention center, but you’ll pass by the DoubleTree on your way there. Did I mention they provide free parking for guests?
  • DoubleTree by Hilton: On par with the Sheraton when it comes to accommodations, this one’s a lot closer to the convention center, sort of. Sort of is the fact that depending on which building you get placed in (there’s three), you could end up closer to the Sheraton than the convention itself. I’d try to stay here though if you want a nice hotel and a short walk to the convention center.
  • Radisson: Closest to the convention center and you could say it’s the heart of the party every single night. That said, even though the rooms are in decent condition, the building itself is a little ratchet and would fit in perfectly with a horror movie. Great if you want a super short convention commute. As an added bonus there are even some ALA things held here like Table Top Gaming!
  • Ayres / Azure Hotel: Wow, based off of the impression the suites gave me, this hotel probably tops the list when it comes to being fancy. It’s about as far as the DoubleTree is from the convention center except it’s on the other side. Nice hotel and I’d stay here if I had the opportunity to.

All-in-all, a pretty good selection if you’re going to attend next year. Also, the other hotels apparently also have free parking but your mileage may vary.

General Impressions

As I’ve said in previous years, Anime Los Angeles or ALA is one of the most down to earth conventions you could attend on west coast. With attendees coming as far as New York and Canada, you know that they’re doing something right to keep them coming back.

However, one big change I noticed this year was just how much “coming of age” I felt from the con itself. Jumping the barrier from a small to medium convention to a large one, you could feel the growing pains from the way certain things were managed. Which weren’t necessarily bad things since the con itself didn’t lose its relaxed vibe and for the most part you probably wouldn’t notice unless you were paying attention. On the other hand, with a larger venue comes a larger Dealer’s Hall and a much larger Artist Alley! Something that I really appreciated since I ended up spending a lot more time in there than I expected.

Another thing I noticed was just how spaced out the attendees seemed this year. As I traversed around the whole place, it felt like I was finding small packs of cosplayers here and there and not the huge mobs I was used to seeing. Maybe they were all just hiding somewhere, but I just found it strange that there was so much empty space! That and I was surprised to see how few photos I had by the end of the con.

Overall though, I was happily surprised with how much I enjoyed this new ALA. With its new size and opportunities to grow, I’m really excited for just how crazy of a convention this thing can become! And like always, I personally had a ton of fun with my friends as we had our crazy antics throughout the weekend. Again, thanks for taking the time to read these convention posts and hopefully I can catch some of you next year if you’re in the area!

P.S. Just like last year, wasn’t that storm on Sunday absolutely ridiculous? God, I was dressed up as Karamatsu and it was horrible walking around with wet sequin pants and fogged up shades.

P.P.S. Did I look like Leorio? :3

 

 

Convention Info

  • Date: January 28 thru 31
  • Location: Ontario Convention Center / Ontario, CA USA
  • Website: animelosangeles.org/ala/

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    2017 Information

  • Date: January 26 thru 29
  • Location: Ontario Convention Center / Ontario, CA USA
  • Website: animelosangeles.org/ala/

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    “… the move to the Ontario Convention Center was a huge upgrade and a breath of fresh air.”

     

    “Anime Los Angeles or ALA is one of the most down to earth conventions you could attend on west coast.”

     

    “… with a larger venue comes a larger Dealer’s Hall and a much larger Artist Alley!”

     

    “I was happily surprised with how much I enjoyed this new ALA.”

22 Comments

  4. Yoo, is that PrincessMei as Osomatsu? I was going to comment on how many Matsus there seemed to be but once I read that you were one of them it made a bit more sense. I’m glad you got a picture of the atrocious sequin pants too!

    Gyabo
    Reply

      1. Aw nuts. I’m feeling a bit jelly now, since I’ve been searching toy/hobby stores over here (at least, the ones I know that sell legit Nendoroids) and I’ve had no such luck (that and I missed the pre-order window at the time it was announced).

        Based on my own current experience, I hope your friend decided to buy that Kurumi Nendoroid. If he likes/loves that character enough, “go for it,” I say.

        Incognito
        Reply

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