NEW YORK — Dressed as and equipped with the persona of her favorite character, Mariah Singletary was one of thousands of people who lined up outside the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan for the Anime NYC convention on Saturday.

“I’m Bakugo Katsuki from 'My Hero Academia,'" Singletary said.


What You Need To Know

  • Anime NYC is back and bigger than before.  Organizers are expecting some 50,000 people to attend this weekend

  • All attendees must be vaccinated and are required to wear masks indoors

  • Founder Peter Tatara promises fans amazing concerts, world premiere screenings, voice actors of fans favorite characters, and over 400 exhibits

The anime convention is back and bigger than before. Organizers are expecting some 50,000 people to attend this weekend. All attendees must be vaccinated and are required to wear masks indoors. This is Singletary’s third year attending the convention.

“I love being cosplay around people who also love anime and cosplaying, and I love the energy,” Singletary said.  

The convention was launched in 2017. Founder Peter Tatara promises fans the best of Japanese pop culture, with a menu of things to do.

“It's amazing concerts, world premiere screenings before they're even shown in Japan, amazing voice actors who voice fan favorite characters, we've got over 400 exhibits where you can see and buy exclusive merchandise,” Tatara revealed.

It was the first year attending the convention for Brooklyn resident Micaela Lue. She said some of the panels piqued her interest.

Anime NYC attendee Micaela Lue. (NY1/Edric Robinson)

“'Black Trailblazers in Anime,' and I’m really sad I’m missing it, 'cause I got here a little late” said Lue, referencing a panel from the event lineup on her phone.

Lue said her older brother, and a little extra time because of the pandemic, turned her into a now-super fan, and she’s thrilled to see so many people who look like her here.

“Seeing a bunch of like, people of color dressed up and expressing themselves in this way is really inspiring to me,” Lue said.

From taking photos and playing video games to making videos for social media, the space feels like a homecoming gathering for the anime family — and yes, parents are invited.

“Since my daughter started watching anime, she kind of dragged me in. So I know the characters,” said Simone Gobin as she watched her daughter create a social media video.  

Singletary, like others at the convention, said it was all worth the wait.

“It feels a lot more packed. Like it feels like there's so many people, which is very understandable because we’ve been without this for so long, its crazy,” Singletary said.