This convention was amazing, if you’d like to know more about it or my experience there, here’s my review of it!
Animazement 2023 was an amazing convention. I’ve been searching for cons that were kid-friendly, and this one was absolutely perfect. I’ll always remember it as my first convention for a good reason, and it wasn’t even that far from me! It’s in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Raleigh Convention Center. It was so fun, here’s my review for it!
Events and Panels
One of my favorite parts of the con was the epic panels they had. They invited voice actors to come and talk about their jobs, roles, etc. Sometimes they have panels about different anime, or even some focused on dancing. I saw one about voice acting, and it was absolutely great! My tip is to get in line about 20+ minutes earlier than it starts, because if what you want to see if popular, seats will fill up fast! The longest I’ve waited in line for a single panel was while I was there was for an hour waiting! There was an amazing idol group called Starburst Idols that had an event, and they were incredible! The only downside is that sometimes you might find out the show you want to see is full after waiting in line for a long time! They have a karaoke contest, which is really cool, but it wasn’t super packed, so I think you’ll be fine getting there around 20 minutes early. The Masquerade is the most popular, it’s a lip-sync/dance competition, and the seats go fast. You’ll have to wait about an hour or more before getting in. Before that is a cosplay contest, and I saw so many characters from my favorite shows that I screamed and clapped so loud with my friends! I’d definitely suggest bringing water, because my throat was very sore the next day after cheering and yelling so much.
Kid Friendly?
I’ve searched for a long time to find a convention that was safe for kids, and this one was one of the best options. The only inappropriate things I saw was either in the handbook they give in the beginning, where they write down different events, (some for a 18+ crowd) or some cosplayers cosplaying more mature characters. The other thing is that in the “Dealers room” (the shop for merchandise) there are people selling inappropriate artwork or even body pillows. It’s usually in its own section, so I’d just stay clear of that. Honestly, I just scribbled over the weird events in my handbook with a marker, and didn’t stay too late at night. It’s more kid friendly in the daytime than at night, because after 10:00 p.m is when the raids and concerts start.
Pictures and People
Since it was my first convention, I was scared to ask people for pictures. Usually, if you see a person cosplaying a character you like, you could ask them to take a picture with you! It’s really fun and is one of my favorite parts of the experience. When I saw a cosplayer of one of my favorite characters, I ran up to them and asked for a picture. As long as you ask nicely, they’ll almost always say yes! Everyone I met at Animazement was extremely friendly and I got lots of awesome pictures with awesome cosplayers!
Money, food, the Dealers room, and the Art Gallery
When it comes to conventions, you have to be wise with your savings. Food is very expensive, so I’d suggest you bring food with you, or eat before going and snack during the day. They usually don’t let you bring food inside, so around lunchtime I went to my car and ate in there before heading back inside. You don’t have to wait in line again if you already have your ticket! A bottle of water is around $4, so I’d suggest bringing one with you unless you have enough money to spend. They have small snacks there like smoothies, Italian ice, corn-dogs, and stuff like that. If you go outside there are food trucks, but like I said, the price gets extremely high. If you like getting merchandise or posters, you’ll want to save your money for the Dealers room or the Art Gallery. There is a long line to enter, so I’d get in the line early to get in right away, unless you want to wait an hour or so before going in, when it’ll be less crowded. If you go on a Friday it’s less packed, but on Saturday it’s very tight so I’d make sure you don’t have any claustrophobia, because you’re squishing around people almost the whole time. You can buy merchandise like stickers, clothes, hats, masks, manga, figures, even swords, and in the art gallery you can look at lots of cool artwork and posters!
Animazement was so fun, and the highlight of my year! I’d definitely recommend going to the one in 2024! Thanks for reading- and please leave your thoughts in the comments below!
