Ask John: Why Are Anime Conventions Becoming More Prolific?

Question:
Despite the slow growth of popularity of anime in North America or more precisely the lack of acceptance of the genre in mainstream entertainment, the opposite seems to be true of anime conventions. I haven’t kept up with the current growth trend and occurence of anime conventions in the U.S. but it seems like from 1999 and beyond we have seen phenomenal growth in this area of fandom. How is it true that such a steady increase in attendance at anime cons can occur despite setbacks in the anime industry and consumerism such as decreased sales and the various hardships that American anime professionals face? Are there other factors involved that are exclusive to fandom itself that ensure success of most anime conventions?

Answer:
I’m sure that many people who are actually involved in organizing and running anime conventions can provide a more thorough and possibly more accurate answer than I can, but since the question was asked of me, I’ll do my best to answer it. I don’t have a clear idea of how rapidly the number of anime conventions in America is growing, but I do have the impression that there are more fan conventions now than there were a few years ago. Since I’m not personally involved with any anime convention organization, I don’t know for certain, but I suspect that anime cons are becoming more prolific precisely because they’re fan organized events.

Fan organized, sponsored, and conducted events aren’t necessarily impacted by the same factors that affect the anime industry, nor are they directly related to consumer trends. Fundamentally, anime conventions are gatherings of anime fans. Anime fans don’t have to make a living from the production or sales of anime, nor do anime fans necessarily have to purchase anime. Fans only have to like anime. As the popularity of anime expands in America, it’s natural that certain fans will wish to apply constructive effort to their hobby. One of the easiest ways of doing that is by meeting and gathering other anime fans. Arranging business contacts and legal negotiations with foreign interests and companies in order to license and translate anime or manga isn’t easy. On the other hand, organizing a local gathering of anime fans is much easier, and doesn’t require a full time commitment the way a career in licensing does. So organizing an anime convention is the logical first option for amateur anime fans who are interested in doing something productive with their hobby.

Conventions are also fun and relatively inexpensive for attendees, which explains their increasing frequency and popularity. The cost of licensing anime may be increasing, and consumers may be buying less anime and/or paying less for anime, which results in less money for anime companies to work with. But those circumstances have no impact on the ability of amateur fans to organize and attend fan gatherings.