An annual festival celebrating all things anime returned to Ottawa this weekend. Anime Ottawa kicked off on Friday at the EY Centre. Now in its third year, the convention is dedicated to anime and cosplay lovers, and features products like manga, video games, toys, collectibles and pop culture memorabilia. Attendees were also able to appreciate numerous panels, workshops, guest Q&A’s, autograph sessions, shows and more, geared towards audiences of all ages. Special guests came in from the United States, including voice actors of favourite animes and musical artists from Japan holding concerts. The convention drew in more than 12,000 attendees, breaking previous records, according to organizers. Attendees say it’s part of a growing community. “The community is huge now because anime has become pretty mainstream in the past few years,” says Alyssia Duvale-Nguon, a spokesperson for Anime Ottawa. “There was a big boom in popularity of anime during the pandemic because people obviously were at home and they had more time to watch TV and watch movies.” With hundreds of vendors and industry representatives, fans had the opportunity to meet their favourite characters and talents from across the world. “Meeting the people, getting to make new friends. It’s just like one big community of nerds and you can’t really judge other people because you’re surrounded by a bunch of other nerds. It’s just like such a judgment free zone that you’re free of yourself,” said Emily, who was attending with friends. More than 275 vendors and industry representatives, fans had the opportunity to meet their favourite characters and talents from across the world. Attendees were encouraged to dress up as their favourite characters for a masquerade competition. “We’re all part of the Vocaloid fandom. There’s a lot of music involved. There is a movie and some video games. There’s a lot of fan interpretation,” said Melanie, attending with friends. “I’m just doing a very basic but like sparkly Hatsune Miku,” said Emily. “I’m Hatsune Miku from the song The Vampire,” says Amanda Murray. Anime Ottawa ran until 6 p.m. on Sunday. The convention returns next year March 26 to March 28, 2027 at the EY Centre. More to come.
