This past weekend (July 1 - July 4), Anime Expo returned to the Los Angeles Convention Center, and a massive number of anime fanatics worldwide packed the area for four days of exciting panels, events, and photo ops.

One major highlight of Anime Expo is the fashion show, and Sunday found a slew of people packing Petree Hall for an exciting display of fashion. Hosted by Seena Akita, the event featured designs from Forest Girl Clothing, Candy Trap, Vina of the Valley, ACDC Rag, and Black Ribbon.

Anime Expo also featured a slew of live music throughout the convention. Local J-pop singer Stephanie Yanez delivered a fantastic offering of originals and cover songs at both the Community Stage and Lounge 21 while Blow Brass got the crowd dancing with brass covers of Smash Bros Ultimate music at Lounge 21. Some musical acts chose to perform outside of the convention center; cosplayer Yomiichuu belted out a list of covers near the entrance.

A handful of video games were on hand to test out at the convention as well. Inti Creates forthcoming title Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue, which arrives on November 16 on consoles and PC, offered an exciting look at the metroidvania title. While the demo was bound to a 15-minute time limit, many experienced metroidvania players swiftly went through the demo. Another game that stood out at the convention was Venture to the Vile, which is slated for a 2024 release on Steam. While this title is also a metroidvania game, a big twist is that it exists in a 3-D world. This means players can move to the background and foreground of each level to continue their journey.

When it comes to upcoming video games, one title standing out for JRPG fans is Persona 5 Tactica. The forthcoming ATLUS title gives players a new way to play their favorite Persona 5 characters. In this tactical RPG coming to consoles and PC on November 17, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are transported to another world where they must team up with the Rebel Corps to save the land from destruction. A special Persona 5 Tactica panel brought voice actors from the game to discuss the title with content creator Chris Lam. While Matthew Mercer, Cherami Leigh, and Xanthe Huynh are well known names in the voice acting scene, the game introduces people to Leeanna Albanese, who previously appeared on the mobile game TERA: Endless War and Netflix’s English dub of Anne+. When asked about being part of the beloved franchise, Albanese said, “There aren’t words for it. It’s a dream come true.”

Our photos from Anime Expo 2023 can be seen below. Our past coverage of Anime Expo 2023 can be found here. Anime Expo will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year from July 4 through July 7. More information about Anime Expo can be found on its website here.