Although final attendance numbers weren’t yet counted, the estimate for attendance at day two of the Anime Banzai convention was 4300. People were excited to get into the exhibition hall and artist alley but the main attraction seemed to be the AMV contest. The entries in the contest were well made pieces of Anime Music Video fan art. Some were funny, and others were moving, but they all made the audience cheer enthusiastically. Utah’s own Geekshow Podcast recorded for 2 hours in the security room; crowds in full Cosplay danced outside to Gangnam Style and a Ride That Pony!; and, between other popular panels, the anime screening rooms were packed.
One of the most popular panels was the Cosplay contest. Cosplay was the word of the day. With entire families dressed up, the percentage of those in some sort of costume seemed to be 50%. Not everyone was made up, but nearly everyone attended the after party in the ballroom or in the hotel bar. Both events had everyone dancing into the early hours of the next day at the con. It was an amazing site to see Iron Man, The Batman, Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Maleficent take to the dance floor all at one time.
Big Shiny Robot snagged some Cosplay photos outside of the dark club and dance hall. From comic book and manga characters, to popular anime and video game characters, you’ll be amazed at the variety of costumes.
