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Anime Expo

AX Memories Home

 It was the start of something new, something grand, and something pretty darn cool.  It was the first annual Anime Expo held in 1992 at the Red Lion Hotel in San Jose, California over July 3-6, taking up all four days, and bringing in a total of 1750 attendees worldwide.  This year was also the birth of the SPJA (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation) which partnered with the Founders of Cal-Animage, CA West, U.S. Renditions, L.A.Hero, Viz Communications, AnimeEigo, and Animag.  Borne from the visions of BayCon, San Diego Comicon, Project A-Kon, and AnimeCon91, Anime Expo kicked off with a huge wealth of pioneering events and opportunities all the fans, industry, and guests could enjoy.  From multiple 24-hour anime video rooms, art shows, autograph sessions, karaoke competitions, awards ceremonies, guest receptions, costume competitions, and much more, Anime Expo quickly became the established benchmark of what all anime and manga conventions today want. 

Please step back in time with us now as we present to you an exciting list of experiences brought back from our ancient time machine of memories of Anime Expo 1992.
 
  Featuring Opening Ceremonies, Guest Reception, Awards, and much more, Anime Expo exploded with exciting activities every hardcore and new anime fan could enjoy.  Take me there!

   Featuring guests from both Japan and America, our list of dignitaries truly became legendary in that time when international anime conventions were hard to come by.  Take me there!
  Take a seat and see the Japanese dignitaries such as Mikimoto and Tomino of the past talk about what life was like back then, both personal and professional.  Take me there!

   Take a seat and see how the American anime distribution industry started off with established Japanese anime titles and grew from small subtitling backgrounds to dubbing.  You'd be amazed at what we dug up.  Take me there!
  From that crazy Ranma 1/2 to the infamous Dirty Pair, the first annual Costume Contest (as it was called back then) brought in a lot of wacky entries and skits.  Take me there!

   So what was the convention experience like back then?  Was it really like a bunch of people crowded in a video room staring at a 13" TV showing glistening copies of the latest anime TV show?  Take me there!

Built by Usagichan Company Search and Rescue, SPJA e-Pubs, AX Archive, and numerous AX staff who saved their precious memories for a glorified web medium that was only a dream in 1992.