For older Springfieldians, it may have been shows like “Speed Racer” or “Astro Boy.” For young adults, perhaps it was “Pokémon” or “Dragon Ball Z.” Today, Japanese animation, more commonly known as “anime,” is a bigger industry than ever before, bringing in more than $31 billion annually, with bigger and bigger fandoms to match.
That's why VXV Events, the company that brought the inaugural Missouri Comic Con to Springfield in February, is back again with another new convention: Missouri Anime Fest, taking place this weekend, Nov. 18-19, at the Springfield Expo Center.
It was a natural choice for convention founder Jay Branch to bring in this follow-up event after the tremendous success of its “bigger brother” convention.
“When you go somewhere new, you're confident in your ability to pick a place,” Branch said, speaking of Missouri Comic Con. “But what if nobody shows up? That's what keeps promoters up at night when you do a first year.”
Thankfully for Branch and his crew, that wasn’t a problem with Springfield.
“For a first-year show, you couldn't expect better. The town's great,” Branch said. “We really love it there. Everybody's easy to work with. Folks are behind it. The venue is behind it. They're excited about it. When you have those elements, it makes it so much easier.”
What’s the appeal of anime?
But why all the excitement? What exactly is the appeal of anime that makes it such a huge industry and worth having a pop culture convention dedicated to it? Branch is no stranger to being asked such questions, often by older adults, and he notes several reasons.
“I say, when we were kids, we had after school cartoons: GI Joe, Thundercats, Smurfs, things like that,” he explains. “Anime is basically the same thing, except that there's anime for kids, teenagers and adults, so you can basically ‘level up’ through anime.”
Some anime shows are designed to have generational layers of appeal.
“When I was a kid, at a certain point, you stopped watching cartoons because they were aimed at a specific age group. Anime is not like that,” Branch said. “You can be 10 years old and watch ‘My Hero Academia,’ later teenage years watching ‘Demon Slayer,’ or an adult watching more adult titles that have more depth to them and take on more issues. A parent can sit down with their kids and watch a Studio Ghibli movie and be entertained, just as a family might go watch a Pixar movie. It's the same thing.”
Branch notes that anime has become increasingly accessible, with a wider variety of titles available on Netflix and other streaming services than ever before. As a result, viewers on the hunt for a new show to binge often check out anime shows on a whim and end up discovering new favorites.
“When the accessibility is there, it’s way easier for people to get into it,” Branch said, “whereas before it was something you had to seek out. With the click of a button, you can give this series a try. If you're not into that one, you can try another. Go on your streaming service and find what options there are.”
Finally, there’s the cross-generational appeal. Several anime franchises that rose to prominence during the anime boom of the late ‘90s and early 2000s are just as popular, if not more so, today, partly due to their fanbases growing as new generations discover them.
“You've got a couple decades or more on some of these titles that people are now sharing through generations,” Branch said. “Somebody can say, ‘Ooh, I'm gonna show my little brother or my little cousin or someone the anime that I watched 15-20 years ago.’ As you start to see that grow through the generations, you'll only see anime get bigger.”
Why celebrate anime in Springfield?
Throughout 2023, the Queen City has shown that it can support multiple pop culture conventions. Despite anime being a bit more of a niche interest, the positive reception to anime-related content at Missouri Comic Con was a good barometer for how a complimentary con like Anime Fest would perform in Springfield.
“We had anime guests at Comic Con, and they all did very well,” Branch said. “Right there, we were able to see people here are very into anime and want to support it, so we can do a show that just targets that.”
KiRa-KiRa, a Springfield-based, anime-inspired dance cover group — and performer at this year’s Anime Fest — has seen the town’s support firsthand.
“Springfield has a wonderful nerdy community,” says “Kawaii Ringo,” the group’s founder. “We are able to do many events throughout the year and always feel welcomed.”
What to expect at Anime Fest
Similar to Missouri Comic Con, Missouri Anime Fest will feature discussions, performances and games, but with a greater focus on anime, animation and video games. Vendors and artists will be selling their wares, ranging from shirts to figurines to swords. Other activities, including fan panels, dance performances, video games, tabletop gaming and the ever-popular costume contest round out the weekend’s events. Branch also teases that organizers will make some big guest announcements for 2024’s Missouri Comic Con, taking place in February.
Celebrity guests are arguably the bread and butter of pop culture conventions, and Anime Fest will have plenty to offer on that front. Many voice actors from the realms of animation and gaming will be signing autographs, chatting with fans and participating in Q&A sessions. They include Ian James Corlett (the original English voice of Goku from “Dragon Ball Z,” Cheetor from “Beast Wars: Transformers” and Bob from “Reboot”) and Cam Clarke, the original voice of Leonardo from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Stephanie Nadolny, who voiced the child versions of Goku and Gohan in “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball Z” respectively, mentors young people seeking careers in voice acting, music or musical theater. While she has grown up in seven small towns in the Midwest and tours the country with her band, this will mark her first visit to Springfield.
“I am thrilled and excited to mingle with fans and attendees, volunteers, other vendors and more — my favorite part of what I do,” Nadolny said. “I’m a very outgoing people-person and love to venture out and hear feedback from the fans and how my work was a positive part of their childhood.”
The future of cons in Springfield
With the positive buzz Missouri Anime Fest has been garnering, Branch is already working on getting the venue and guests locked in for Anime Fest in 2024 and even Comic Con 2025. Like the other anime festivals his company brings to Midwestern states like Arkansas and Mississippi, he expects support for Missouri Anime Fest to grow year over year. “We have a lot of faith in Springfield and lower Missouri,” he says. “People are really excited and hungry for it. Every year, I see both of those shows just getting bigger and better.”
Want to go?
What: Missouri Anime Fest
When: Saturday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Springfield Expo Center, 635 E St Louis St, Springfield, MO 65806
Admission:
Full weekend - $40
Saturday or Sunday - $25 each day
Kids 10 and under - Free with paid adult admission (Limit two free kids per paid adult)
Active duty and retired military members - $15 (Military discounts are limited to the service member, spouse and children)
More information: missourianimefest.com
