My experience at Anime Revolution 2025

Another summer brought another weekend for Metro Vancouver to get animated. 

From Aug. 1 to 3, Anime Revolution, or AniRevo for short, returned to the Vancouver Convention Centre. My experience at the event this year ended up being different from the past. 

What I kept track of — thanks to the AniRevo app — is that I ended up going to 23 different panels this time around. To those who think this is crazy, what’s crazier is that I could’ve gone to a few more if it weren’t for weird scheduling or panels getting to full capacity. 

This is also the first time I attended the opening ceremonies at the event. After missing out on them the past three years, I finally got to see what the ceremonies are like. They summarized last year’s AniRevo event and what to expect this year, in addition to some performances. 

I am glad I got to see more of AniRevo since I missed out over the past few years. 

Some of the panels I went to included anime trivia, hearing about the voice-acting industry, and learning more about the culture in Japan through anime.

My favourite panel was a one-hour session called “Let’s Make a Shonen Battle Arc.” I swear it was a lot more fun than the title lets on.

Some funny moments I saw at the event were a crowd watching someone eat 40 McNuggets just outside the Vancouver Community College, as well as someone cosplaying Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece doing a cool pose near the ocean. 

As for getting anime merchandise at the artist alleys and vendor booths, believe it or not, I didn’t get as much as I have in previous years. Because I already got a lot of merchandise over the past two years, I didn’t see a lot of new additions at this year’s event. I ended up getting posters and small art cards for friends who couldn’t attend the event. 

I also ended up spending $100 at the artist alley and vendor booths. This may sound like a lot to some people, but I’ve heard of people spending well above that amount in previous years at the event. 

I think the most atrocious amount I’ve heard was over $1,000 on Gundam figures from a couple of years ago. Even putting that aside, I’ve seen friends walk away with bags loaded with arts and figures. So I think it’s safe to say I was relatively frugal with what I wanted to get this year.

Something different from my previous times attending AniRevo was that I attended the event alone for the first time since 2022. I know most people like going to events like these with other people, but considering what I wanted to see this year, it was nice to experience the activities and attractions at my own pace again.

Overall, I’m happy I can still attend events such as these, especially since I’m getting busier and not sure if I can fit them in my schedule as easily.