#That was AnimagiC 2024

Table of Contents

At the beginning of August there was again a concentrated load of anime in Mannheim at the AnimagiC 2024. We were there and share our experiences with you …

Die Location (8,5/10)

As usual, the AnimagiC took place in the Rosengarten congress center in Mannheim. The green areas around the water tower directly opposite proved to be the perfect location for cosplayers and a place to retreat from all the hustle and bustle of the convention. The actual convention took place in the congress center with a wide range of dealers, stage programs, panels and film screenings.

The seating capacity in the main hall was sufficient for most of the program items, but during some of the highlights, this hall reached its limits, meaning that some guests were unable to get in. Thanks to very good organization overall, with the option of lining up early for the next program items, a fair opportunity was offered to get a seat in the hall. In direct comparison to previous years in particular, the hall stewards were even better organized and allowed smaller groups of people to enter the hall, who were then led to free seats.

Despite the actually very large area, it was very crowded at times on Saturday afternoon at the peak of the convention. If possible, a little more space would be useful, especially in the dealer area, where bottlenecks were created by visitors browsing at the stands.

Nevertheless, the location has proven itself over the last few years and was able to impress again this time. The move of the food area to the adjacent hotel, which already took place last year, was able to spread out the crowds a little again this year and has again proven to be a very sensible step.

The guests of honour (9/10)

This year, there was once again a wide range of guests of honor from a variety of fields. In addition to mangaka, there were producers, voice actors, music acts and many more. The focus was on more recent titles such as “Spy x Family” and “Solo Leveling”. A particular highlight for me were the Japanese voice actors for Heiji and Shinichi and Kaito Kid, who had traveled there for the cinema premiere of the 27th “Detective Conan” film.

In addition, numerous music acts have also significantly shaped the program with a large number of concerts. My personal highlight here was Ayumi Miyazaki with his Digimon concert. Unfortunately, in this area in particular, they always resort to the same acts that come back year after year (for example Kashitaro Ito, Miura Ayme and ASCA). These shape the generally very positive image of the convention, but in the long run they are very repetitive for regular visitors. A little more variety would be desirable here.

It should also be mentioned that visitors should find out in advance exactly what formalities apply to the signing sessions of the guests of honor. For example, some guests, including Junji Ito, had their tickets to the signing sessions raffled off in advance. It is advisable to take a close look at the program booklet early on so that no false expectations are created.

All in all, AnimagiC offers an unprecedented line-up of Japanese guests of honor that no other German anime convention even comes close to.

The program (8/10)

The AnimagiC offers a successful mix of music acts, panels with guests of honour and also screenings of films and series and thus a very broad and professional range of programme items.

The time factor is sometimes disadvantageous because, for example, the news panels of the publishers often overlap in time or, especially in the evenings, the focus is always very much on a main program and there are no major alternatives. So if you can’t get a seat in the main hall at this time, the only alternatives are going to the cinema or leaving the convention.

In addition, AnimagiC lacks a certain amount of fan proximity. While other conventions rely heavily on a program made by fans for fans (many show groups, thematic lectures and workshops), this is almost entirely lacking at AnimagiC. But this is probably simply due to the professional positioning, which no longer allows for capacity for additional program items.

Conclusion (8.5/10)

This year, AnmagiC was once again the highlight for the community, and fits in seamlessly with the previous years. No other convention offers such a comprehensive range of events, and I have great respect for that. However, as a regular visitor, it does seem a bit repetitive over the years, and more innovations and a breath of fresh air would certainly do AnimagiC good in the future. A start to this would be, for example, the music acts, which have been repeated in large numbers over the years.

Overall, one must say that AnimagiC is the anime convention par excellence and for a true fan there is no way around it.

The article That was AnimagiC 2024 first appeared on BuradaBiliyorum.Com.

If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on Google News too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.