One of the few good trends to come out of the COVID era has been the widespread stream-ability of events. Even previously high-walled conventions, like E3, have committed to streaming their panels for the foreseeable future. It’s been fascinating for me to see what other cons have jumped on that trend. And one of the most exciting additions to the streamed-convention lineup is Anime Japan.
For those who aren’t a Class A nerd like myself, Anime Japan is the biggest anime convention in the Japanese calendar. And since anime is … you know … a Japanese medium, more big announcements come out of Anime Japan than any other international anime convention. This year, the most anticipated panel is for Attack on Titan. Fans are wondering if MAPPA will announce a film which wraps up the series. Pre-covid, we’d have to wait until announcements like these hit the internet, but Anime Japan, which began in 2014, has reverted to an online format for two years now. This means, theoretically, anyone can tune in.
So, I say “theoretically” because there are a couple of huge caveats to watching the event. The biggest technicality is that the panels will not have subtitles. They will only be broadcast with the original Japanese audio. My Japanese is quite good, and even I’m like … eh. Because another giant caveat is that you have to pay 2,300 yen ($18.85 USD) per day to tune into the stream. Paying almost 20 bucks to see if your Japanese is good enough to understand these panels could lead to a lot of disappointment.
But even if you are confident in your Japanese and down to pay the 2,300 yen, the final caveat is the small detail of time. All of these panels will be broadcast in Japan time, which is 13 hours ahead of US Eastern time and 16 hours ahead of Pacific time. Which means, for example, the Attack on Titan panel on Sunday at 5:25 PM Tokyo time airs at 4:25 AM ET / 1:25 AM PT. For west coast folks, that might be worth it. As for me, in Eastern time—I will be asleep and simply hope to wake up to excellent news.
If none of these caveats have been a deal-breaker for you, you are a Japanese-fluent time champion with spare change during historic inflation. Congratulations! I deeply envy you! You can claim your prize and buy your tickets on the Anime Japan 2022 website.
For the rest of us, outlets like Comicbook.com have solemnly sworn to report on updates from Anime Japan 2022 as they happen. And, honestly, waking up to a slew of Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen news feels like Anime Christmas to me. Hell, there’s even speculation that a new season of Hunter x Hunter will be announced! Merry Anime Japan, one and all!
(Image: Anime Japan 2022)
