We went Friday and Saturday both days were super packed. I mean crazy lines, Friday went faster than Saturday. We waited for about 1 hour and 30 mins Friday and 2 hours & 30 mins on Saturday. In triple digit heat thank goodness we came prepared with cold water. The event looked to be overbooked in my opinion & very unorganized. There was way too many people waiting to get in. I also wish the event planners would have been smart & put up some kind of canopy to help combat the heat & give us some shade. The event was fun for our kids once we got in. It reminded me of an indoor swap meet. Lots of vendors selling Anime goods. Our kids had a blast so it was worth the crazy wait to see their smiles! read more

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The con itself seems like a fairly straightforward local anime convention, with Artist Alley, merch peddlers, and Cosplayers galore. You know how these things are. Lots of volunteers, lots of attendees, lots of disorganization. Long wait times and some chaos, especially during check-in, is the norm. However, I did not expect to see a total disregard for environmental conditions. It's 90+ outside with the IE sun beating down on people, but I saw little accommodation and relief. No sun shades, insufficient little water or cooling areas. Depending on one's constitution, this could prove a health hazard. Since I attended on Sunday with short lines, I did not have to deal with this issue. However, Saturday, the day with the most attendees and attractions, certainly had this hazard. I cannot in good faith recommend someone attend this. read more

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2021 was not the best. Not organized at all and horrible guidance. Lines were really long therefore we decided to go closer to closing time..luckily we only waited 45 minutes to get in/screened. By this time I think they stopped checking badges? Anyways, the art alley was definitely not ADA approved. There was no way anyone in a wheelchair can get through which is so unfortunate. The only upgrade this year was the free to play games were definitely alot better. read more

Animanga - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

I believe it was their second year having this event. I won a pair of tickets through Yelp elite to go experience this. I'm glad I did because the event was small and it was ok. Had to pay for parking though $12. I don't think I'll go again, at least not anytime soon. Maybe I'm not into anime as much? I saw some vendors were reselling things from SD Comic Con. I like how there's free arcade games and game system for you to play though. Also, really cool looking decorated cars too. read more

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The line to get in took at least 4 hours (that's not an exaggeration, we stood in line from 10:00 AM till 2:00 PM) and people were fainting in the hot sun. Then, when you did get in the con was packing, our best guess was at least double the amount of people than there should have been. It's like they sold tickets with no regard as to how many people they could reasonably accommodate in the building. The hole convention center was so packed you couldn't make it through the isles. On top of it all they had the audacity to charge $6.00 for a bottle of water when it was their poor planning that was causing people to drop like flies. It was their moral obligation to provide water at that point, that would have been the least they could have done. Especially because they overbooked and didn't even buy the whole conversion center, only the bottom floor. I've been going to cons for 10 years and I've never seen such a reckless disregard to safety (that's not even talking about covid safety). This con should be ashamed of itself. Also they are removing posts and feedback that they don't like from every platform. I and the many other professional cosplayers will never be returning. For all the new cosplayers and fans looking to attend this con, save your money. Any other con, large or small, is better than this one. read more

Animanga - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

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Thank you, Yelp, and community manager, Margaret P., for holding the Animanga tickets giveaway! I was absolutely blessed to win a pair of free tickets through Yelp! THANK YOU YELP FOR ENABLING ME TO LIVE MY ANIME LIFE. This is going to be a long review because I finally feel like I have some form of expertise on what I'm reviewing! Just a preface, I've been attending anime cons for 10+ years in state and out of state as a press member, industry member, exhibitor, panelist, cosplayer, and regular con attendee. I've gone to AX, Fanime, ALA, PMX, Anime Impulse, and many local college cons, Little Tokyo/Anime Jungle events, anime movie premieres/special promotion events, off-kais, and photoshoots. So, I'll review this con, from the standpoint of a regular attendee and as a cosplayer! AS A REGULAR ATTENDEE: PROS: -Friday had less people, so much more space to shop comfortably in both the vendors area and artist alley. -Friday having less people also means no lines/minimal waits for the arcade and console games. -The arcade was a MAJOR HIGHLIGHT. FREE TO PLAY. Less people also meant we could finish an entire storyline. Arcade of the Dead was 85% in romaji, they had Dissidia Final Fantasy/Puzzle and Dragons Battle, a vintage bubble pop Azumanga Daioh game, and MELTY BLOOD (I judge every anime con arcade based on having this cabinet alone). -On both days, the crowds were manageable so that you are able to examine everything in artist alley and vendor's hall (as much stuff that AX offers, the crowds have gotten to the point where I can't do this as meticulously as back in the day). -The ani-song cover concerts were super fun to watch and participate in! -Animetopia, aka Tokyo Anime Market , in the OC, that I highly praised, was a vendor. They had the LATEST kuji raffle for anime merchandise that got released in Japan. Most of their items that weren't huge were $6-15. They had rare items from one time events in Japan and things that would cost an arm and leg to hunt for online. Truly a great find! CONS: -I have very fixated tastes in series and characters from series that do not have as much merch for them. Therefore, a lot of the stuff I just glazed over. But this is more of a preference kind of thing. -There were lots of mic issues the first day of the con, thus affecting the quality of some of the events (I felt bad for the singer from Japan!). Second day, it was fixed though. -There was a post going on Twitter about a vendor selling stolen art from a slew of artists and charging dirt cheap prices. From the follow-up, the convention did not shut them down. Please be informed and please support artists by not purchasing bootlegged goods. I am a bit disappointed that the convention did nothing. AS A COSPLAYER: PROS: -Much more space to move in cosplay. Less of a chance of someone bumping into you or breaking your cosplay. -I saw a cosplayer who used an outlet next to a wall to do a self photoshoot. Super smart. -Spacious clean bathrooms with lots of mirrors. Perfect for putting on make up/etc. -Personally, I felt that since it's a newer con, that elitist environment/the feeling wasn't really there. Very chill and laid back setting. PERFECT FOR NEW COSPLAYERS. CONS: -It's in August. It is literally a roasting oven outside. Somehow it felt worse than AX for me, despite both cons being surrounded by concrete. I had cool patches all over my body and was wearing a "summer" cosplay and still sweat off my cosplay tape and fake lashes. -There's not much to offer in terms of photoshoots or photo backdrops. The carousel was completely closed off, there were some bushes, flowers, trees and a fountain outside. Inside, you have some brick walls and the itasha. Please, unless you're going to utilize these backdrops, just schedule a shoot with a photographer off site. -Since it's a smaller con, there's not going to really be any cosplay gatherings unless they're impromptu through meeting more people who are cosplaying the same series. SIDE NOTES: -Go SATURDAY if you want to see more events/cosplayers. -Go ANY OTHER DAY if you want less crowds/the arcade machines for yourself (preferably Friday if you don't want something to sell out) -They rotate the food trucks and the itasha inside for each day so it's not the exact same ones each day. -It's a good con to bring your kids to. Less intense crowds and it's in a contained space. I'm a firm believer that you only have as much fun at a con as you make, regardless of con size and content. You can realistically just spend one day at Animanga, so make it fun! Interact with artists, make some friends, take some dumb pictures, watch some anime in the screening room, or just meme around honestly. Animanga is a solid 3.5 for me and I am looking forward to how this con will grow in the future! read more

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If anyone else is like me who was trying to gets refund this is what I got when I sent a follow up today, TWO WEEKS POST EVENT Too bad only Yelp and Trip Advisor have reviews left since the organizers DELETED EVERY SINGLE negative (yet true) comment they had on their Instagram and Twitter account. The poor NY and Georgia goers won't know what they're going to face so this is for those future potential attendees and vendors to protect themselves ! read more

Animanga - Auto-reply about my refund request - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

Great event. Lots of see. Friendly people and staff members. I took my family to this event. Located in Pomona Fairplex center. Even though it was super hot that weekend the interior area was chilled. There were food trucks outside so you can get snacks. Inside there are also alcoholic drinks that you can purchase. One section was for kids (wrecking ball and maze), one section was filled with cool decal cars, stage for music, section for artists, section for new games where you can take turns to play, section for cosplay contest, and last section for vendors. It's definitely smaller than Comic Con but it's doable with little kids and larger groups. Able to walk through booths and check out toys, games, and figurines. Fun and games for all ages. read more

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Pros: Friday and Sunday were decent experiences. You could go buy collectables and visit artist alley. Fellow attendees were nice to meet and interact with like minded people. Fun dance contests and cosplay all around. Simple anime convention to prepare you for something like Anime Expo. Cons: Saturday: giant 2-4 hour line wait. People were passing out the ambulances were on site a few times, apparently some people were being turned away. Not a great experience, if it weren't for other attendees and friends at the event I would have went home and fave 0 stars. Friday: lack of obvious badge pick up and overall confusion of the event. I approached what I thought was a staff member because he had a shirt that said so, and he knew nothing. My personal recommendations is for them to do a complete overhaul of the event, have a lot more staff members to answer questions for the attendees, and try again at a bigger venue with more accommodations to the amount of attendees you will have. read more

Animanga - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

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Full disclaimer I got free tix, so if you think it's little bias possibly. The expo is small they have a panel of guest. I have no idea who they are, not a huge manga guy. They try to imitate ComicCon and AnimeExpo. Neither of which I been too. It's not as crowed and there are plenty of booths for you to shop around. They have gaming area with tournaments of the old retro 80's/90's games. Most visitors are motivated to dress up and compete for the Cosplay. Spend an hour time, watch people enjoy themselves nothing wrong with that. read more

Animanga - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

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Great little anime convention in Ontario. They had two main exhibit rooms that featured a lot of vendors, artists, and games. This definitely isn't one of those conventions which you would expect to spend all weekend or even a full day at, but it was very enjoyable for the duration we spent (which was about 3 hours). It's always fun seeing a bunch of cosplayers and connecting with the community. We plan to come back next year. read more

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I won a pair of free tickets through a Yelp giveaway and was super glad I got to go. My only other anime convention experience is Anime Expo, which I've been going to on and off for 10 years. I've been to some other smaller, hyper-local events as well. Normally, I pretty much only go for the artist alley. Here, my favorite part was actually the free arcade. There were seats by the dancing games and it was a bit confusing because I thought they were for people waiting in line, but it looked like people were just resting there/watching. Other attendees were great about not hogging the games and my friends and I were able to try plenty of them. I thought the artist alley was sizeable for a local con (3 or 4 aisles). The exhibitor area was just meh. Pretty good stuff for popular franchises, but not too much for other stuff or even older stuff. The itasha cars were cool; I remember them having that section from lat year. I didn't pay attention to autographs or stage performances/events, though, so I can't comment on that. My only real gripe is that parking is $12 and pretty much required. They also didn't run enough trams from the lot to the hall where the convention was, so it was a roasting hot walk with very little shade across a blacktop. read more

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Went to Animanga for the first time this weekend with my wife and 6 year old son, and had a blast. My son is into Pokemon, and as a Japanese kid growing up in the states, I was watching anime and reading manga before it was "cool". I am also a avid retro-gamer as well so, I loved the video game section. The event itself is not that big, but it was a good size for my family. Great collectables section (especially for Pokemon which I was glad about), fun artists, retro hands-on video games, and of course plenty of people wearing cosplay! There was even a fun blowup maze section for smaller kids which my son loved. The highlight of the day for me was playing and beating an old 90's retro game booth from Capcom called Captain Commando (kind of like Final Fight) with my son. The four player game was simple enough for a 6 year old, and with unlimited lives made it not that hard. He/we Loved It! All in all, I highly recommend Animanga for the more casual fan looking for a more kickback expo, and also the hard core Comic-Con fan looking to add more worthwhile events to the roster to sport the "latest" Cosplay Costume. Thumbs up. read more

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This is a 4-star event because all the drinks sold here are pricey due to event being an attraction. That's understandable, I suppose. Took off a star for zero free parking (outside parking would be dangerous & far away which means walking in the heat=big no no) on top of pricey drinks especially when a boba costs $8. MeThinksNot. Otherwise, I would have rated it a 5-star. That and no vendors sold Super Mario souvenirs. (Right before leaving, I found that Book Off vendor sold 1 Doraemon item, so I gave them my business). Nonetheless, I needed to give Big shout out to Margaret P, CM of SGV for making me winner of this year's Animanga 2019 Event here in Fairplex, Pomona. I'm currently on a coffee break sipping my $6 Hawaiian Cold Brew watching lots of dressed up attendees walking around the Animanga Faire happening right now as well as writing this Animanga 2019 Review. Please Be prepared to watch lots of Japanese Animanga fans all dressed up: quite eye opening to see how everyone comes here going all out. Wonder how much each fan invested in all the costumes?! Parking was $12/day but worth it due to providing Tram rides from the parking lot to the Event building. I suppose I was too impatient yesterday waiting for it hence I walked in the heat unnecessarily! Nevertheless, Dave and Busters Of Ontario made up for some of the hassle: as soon as I walked in, I found them to the left side hosting a spin-the-wheel event & I won a bottle opener key chain from them. From inside the venue, any guest just needed to continue walking to locate free arcade games. I had a ton of fun trying out the Crazy Taxi game 2x but got me dizzy playing it so quit after 2 tries. Here was what happened: I would have continued playing this arcade game except a couple functions ended up malfunctioning since I was told to 'pick up passengers' along the roads but never found the right function to accomplish that task!!!! The AC system is definitely turned on strong, so it isn't hot sitting here chilling with your coffee to Yelp time away. If you like any part of the Japanese Anime such as Pokémon, Pikachu & even Super Mario stuff, you should check this event out. But be prepared to spend @ least $20 between parking and a coffee drink but more IF you're any type of Animanga fan. read more

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Attempted to go here, but there didn't seem to be anymore parking available at a "convention center". As we drove around we saw these crazy long line that seemed to wrap around the building. Some other reviewers states they only had one entrance with one metal detector??? We ended up going back home and will try again tomorrow. Since we live near by we'll try to uber and hopefully whoever was in-charge of today is fired and replaced with someone competent for tomorrow. Update: We ended up not going on Sunday due to the reviews, and we honestly didn't want to wait hours on a line in the heat. read more

Arrived on Saturday at 9AM and was made to wait in line for over 4 hours. They had no available water, and we had to buy sodas at the food trucks just to try to avoid heat stroke. They did not enforce mask policy at all. Horrible security, and horrible management. Will not be back. read more

Friday and Saturday were really the worst days trying to get into the con. Long unorganized lines and waiting 2+ hours under the 90 degree sun. Security had mixed information some let people go in with food and drinks others were rude and told to throw every food item away. When it was time for the con to close at 6 some Security were unnecessarily rude to people telling them to "get the f$ck out" while others were understanding and guiding others put if they were done buying things.. Sunday was fairly empty. No lines. It was honestly the best day. That's why it gets 3 stars. Will not come back to animanga though, only because of their choice of security. read more

I won a pair of tickets to Animanga 2019 through a Yelp Elite Giveaway. I am fortunate to have gone, and really enjoyed myself. There were plenty of outfits, plenty of video games to play, and collectibles to obtain. The venue in comparison to Anime EXPO is smaller and the crowds are also smaller. They had plenty of vendors, alcohol to purchase while browsing, several anime voice actors, cosplayers, and 3-4 food trucks. I'd definitely go again. Just know you'll have to fork over $12 for parking. Plus, it's relatively close to the freeway and a few breweries if you want someplace to go afterward. read more

After reading the reviews online, and not having an AnimeExpo to go to this year, we tried out AniManga. Short: It was a lot more bad than good. - Got there about 10am or so, and stayed in about an hour+ line of cars to get parking (I feel bad for those who were waiting behind us as they closed the last lot shortly after we got in) - Even if your badge was shipped to you , you had to spend at least 3 hours in line to get in (that may very well be an understatement. We got in line about 11:15-11:30 and it was probably 2:30-3 before we got in ) - Serious lack of volunteers to guide people on where the back of the line is, eta's to get in, heck pass out some water at least. Luckily, some good samaritans pulled up with lots of water bottles to hand out to people in line. - The venue itself is quite small. Not many of the big cosplayers go here either. You buy a badge to stand in line for hours, then get in to basically spend money at Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley which are the highlights of the place. If you're into arcade/gaming, you'll likely enjoy the event more as they did have a lot of games available, dancing, jumpers, etc - No one to enforce mask rules at the event, and lots of people not wearing a mask at all. - They claim it was 50% capacity but it sure as heck didn't feel like it. Maybe they meant 50% indoor capacity only? Even then, it was pretty crowded inside and out. - A line that started in one parking lot and wrapped around all sorts of ways all lead to one entrance that had about 3-4 bag check lines. They really need a larger venue, and to actually spend some of the money they're raking in to make the event more comfortable for goers. I personally don't see myself attending again unless serious changes are made. read more

Had we waited in line, this would have been a 1 star. I went both Friday and Saturday, and I was able to get in simply by going up to the front with a quick metal check. Friday, it was to my understanding that those without bags get in faster since the extensive line seemed to be a bag check. I simply ditched my bag and got in faster. Saturday was structured different where there were 3 body metal detectors yet there were still 2 lines: one short cluster directly to the detectors and entrance, and a long snake line for who knows what reason. Again we got in fairly quickly. Btw both days we got there around 10-11am. Day 2 parking was a lot more hectic. Stopped up the whole block. I give animanga 1 star for the free arcade which was the best part, and another star for the vendor and artist alley selection. I wish that they used the last venue from 2019 which was a giant hanger and no lines. This venue just felt smaller and I don't remember seeing things like the maid Cafe and I could see how to get outside to the car display without having to wait to get back inside. I don't think there was even a stage like there was back in 2019. Maybe there was but we couldn't find it.. We risked a long wait just to get lunch from the food trucks but luckily we got in ok. I basically wore heat friendly costumes, but even I was still drenched in sweat with the amount of sun exposure I got. I can only imagine the horrible conditions others had to endure just to get inside. read more

Animanga - Vendors room/game section - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

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We arrived Friday at 10:15am and it took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to get inside. There was only one security checkpoint and no prop weapon check. It took my friends much longer on Saturday and Sunday and there were people passing out from the heat. I will never attend an event by this company again. read more

Animanga - Entrance line on Friday morning. - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

I had a chance to win 2 free tickets to this year Animanga at Fairplex, and so I went for the experience. Parking: $15 to enter the parking area. I think it's best to Uber or Lyft to the site as they allow the drivers to pick you up and drop you off without being charged. Tickets: $10 for regular one day ticket. Overall experience: I went on Saturday; it was crowded, but not too crowded that I couldn't maneuver my ways around. Though it was super hot outsider, it's definitely nice that to have the set-up indoor with AC inside. The expo is inside Hall 4 and is quite small in my opinion for it to be 3 days; I think 1 or 2 days enough. There were a lot of merchant booths selling their stuff; though it was nice to browse through the merchandizes, I wish there were more free giveaways and games and food booths. There were a bunch of old school video games set ups and arcade games so it was quite cool. The other end of the hall were the stage for performances with a small collection of anime style cars. The expo also offer guest speakers and autograph signings, but I am not a huge fan of anima/manga to know anyone famous there ahaha. It's pretty cool to see people actually go all crazy and dress up for cosplay, and some costumes look so awesome. I am glad to have this small experience. Though I have not been to ComicCon and AnimeExpo, coming here somewhat gives me a small taste of what to expect from ComicCon and AnimeExpo. read more

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Great little Anime / Manga event in Pomona. Not nearly as big as Anime Expo or Comicon, but still has a good amount to offer. There are guest speakers, lots of vendor booths, and lots of arcade/video games available for all participants. It's a good event to check out if you don't want to deal with really big crowds and want an easy parking option. Parking is $12 at the fairplex. Throughout the event they have multiple game competitions, so bring your gaming skills. read more

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Animanga 2019! I won these tickets through a Yelp giveaway! As it was our first time, I was so happy to be here! A good handful of vendors selling some pretty cool items...some way too expensive, but that's all up to the consumer. We were able to buy some cool unique t-shirts though that I'm pretty sure we won't find anywhere else. They offer a whole section of video games for free which The Huz loved. There are so many people in cosplay (including The Youngest) and there were some creative ones out there! They also have a Great Artists' Alley of really talented artists! And finally, & most importantly, they have some awesome food vendors including Pink's Hot dogs & famous trucks outside like The White Rabbit! The Youngest, who's our resident anime fan, had a good time. read more

Animanga - Animanga 2019! Thank you Yelp!! We had a great time! - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

Was lucky enough to win tix to this event. My son love Dragonball Z so I took him with me. Lots of vendors and video games to play. It wasn't as big or crowded like I'd expected. A lot of people came dressed up, dope. Got some pics with the cosplayers. There were some food trucks outside the building and 3-4 inside (Pinks and some ice cream vendors). Parking was $12 and we had a little walk to the building. We had fun with the games even though he beat me at every single game we played. read more

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Paid for a family pass. Not only did we get our passes the day of! We did not get any of the perks! We got a volunteer who did know what the heck was going on. Ask us many times if we got helped while we're all looking at him and each other.. like, "uhhh our lanyards? Our bags?" Stood there for like 10 minutes while he was sh*ttin bricks and everything was laid out in front of him. This was our first encounter. 2nd, we went through Artist alley and literally bumped into everyone and anything! The poor artists were back to back in ugly tables with ugly tablecloths and no one had space to move! Also!! No masks were mandated so 80% of the convention were maskless. Security weren't wearing a mask. And literally the guest voice actors had to guide the crowd and line because no one was there to help them!! The disrespect.. this irks me so bad! All the food were overpriced. The 4 food trucks that were there were decent but the 6-8 plastic tables and chairs they had outside were literally melting under the sun. 3rd, 4th, and maybe 5th... there were no seats inside the convention so people were huddled on the ground AND EVEN that was A PROBLEM! Every security guard told us to stand up and leave. And get this.. on the 1st day.. I was playing Gitadora and it so happens to be 6:01 and I was finishing my game and one of the security ladies pried the drumsticks off my hands and yelled at me to leave. I wish I could have gotten her name because that was uncalled for an invasion of space. This whole convention was a disaster and towards the 2nd and 3rd day more rooms were open as an EMT/Emergency space because A LOT of people were getting heatstroke. Aaaaaand on the last day of the convention, they finally opened more entrances so the 4+ hour wait time could be cut down to 30 mins. Why the heckles wasn't this mandated ON THE FIRST DAY! Piece of advise, they're going to Orlando in a few weeks. Save your money and don't go. This convention is a joke! read more

Worst convention ever! If I can give this convention 0 stars, I would. My friend and I both came on Saturday, only to be disappointed by the extremely long lines wrapping around the whole convention center, like over 4 hours just to get in. No water, no bathrooms, no direction or updates from the staff was provided. Many precautions they promised on the website, like masks and 5,000 capacity limit, were not being enforced at all. We waited in line for over 2 hours before deciding to spend our day elsewhere. I feel bad for all the cosplayers and diehard anime fans who spent tremendous amounts of time preparing for this event. I will NEVER give Animanga my business again. I really hope everyone who went through this same experience receives a full refund. This is just completely unacceptable! read more

This convention is a total crap show!!! I purchased 3 passes for my daughters and I. It took us like 30 minutes just to find the end of the line. Security was rude and was unable to help. Once we found the end of the line we stood in line for over an hour in the heat. No water was available for purchase anywhere. Paramedics showed up numerous times due to people collapsing because of heat exhaustion. I decided to leave as it wasn't worth the risk of having my daughters get dehydrated. I will never attend another event by this company. read more

Animanga - Festivals Near Me - Ontario, California

An absolutely horrible convention- the worst I've ever been to. We waited in line to get in for two hours, avoiding the dreaded 4 hour wait because we found some friends and unfortunately cut the line out of desperation. It was almost 100 degrees and I could feel the heatstroke getting to me in the first hour in line. This event was extremely overbooked and the inside of the con was way too small for how many people were trying to get in. No water, no bathrooms, no staff outside. Literally the most disorganized con I've ever been to, and I've been to AX- the ultimate linecon- but at least they have like 10 lines instead of just one. Please don't host another event. read more

From the moment you arrive you are met with an underwhelming amount of parking, a lack of direction and an absurd wait time with little to no resources provided. Perhaps the organizers weren't expecting this many people but having hundreds of people standing outside in sunny, 100+ degree California heat with no water stations or frequent shade showcases a lack of consideration and preparedness towards their attendees. The biggest headache, aside from the parking situation, was trying to figure out where the line started and where it was going. So unless you are willing to wait the 2+ hours come prepared with your own shade, a Costco sized case of water and a ton of patience. read more

The wait was ridiculous 2-3 hours and no separation of lines for those who paid extra who had badges already and those who still needed to buy theirs or pick theirs up. No shade or water stations anywhere outside for those waiting for food trucks or for waiting to get inside, so people were dropping like flies from heat stroke where paramedics had to come take people away. One of the food trucks said they were on contract to not provide water to people which is so dangerous and messed up! I hope all the people who had to go in the ambulance sue you and everyone involved. No type of direction given outside either or anyone checking on people or giving updates. There were 3-4 random lines and no one knew where the lines would end or which one was correct. 2 lines ended up merging together at one point which was frustrating. A lot of people not wearing masks including security and nobody enforcing CDC guidelines. They also only rented the first floor so the poor vendors were all squished in making it very difficult for anyone to try to social distance and even the actors had to try to keep people organized which was sad to see. The disrespect was real. Only upside was seeing cosplayers and the cool items in artist alley. This was such a disappointment. Do better! I am definitely requesting a refund. Tip for future cons anywhere: Take a bag with sunscreen, water bottles, small umbrella, snacks, ice pack, and Tylenol for the headaches. Good luck everyone! read more

Worst Convention of 2021 overbooked overpriced and false advertisement spend $300 I'm VIP tickets felt like me were general admission tickets wasn't promised everything that the VIP tickets came with there was no outside food allowed even though my child wasn't able to bring in bottled water snacks for his low blood sugar was told to toss everything out and was not allowed to bring in bottled water how does weight long hours in 90-plus degree weather where the people passing out and once we were allowed to go inside there was no room to walk around we felt like packed sardines and everything was overpriced this convention was a waste of time false advertisement and I wouldn't recommend anyone in the near future to buy tickets to this convention I hope they learned from their mistakes and also learn that do not promise hopes and dreams and expectations to a convention during a pandemic there's no way that this convention to redeem itself and I hope they come out when the apology and refund those that paid almost $300 for general admission tickets. read more

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So I had been to Animanga back in 2019 and it seemed like a very nice fun small con, so my expectations for 2021 were for it to be another small con and a fun time. I was completely wrong. They had stated on their website that they would cap the ticket sales at 5,000 people a day which was obviously not true. I went on Saturday, I arrived early before the con opened and I still had to wait 2 hours in the heat with basically no shade. During our wait we saw the ambulance and fire truck pull up for someone who passed out for the heat, which would happen 6 more times that day. Their policy of masks for everyone was not enforced at all. Their artist alley aisles were so tight that I don't even think they were being ADA compliant. You would have people going both ways past each other and constantly bumping each other. The lights kept going out in the artist alley and it was hot and stuffy. There was hardly anywhere to sit, no water fountains to refill my water, and nothing really of note to do at the con itself. It felt like I paid 25 bucks and waited for 2 hours (which I am lucky for the 2 hours because some people waited 4+ hours) to just go shopping. The only thing I did that day other than shopping was playing one of their free rhythm games (which was pretty much the only highlight of the day.) There was nothing at this con that was worth $25 for a day, let alone the price for the weekend (I believe it was $50?) I'm never going to be coming back to Animanga again, which is unfortunate because I enjoyed my time in 2019. read more

We've been to Anime Expo for 5+ and Fanime (up in San Jose) just once. Decided to check out Animanga since the Pomona Fairplex is only a 10-minute drive from my mom's house. $12 for parking at the fairplex. Easy to find spots. Animanga is nowhere near as large as the other local anime conventions, but it's worth checking out. Most notable were the retro gaming options - we spent about half an hour trying out all of the different systems and arcade machines. They did offer some competitive gaming, but we didn't stick around for any of those. One thing I found quite cool was the inflatable maze and inflatable wrecking ball game. I've never seen something like that at a convention, so it was neat to watch people in full cosplay try to knock each other off the platforms. Their Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley put together were probably about the size of a single Anime Expo Artist Alley row... but if you're looking to have some nice one-on-one time with the artists/vendors and pick their brain about their process, this con is the place to do it. There's so much walking space! read more

Where to begin..... this con was a waste of time a money!! Saturday was hell, people getting heat stroke, passing out, paramedics were called, people were being taken. It was so unorganized, security were completely rude, not one site of security the entire 3+ hours waiting in line up until about 3pm when my small little group waiting in line decided to call it quits is when security finally decided to come outside to stop, stare, and point at people on the floor about to pass out! This has to be the worst convention ever! I want a refund on our tickets this is so unprofessional! Over priced food! You couldn't take in your own food or waters, they made you toss everything out before going in! Weapons check was literally trash, they held up a line for prop guns with orange tips made of foam or plastic because they couldn't tell if it wasn't fake enough ‍ what kind of shit is that, mean while you let in and didn't check props that could literally stab people at any point given. Like seriously who does that!?!?!?! Vendors were pretty chill and I feel bad for them having to literally be on top of each other because animanga refused to rent out the top part of the convention. They literally had blown up pikachus to prevent anyone from going to the top. What kind of crap is that?!?!? I really wish I could give this convention zero rating! Moral of they story is to not support this crap ever again, and I for a fact and dam sure know that I won't be returning to animanga whatever year again! read more

This was our first convention and the experience was not great. We had to wait in line for hours in 95 degree weather. It wasn't organized at all. Thankfully there was a vendor towards the back of the building selling fruit and water. Once we got in our badges were not checked; anyone could have gotten in. It wasn't too bad once inside however it was crowded. Our daughter enjoyed shopping in the artist alley. If it wasn't for the lines I think or experience good have been a lot better. Our daughters enjoyed the convention but hated the long wait line in extremely hot weather. read more

Awful convention. No effort in keeping people safe, keeping thousands of people out in the boiling heat for 3+ hours with ONE entrance and no water. Security was rude and barely bag checked. There was no prop checking stations to get props peace bonded for safety. If it wasn't for the wonderful people I met and some of the amazing artists, I wouldn't have even wasted time going 3 days. There was nothing to do besides shop and sit. Security started to yell at people sitting in the halls agains the wall because there was nowhere else to go. They absolutely oversold passes and wasted people's money. Go to a different con, this one's trash. REFUND PEOPLE read more

My dad took me and my sister. It was my first convention and I had so much fun. Love it so much will go again next year

I won tix for Animanga 2019 through a Yelp giveaway. We went on a Saturday and got there at 10 am. Lots of parking. Parking was $12. Got on the tram but had to get off after the driver couldn't get tram to start. Walked over to the convention hall and received our badges and tickets for complimentary bags which had candy and offers. Lots of merchandise, some video games. Longest line was for the wheel spin for Dave and Busters. Great if your looking to buy some merchandise. My daughter had fun. read more

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Wow this event was poorly planned and executed, I was exited because for me atleast this was my first con since the start of the dark times and man did they blow it. The con itself was tiny maybe four or five short rows of vendor booths and a couple of tables across the a hallway and that's about it, the signature/artist meet and great area was pathetic and there were no planned events or speakers or anything really of value well aside from the free arcade but that a good con does not make. I don't blame the convention center for this debacle because I have been to good cons in this very venue but I do blame animanga Holy crap guys what we're you thinking trying to pass this off as a con let alone packing this "event" with people who were all very disappointed, no joke I was in and out of there in an hour and 40 mins what kinda con can be fully experienced in every way in 105 mins? Worst 25 bucks I've ever spent. read more

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