If you didn’t get a chance to go to Anime NYC, don’t feel too bad because we have a recap for you. Cosplayers, anime and manga fans came out in droves for this year’s Anime NYC which took place at the Jacob Javitz center in Manhattan. Even if you aren’t into manga and anime like that, just being around a diverse community of fans, nerds and cosplayers will bring a smile to your face.

Over the course of three days, J-culture showed up and showed out along with its supports. Last year, Anime NYC hosted roughly 60,000 fans which pales in comparison to the over 100,000 fans that attended this year.

Courtesy of Den of Geek/Nick Morgulis/Anime NYC

Fans were greeted with an abundance of panels, interactive exhibits, afterparties and authentic Japanese food.

American Manga Awards

Photo credit: Daphne Youree

Anime NYC also surprised guests with its first ever manga awards catering to the American market. According to official site it will honor ” manga creators, great manga stories, and the publishing professionals who make it possible for readers in the US/Canada to discover and enjoy these amazing characters and stories in English.” Frederik L. Schodt received the honor of being inducted into the American Manga Awards Hall of Fame for his work Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics with Osamu Tezuka. Here is a look at the winners of this year’s American Manga Awards.

• Best New Manga:  “#DRCL midnight children” by Shin’ichi Sakamoto
• Best Continuing Manga Series Award: “Delicious in Dungeon” by Ryoko Kui
• Best New Edition of Classic Manga: “Neighborhood Story” by Ai Yazawa
• Best Translation: Stephen Kohler for “Witch Hat Atelier” by Kamome Shirahama
• Best Lettering: Lys Blakeslee for “Witch Hat Atelier”
• Best Publication Design: Adam Grano for “My Name Is Shingo” by Kazuo Umezz.

Sponsors for this event included: Seven Seas Entertainment, V1TECH, TMS, Crunchyroll, I.O.E.A, Kinokuniya, HIDIVE, Scholastic, Good Smile Company, Graphix, Aniplex, Bandai Namco, GKIDS, VIZ Media, Yen Press, G FUEL, JSA, Kodansha, Hoopla, and Saturday AM.

Thinking about going next year? The date is set for Aug. 22-24, 2025. Make sure you subscribe and follow AnimeNYC .com on IG, Twitter for more updates.