A brief history of the brand(s), Bandai (which originated in the 1950s) made its name as the creator of Tamagotchi as well as figures and collectibles for such franchises as Digimon, Kamen Rider, and (until recently) Power Rangers. In the mid-2000s, Bandai acquired Namco (another company originating in the 1950s) the brand behind classic video game franchises such as Pac-Man, Tekken, Ridge Racer and many more. Since then, Bandai-Namco has been a powerhouse in entertainment, and their booth at AnimeNYC proves that they’re continuing that trend.

Here are some of the features that Bandai-Namco had to preview:

TAMASHII NATIONS

The pinnacle of Bandai-Namco’s collectables have to be the Tamashii Nations brand. Not only their figure and replica prop lines (such as S.H.Figure Arts, S.H. Monster Arts, Proplica, and many others) but also their recent debut as a full-blown store in the heart of Times Square, New York. The store touts a vast array of exclusive figures that you won’t find anywhere else (unless of course, you were at AnimeNYC – I ended up buying an exclusive Spy x Family Anya Forger for my wife).

The franchises are extensive as well… besides SxF they have figures for anime shows such as Dragonball Z, Gundam, Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No. 8, and more. The best part of these figures is the fact that they include both custom hands as well as custom faces, so your figure can be customized to your liking and make it more unique than a standard action figure.

G x Materia

Similar to the S.H. Figure Arts line, the G x Materia figures are smaller, more statuesque, and portable for the collector who either may not have the space or wants more. The displays on hand also made the figures look amazing. I’m seeing more of the domed look as of late and it definitely does justice to figures like these. The figures appear to be limited to the Dragonball Z franchise but tout a number of the characters from the series.

The World of Studio Ghibli

In addition to Anime television properties, Bandai-Namco is the “Official distributor of licensed Studio Ghibli products.” For those not familiar, Studio Ghibli is the home of the library of Japanese Animated films by Hayao Miyazaki such as the Oscar Award Winning Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and the recent film The Boy and the Heron. Ghibli’s products with Bandai-Namco go beyond figures and statues, but also puzzles, beanbag plushies, keychains and much much more. Suffice to say, my wife also got a Calcifer beanbag plush. It was definitely her weekend.

Union Arena

Can you imagine if someone made their own Super Smash Bros-type card game? Bandai-Namco did and made one. Union Arena consists of various Anime properties like Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and One Punch Man, with many others either announced or forthcoming. If you’ve played other fighting card games, it seems very similar. Create battles from your favorite characters or new ones with a deck of your choosing.

Gashapon

Are you young enough to remember when you’d go to the supermarket or toy store and on the way out, you’d see the gumball machine or something similar where you could get some little toy or nick nack for a quarter or two. Well, Japan hasn’t stopped that trend, in fact it’s been gaining so much momentum Bandai-Namco is bringing their own version here.

Gashapon continues (and amplifies) the classic trend of quarter vending machines with its own iterations of both licensed properties (aforementioned Animes, movies like Harry Potter, and games like Fall Guys as well as the Bandai-Namco staple Pac-Man) as well as non-copyrighted properties which include a lot of wildlife (sea creatures, horses) as well as dogs and cats. Trust me when I say the goodies you can get seem endless. Gashapon will be available in stores nationwide, in the Northeast starting with the Bandai-Namco store at the American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ as well as a few others in the same NY/NJ area.

In conclusion… it’s one thing to say that AnimeNYC 2024 was amazing, as far as showcases the shining star in Japanese and American Collectibles goes to Bandai-Namco for their wealth of collectibles, features, and tons of goodies. My thanks to Justin and the BN crew for giving me a tour of the booths to show everything off, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more in the future.

-= Check out more of our AnimeNYC 2024 Coverage =-

AnimeNYC History

The origins of AnimeNYC can be traced back to New York Anime Festival by the aforementioned ReedPop, who also run NYCC. NYAF’s first three years (2007 until 2009) were kept as a separate event from NYCC, and was decided (likely to capitalize on the latter’s growth) that both could be combined for 2010 as well as 2011 which would be it’s last year, ultimately being folded into NYCC and rebranded as “The Block,” which itself would be phased out after a few years. While the convention itself maintains an Anime aspect, it was certainly not the same as had been during the NYAF years.

By 2015, Tatara had parted ways with ReedPop, helping to embrace and celebrate Japanese culture and entertainment, which would ultimately lead him to partner with LeftField to create and launch the first AnimeNYC in 2017. The event itself, would go on to eclipse the original NYAFs, gathering upwards of 50,000+ attendees by 2023! It was at that point that Tatara would move on from his role at AnimeNYC and become the Director of Film at the Japan Society, maintaining his passion to celebrate and educate the Western world of the Eastern cultures in entertainment. Speaking of, AnimeNYC hosted the first-ever American Manga Awards in conjunction with Japan Society.

The Experience

History of the con itself out of the way, as I eluded to I’d heard from friends exactly what AnimeNYC has become in the last few years… not only as an alternative to NYCC, but something different. Friends had mentioned beforehand that the show utilizes Jacob Javits Center’s floor a bit more liberally than NYCC does, and it shows. Recent iterations of NYCC have used the newer floors in the upper sections of the complex – which make for even more of a trek to locate panels, etc. While not to the capacity of the former (yet!), AnimeNYC continues to use the main section for the exhibit hall and merchandise as well as artist alley, food, and other amenities, also maintaining the lower floor for access to panel rooms (including the main hall), rooms for Professionals, Cosplayers, etc. and also PlayNYC (a formerly separate event celebrating its first year as part of AnimeNYC) touted as “NYC’s premier gaming convention” showcasing indie gaming as well as arcade, console, and tabletop gaming.

AnimeNYC as a whole definitely had a classic NYCC feel. Crowds (especially Saturday) felt large, but not terribly overwhelming – not sure if that was due to volume (a record setting 101,000!) or me having better control over my anxiety. Exhibitors weren’t too over the top either, ranging from the standard anime (and main sponsors of the event) – Crunchyroll, Aniplex and Viz Media adorned both the main floor and panel rooms, plus an amazing setup by long-time entertainment company Bandai-Namco (which we’ll have a write up specifically about sooner than later this week). Hulu showcased a bit of anime as well as the big deal of the weekend, Netflix revealing the first two episodes of their upcoming Terminator Zero anime produced in a joint US-Japan venture, by Skydance and Production I.G. (will also have some articles soon). I didn’t even get to mention the awesome cosplays/section dedicated to cosplays on the top floor (which NYCC has emulated in recent years, or vice-versa).

In Conclusion

As a first-timer to the convention, I felt it was nothing short of excellent! Suffice to say, it brought me back to my college days watching Toonami (and later Adult Swim Action) and embracing Anime. If you’re looking for an event chock-full of Japanese animation, culture, gaming, merchandise, and all-around entertainment while not having to deal with too much hassle… this convention is for you. Here’s hoping AnimeNYC 2025 is an even bigger success… I hope to be there and experience even more!

Look for more AnimeNYC coverage this week and check out our pictorial of all kinds of cosplay and more!

-= Check out more of our AnimeNYC 2024 Coverage =-