Anime Matsuri
StatusActive
GenreAnime, Japanese culture[1][2]
VenueGeorge R. Brown Convention Center
Location(s)Houston, Texas
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2007
Organized byDeniece and John Leigh[3]
Websitewww.animematsuri.com

Anime Matsuri is an annual four-day anime convention traditionally held during spring at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The convention's name comes from the Japanese word 'matsuri' meaning festival.[4]

Programming

The convention's programming includes an artists' alley, a carshow, the attendance of celebrities and special guests, cosplay chess, cosplay contests, fashion shows, gaming events, karaoke, LARP, live concerts, maid cafe, panels, a vendors' and exhibitors' area, and workshops.[1][5][6][7][8][9] The Charity Auction benefited Child's Play in 2009 and raised over $3,000.[10]

History

The convention was held at George R. Brown Convention Center and Hilton Americas in 2007.[11] Anime Matsuris 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 were held at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, and Anime Matsuri 2011 was held at the Crowne Plaza Houston Hotel near Reliant Park/Medical Center.[12][13] Anime Matsuri 2013 was held at Hyatt Regency Houston.[14] The Syfy reality series Heroes of Cosplay filmed the masquerade at Anime Matsuri and was featured in an episode.[15] The convention in 2014 moved to the George R. Brown Convention Center.[6][16] Complaints about the 2014 convention included long lines and delays.[7] The convention in 2015 remained at the George R. Brown Convention Center and used the first and most of the second floors.[8][17] In May 2016, Anime Matsuri announced that the former CEO of Anime Expo, Marc Perez would join the convention as COO.[18][19] Anime Matsuri 2020 was moved from July to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was later canceled after Houston announced the city would be holding no more events in 2020.[20][21][22][23]

Controversies

The owners of Anime Matsuri have a history of not paying their partners, like Houston native Mike Udompongsuk, who lent tens of thousand of dollars to Anime Matsuri over the years but never saw reimbursement, and financially burning its guests, like the record label PS Company, which represented the Japanese rock star Miyavi in 2009.[24] Significant financial improprieties have also been alleged against the convention organizers.[24] Voice actress Caitlin Glass attended Anime Matsuri 2014 as one of the guests, but refuses to have anything to do with the convention after due to poor organisation and treatment of the guests. Voice actor Matthew Mercer attended as a guest in 2008, and was told without warning to emcee for the opening ceremony. He left Anime Matsuri before the closing ceremony, which he was also presumed to emcee for, despite not being asked.[24]

After Anime Matsuri 2015, John Leigh, the convention's founder was accused of sexual harassment by several members of the Lolita fashion community.[25] These include accusations of unwanted touching, slapping buttocks, sexual jokes, requesting nude photos, lifting up clothing and asking a woman when she last had an orgasm.[3][25] The convention sent Tyler Willis, owner of YouTube channel Last Week Lolita News a cease and desist letter in early 2018 after reporting about John Leigh's sexual harassment.[26][27] Boycott Anime Matsuri was formed in 2018 to inform about the conventions past actions, with guests such as Johnny Yong Bosch, Steven Universe voice actors, and Femm later canceling.[3][27] Leigh apologized for his past actions.[3]

In 2019, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner was part of the opening ceremony of Anime Matsuri where he said he expected there to be more than 40,000 attendants that year.[28] Anime Matsuri reported an attendance number of 43,000 for that year, but these numbers have been disputed.[29] Anime Matsuri has been accused of inflating the number of attendants in its yearly reports. Patrick Delahanty of AnimeCons.com has cited Anime Matsuri as the reason why they did not publish a list of the largest anime cons in the United States in 2019, as they did not want to reward Anime Matsuri for lying.[29] Anime Matsuri has been retroactively removed from all of AnimeCons.com's previous reports on the largest anime cons of North America, citing the "significant discrepancies" between the numbers reported by the con, and the number of tickets sold according to the venue.[30]

Mayor Turner returned to open the 2021 convention, but his appearance and support of the convention triggered controversy.[31]

Event history

DatesLocationGuests
April 27–29, 2007 George R. Brown Convention Center
& Hilton Americas
Houston, Texas		Christine Auten, Christopher Ayres, Back-On, Jessica Boone, Peter Cullen, Fizz, Tiffany Grant, Matt Greenfield, Hilary Haag, Yaya Han, Kyle Jones, Chris Patton, RikkuX, and John Swasey.[11]
March 21–23, 2008 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel
& Convention Center
The Woodlands, Texas		Aural Vampire, Amelie Belcher, Bespa Kumamero, Luci Christian, JoEllen Elam, Yaya Han, Kate Higgins, Yuri Lowenthal, Matthew Mercer, Vic Mignogna, Tara Platt, Patrick Seitz, Stephanie Sheh, Sky Pirate, Space Invader, Barbara Staples, Sonny Strait, Bill Winans, and Stephanie Young.[12]
April 10–12, 2009 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel
& Convention Center
The Woodlands, Texas		Takuya Angel, Clint Bickham, Luci Christian, JoEllen Elam, Quinton Flynn, Jason David Frank, Crispin Freeman, Gren, DJ Heavygrinder, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Misako Rocks!, Miyavi, Chris Patton, Cynthia Rothrock, Kristine Sa, Blake Shepard, Sonny Strait, Strong Machine 2, Diana Tolin, and Stephanie Young.[32][33]
April 2–4, 2010 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel
& Convention Center
The Woodlands, Texas		Aural Vampire, Back-On, Leah Clark, Francesca Dani, India Davis, Crispin Freeman, DJ Heavygrinder, Thais Jussim, Reuben Langdon, Elizabeth Licata, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, and Strong Machine 2.[34]
March 18–20, 2011 Crowne Plaza Houston Hotel near
Reliant Park / Medical Center
Houston, Texas		Luci Christian, Gacharic Spin, Hamutsun Serve, Hangry & Angry, Kyle Hebert, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Reni Mimura, Christopher Corey Smith, Michael Suarez, J. Michael Tatum, and Stephanie Young.[13]
April 6–8, 2012 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel
& Convention Center
The Woodlands, Texas		Airship Isabella, Troy Baker, Clint Bickham, Luci Christian, Maile Flanagan, Flow, Kathryn "Rynn" Griffin, Yaya Han, DJ Heavygrinder, Akinori Isobe, Masumi Kano, Cyril Lumboy, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Vic Mignogna, Amy Reeder, Sleeping Samurai, Strong Machine 2, Alexis Tipton, Shinichi Watanabe, Bill Winans, and Stephanie Young.[35]
March 29–31, 2013 Hyatt Regency Houston
Houston, Texas		Misako Aoki, Johnny Yong Bosch, David Brehm, Erin Fitzgerald, Kathryn "Rynn" Griffin, Yaya Han, Kyle Hebert, Kelly Hu, Catherine Jones, Masumi Kano, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Carli Mosier, Justin Rojas, Michelle Rojas, Janet Varney, Waveya, Bill Winans, and Stephanie Young.[14]
March 14–16, 2014 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Misako Aoki, Johnny Yong Bosch, Luci Christian, Eyeshine, Caitlin Glass, Shunsuke Hasegawa, DJ HeavyGrinder, Aya Ikeda, Catherine Jones, Masumi Kano, Linda Le, Yuri Lowenthal, Mike McFarland, Matthew Mercer, Tara Platt, Marisha Ray, Reika, TeddyLoid, Janet Varney, Bill Winans, Mai Yamamoto, and Stephanie Young.[36]
April 3–5, 2015 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Misako Aoki, Asuka, Luci Christian, Olivia Chubear, Stella Chuu, Crispin Freeman, Todd Haberkorn, Shunsuke Hasegawa, DJ HeavyGrinder, Catherine Jones, Shigeto Koyama, Harrison Krix, Linda Le, Maki, Michiyo Murase, Atsushi Nishigori, Nylon Pink, Putumayo, Reika, Stephanie Sheh, Kaname Shiroboshi, Sushio, TeddyLoid, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiromi Wakabayashi, Bill Winans, Yoh Yoshinari, and Stephanie Young.[37]
February 26–28, 2016 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Akira, Ani-Mia, Misako Aoki, Astarohime, Angela Bermúdez, Johnny Yong Bosch, David Brehm, Stella Chuu, Leah Clark, Dario, Lance Falk, Goldy, Shunsuke Hasegawa, Hitomi, Kelly Hu, Chuck Huber, Kaname, Shinichi Kurita, Linda Le, Lana Marie, Mike McFarland, Vic Mignogna, Yui Minakata, Tae Yeon Minemes, Morning Musume, Enji Night, Ram Rider, Reika, Shiva, Yuzuru Tachikawa, Brian Tee, Christian Tremblay, Yvon Tremblay, Jennifer Van Damsel, David Vincent, Bill Winans, and Stephanie Young.[38]
April 7–9, 2017 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Akidearest, Akira, The Anime Man, Misako Aoki, Anjali Bhimani, Brilliant Kingdom, Christine Marie Cabanos, Danny Choo, Charlet Chung, Stella Chuu, Dancing Dolls, Disacode, Midori Fukasawa, Gacharic Spin, Megumi Han, Shunsuke Hasegawa, Hiko, Laura Jansen, Brittney Karbowski, Pion Kim, Su Hyun Kim, Ladybeard, Mago, Kazuya Masumoto, Vic Mignogna, Yui Minakata, Mirei, Misty/Chronexia, Aza Miyuko, Enji Night, Fumio Osano, Romi Park, Carolina Ravassa, Reika, Sailor Moon Musical Cast, Sakurako, Shiva, Masami Suda, Chinatsu Taira, and Cristina Vee.[39]
March 30 – April 1, 2018 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Patricia Acevedo, Yuri Akiba, Akira, B-Project, Beau Billingslea, Mario Castañeda, Leon Chiro, Color Pointe, Dancing Dolls, Hana Dinh, Dorilooko, Shunsuke Hasegawa, Honey Popcorn, Doug Jones, Tetsuya Kakihara, Pion Kim, Chiaki Kon, Astarohime Koyu, Made Monster, Maul Cosplay, Yua Mikami, Hideki Nakayama, Natsumi, Enji Night, Fumio Osano, Pugoffka, Root, Ryu-en, Asami Sanada, DJ Shintaro, Shiva, Somenzari, DJ Sunamori, Mari Takahashi, Team China, Mirei Touyama, Hibiki Yoshizaki, and Zwei.[40]
June 13–16, 2019 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Apink, Eva Bella, Ricardo Brust, Mario Castañeda, Leon Chiro, Richard Dorton, Rick Farmiloe, Gacharic Spin, Hana Bunny, HaneAme, Wataru Hatano, Junko Iwao, Doug Jones, Ellen Kim, Aina Kusuda, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Ladybaby, Reuben Langdon, Jason Liles, Made Monster, Alan Maxson, Vic Mignogna, DJ Misaki P, Sara Mitich, Nervo, Enji Night, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Reika, Damon Runyan, Harumo Sanazaki, Nozomu Sasaki, T. J. Storm, and Livvy Stubenrauch.[41]
July 8–11, 2021 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Patricia Acevedo, Morgan Berry, Matt Frank, Hana Bunny, Made Monster, Vic Mignogna, Pugoffka, and Kaho Shibuya.[42]
July 29–31, 2022 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Poonam Basu, Morgan Berry, Leon Chiro, Tiffany Gordon, Hana Bunny, Made Monster, Bryan Massey, Vic Mignogna, Pugoffka, Tiffany Vollmer,[43] Dreamcatcher, and ≠Me.[44]
August 10–13, 2023 George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas		Cynthia Cranz, Gacharic Spin, Hana Bunny, Shunsuke Hasegawa, Daisuke Ichikawa, Vic Mignogna, Pugoffka, Ryu-En, Sakurako, Tiffany Vollmer, and Linda Young.[45]

Anime Matsuri Hawaii

Anime Matsuri Hawaii (AMHI) was a three-day anime convention held during November at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.[46] The convention's programming included a concert, cosplay showcase, J-Fashion show, screenings, and panels.[47] Yuegene Fay, a Thai cosplayer, was unable to make a guest appearance due to immigration issues. Upon arrival in Honolulu she was detained and put in a holding cell for three days.[48] Anime Matsuri Hawaii did not return in 2016.[49]

Event history

DatesLocationAtten.Guests
November 27–29, 2015 Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, Hawaii		Johnny Yong Bosch, Stella Chuu, DaizyStripper, Maile Flanagan, Crispin Freeman, Goldy, Shunsuke Hasegawa, Linda Le, Yui Minakata, Masahiko Otsuka, Reika, Justin Rojas, and Chinatsu Taira.[50]

Anime licensor

In July 2022, Anime Matsuri announced they had licensed two shorts from Nippon Animation, Genbanojō and Chuck Shimezō. Both were dubbed and Vic Mignogna was controversially involved in the production.[51]

References

  1. 1 2 "Anime Matsuri Convention". KHOU-TV. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Great Day Anime Matsuri". KHOU-TV. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Darling, Cary (March 28, 2018). "Houston's Anime Matsuri festival draws sexual-harassment controversy". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ Berardo, Maggie (March 31, 2015). "Turning Japanese, Houston-Style". Houstonia. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ "11 Photos Of Awesomely Dressed People Outside Anime Matsuri". Houston Press. March 29, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  6. 1 2 One F, Jef With (March 13, 2014). "Anime Matsuri". Houston Press. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Haydon, DL (March 18, 2014). "Anime Matsuri: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". Free Press Houston. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Cook, Phaedra (March 30, 2015). "Anime Matsuri Returns to Houston and It's Bigger Than Ever". Houston Press. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ Rouege, Ciara (April 7, 2017). "PHOTOS: Cosplayers invade Houston in jaw-dropping fits for Anime Matsuri". Newsfix CW39. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  10. ↑ Veron, Red (April 13, 2009). "Anime Matsuri '09: Child's Play Charity Auction". Japanator. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Anime Matsuri 2007 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Anime Matsuri 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Anime Matsuri 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Anime Matsuri 2013 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  15. ↑ Bertschy, Zac (September 10, 2013). "5 Things I Learned From SyFy's "Heroes of Cosplay"". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Anime Matsuri set to take over Houston". KIAH-TV NewsFix. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  17. ↑ Hlavaty, Craig (April 4, 2015). "The cosplay-heavy Anime Matsuri invades the George R. Brown Convention". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Former SPJA CEO Marc Perez Joins Anime Matsuri". Anime News Network. June 5, 2016. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  19. ↑ Delahanty, Patrick (June 3, 2016). "Anime Matsuri hires former SPJA CEO". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Anime Matsuri July 2020 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Anime Matsuri August 2020 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  22. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 8, 2020). "Mayor: All Houston Conventions Canceled, Rescheduled to 2021 (Update)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 8, 2020). "Houston Mayor: Anime Matsuri Convention Rescheduled to Next Year". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 Rouner, Jef (September 15, 2015). "The Con: Anime Matsuri is Growing, and So Is the List of People Unhappy With It". Houston Press. Houston, TX. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  25. 1 2 Rouner, Jef (June 29, 2015). "Anime Matsuri Organizer Accused of Sexual Harassment". Houston Press. Archived from the original on August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  26. ↑ Orsini, Lauren (January 9, 2018). "[News] Anime Matsuri Moves to Silence Vlogger with Cease & Desist – Anime Feminist". Anime Feminist. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  27. 1 2 Ayres, Andrea (February 22, 2018). "How #MeToo Helped Revitalize The Boycott Anime Matsuri Movement". The Beat. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  28. ↑ Mayor Sylvester Turner. "Presenting a Proclamation at the 2019 Anime Matsuri Convention Inaugural Ceremony". Facebook.
  29. 1 2 Delahanty, Patrick (June 16, 2019). "Patrick Delahanty on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  30. ↑ Patrick Delahanty (January 1, 2018). "Largest North American Anime Conventions of 2017". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  31. ↑ Carson, Dan (July 12, 2021). "Mayor Turner dresses up as 'Demon Slayer' for controversial anime festival". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2009 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  33. ↑ Aoki, Deb (April 7, 2009). "This Weekend: Sakura-Con, Anime Matsuri and Kawaii-Kon". About.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2010 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2012 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2014 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2016 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2017 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2018 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2019 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2021 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2022 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  44. ↑ Gonzalez, Ana (July 28, 2022). "Anime Matsuri: What attendees can expect in 2022 as annual convention honoring Japanese, anime culture returns to GRB". KPRC. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Anime Matsuri 2023 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Anime Matsuri to Host New Convention in Hawaii". Anime News Network. March 24, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  47. ↑ Yadao, Jason S. (November 26, 2015). "The Anime Matsuri Hawaii preview: It's kinda con-plicated". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Yuegene Fay on Twitter". Twitter. November 30, 2015. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  49. ↑ Yadao, Jason S. (June 6, 2016). "Anime Matsuri Hawaii cancels 2016 convention". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Anime Matsuri Hawaii 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  51. ↑ Mateo, Alex (July 28, 2022). "Anime Matsuri Licenses, Dubs 2 Anime Shorts From Nippon Animation". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.

29°45′8″N 95°21′28″W / 29.75222°N 95.35778°W / 29.75222; -95.35778

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