British Columbia·Photos

Anime convention in Vancouver brings together hundreds of fans

Hundreds of fans of Japanese popular culture, including anime, video games, and cosplay, converged at the Vancouver Convention Centre for three days for the Anime Revolution convention this weekend. Here are some of the best pictures from the event.

It's the 10th anniversary of Anime Revolution, celebrating Japanese popular culture

Two people in Japanese cosplay, wearing masks, take a selfie with a mannequin dressed in a suit.
Two people take a selfie with a mannequin dressed up like the video game character Slenderman. It's the 10th anniversary of the Anime Revolution fan convention in Vancouver this weekend. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Hundreds of fans of Japanese popular culture, including anime, video games, and cosplay, converged at the Vancouver Convention Centre for three days this weekend.

It's the first time in three years that Anime Revolution — popularly called Anirevo — has been held. It's also the tenth anniversary of the event, which was first held at the centre in 2012.

Anime is a form of Japanese animation that became hugely popular in the West over the past few decades.

This weekend's event featured comics, costuming and cultural displays, as well as panellists including Toby Proctor and Brian Drummond, who voiced characters in Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z respectively.

Many of the event's attendees showed up in cosplay — short for "costume play," which involves dressing up as their favourite characters from Japanese franchises. Here are some of the best pictures from the three-day event.

Two women wearing cosplay help each other with makeup, with other people in the background waiting in line.
An attendee dressed as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil helps another person, dressed as an anime character, with their makeup. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A woman applies an eyelash pencil to herself, with a Pink Panther mirror. She is dressed up like an anime character and has a crown on.
It's the 10th anniversary of Anirevo this year, with the first event held in 2012. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Two groups of people pass each other on an escalator. On the left side, people are pictured dressed up in amazing cosplays of Japanese characters.
Hundreds of people flocked to the Vancouver Convention Centre for the event. Masks were mandatory indoors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A robot figurine holds a machine gun behind dozens of masked people attending a convention.
A Gundam holds a gun aloft behind event attendees. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A masked person walks through a crowded convention floor.
A person holds a Pokeball plush in their hands as they walk through the convention floor. The event featured video games, comics, and art in addition to anime. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A person points a tiny fan towards another person in the middle of a crowded convention floor.
People were able to buy merchandise, including comic books (manga), at the event. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A person holds up an art depicting a Japanese video game character.
People could receive tips on how to cosplay, how to draw anime art, and more at the event. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
A man cosplays as a character with an exaggerated moustache and bright yellow eyes, along with white streaks in his hair.
Event attendee Jonathan is pictured cosplaying as Death The Kid from Soul Eater. Some of the panellists at the event voiced characters from famous anime properties including Death Note, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

With files from Ben Nelms