Image via Anime Expo
Anime conventions are supposed to be one of the highlights of being a fan of the medium or a professional in the industry. But for many, they’re not just fun; In recent years, the biggest drawbacks have become an extension of the publicity machine created by larger, more profitable series to hook us into a new season.
Scams are big business in themselves (convention centers aren’t cheap, after all) and have even become a major source of income for voice actors whose work comes in sporadically and doesn’t offer royalties. While a lead role in a popular series won’t usually pay a voice actor more, it does give them more lines to record and probably more autographs to sign against.
That is why some voice actors have chosen not to attend some of the biggest conventions in the industry in recent years. After an unprecedented few months in which anime voice actors have publicly shared the ways their profession is undervalued and their work exploited, Kyle McCarley shared his reasoning for the above on Twitter yesterday. Anime Expo in Los Angeles this July.
McCarley, who voices beloved characters like Mob in Mob Psycho 100and 9S on NieR: Automatasaid in a Tweet, βIn case you were wondering why so many American voice actors skip Anime Expo, they are the only scammers I have ever heard of that will CHARGE us for an autograph session and turn around and use our name and image to try to sell ticketsβ.
The Anime Expo Industry Autograph App lays out the many costs that voice actors need to consider: staff “to manage the autograph session,” a ticketing system, and, if you want to charge for autographs, a $200 fee. That’s just for a one hour session where you can also sign a maximum number of 75 autographs. Never mind the time and money spent traveling to a con, making prints, and commissioning an artist or photographer to design them.
“Most of us sell autograph prints, some people get paid to sign other things, and if you don’t get an appearance fee, that’s the only way to make money,” McCarley added. βThe fact that they charge for autograph table space under any circumstances is outrageous. No other scam does this.” (McCarley later modified your thread with the clarification that yes, it unfortunately happens at other “big corporate conventions”).
And there are even more costs to consider. Voice actors and other professionals also have to pay to attend the event in the first place, at a cost of $85 for a four-day pass, according to the scam’s registration page. As voice actor Jon Allen (jojo’s bizarre adventure) noted, the price is discounted, but the app comes with extra work. Questions on the app, which is publicly available to view, include “What do you hope to accomplish by attending Anime Expo 2022 as an industry professional?” and βExplain how you will integrate what you experienced at Anime Expo into your profession.β
Anime Expo is one of the longest-running and most recognized anime conventions in the US. In 2019, the last in-person convention, it drew 115,000 attendees over its four days. It also functions as a non-profit organization, which presumably invoke skirt by paying other talent, in addition to voice actors.
But as Jackie Lastra (The night is short walk on girl) shared and others have repeated, the cons themselves are not bad. The smaller regional cons, especially, value their guests as the central attraction that they are.
Whether it’s bringing cosplayers and photographers together, making big announcements, or getting emotional on a show with its cast, cons offer a unique experience for anime fans. And as anime becomes more mainstream in the US, the cons are becoming cultural mainstays that are challenged to grow both equitably and sustainably.