Imagine if San Diego Comic-Con had a younger teenage sister and she liked to play dress up. That would be my best analogy for what I witnessed today at the Los Angeles Convention Center as I attended my first Anime Convention. Also, unlike Comic-Con, which is now impossible to walk around on the convention floor, today's anime convention was easy to navigate.

The first thing that struck me was the enthusiasm of everyone there. I'd say thirty to forty percent were wearing costumes. And not just attendees, as dealers were also wearing and selling costumes. If you're into anime and live in Los Angeles, I'd definitely stop by and look around (if you're not there already).

More pictures and info after the jump:

Also, the other thing that struck me was the amount of women that attended today's show. If you're a single guy and into anime and not socially awkward, for the love of God go to the Los Angeles Convention Center. I'm serious. Tell them Steve sent you. Anyway, here are a ton of pictures of the convention and Cosplayers  (costumed attendees).

And one last thing, I've been to San Diego Comic-Con many times and today felt like what Comic-Con must have been like before it went corporate and got Hollywood Studios as sponsors. It felt very independent and relaxed. Again, if you're in the area, I'd stop by.

For more info, try this link: www.anime-expo.org. Here's all the photos in our new image gallery. You can either have it go from picture to picture via our flash player or click on one of the thumbnail images and control it yourself.

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