The nation’s largest anime fan convention marked its 30th anniversary earlier this month with Anime Expo Lite. Held online again due to the continuing effects of the COVID pandemic, this year’s Anime Expo Lite garnered over 375,000 views from fans in more than 100 countries such as the UK, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Malaysia.

Fans tuned into watch the livestream event on July 3 & 4 as well as during the VOD period from July 5 through 16. Program highlights included the STAR WARS: VISIONS Sneak Peek, the SHIKIZAKURA world premiere, and the LisAni!LIVE L.A. concert featuring performances by ASCA, BURNOUT SYNDROMES, JO☆STARS, Liella! ( LOVE LIVE! SUPERSTAR!!), and Morfonica (BANG DREAM!), as well as special guests such as Hololive English, NIJISANJI’s Lazulight, and many more.

Proceeds from the 2021 Anime Expo Lite online event benefited the Hate Is A Virus commUNITY Action Fund. The SPJA donated $77,000 to support local and national community organizations related to AAPI representation, mental health, and more.

“For the 2nd year in a row, Anime Expo was held online due to the Covid pandemic, but we were gratified and amazed at the continued strong support we received from so many fans from around the world,” says Ray Chiang, CEO of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. “We presented a comprehensive array of panel events, exclusive premieres, and sneak peeks, and music performances and made a sizeable donation to Hate Is A Virus, which will help them continue their work to battle anti-Asian discrimination and defamation, which continues to AAPI communities across the nation. As we look ahead to next year, we are

2021 Anime Expo Lite Wrap Up Announcement Page 2 excited to announce the return of Anime Expo to the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 1-4, 2022, and to welcoming back all of our fans, exhibitors, and participants.”

About SPJA

SPJA is a non-profit organization dedicated to popularizing and educating the American public about Japanese entertainment and pop culture, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.

About Anime Expo

Anime Expo (AX) brings together fans and industry from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Taking place every year since 1992, Anime Expo celebrates the best in Japanese entertainment and pop culture. For more information, visit www.anime-expo.org.