Tan lines will fade but the memories made at Anime Expo are engraved in the minds of a group of West High School students forever.

Anime Expo celebrated its 25^th anniversary this year. It was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. On July 4, Milan Vu (10) and her friends had a blast at the event. Vu said, “You go there to see cosplayers. Cosplaying is when a person wears costumes in order to represent a specific character. There were cosplayers of video games like League of Legends, anime like Naruto, and television shows like Steven Universe. Cosplayers are really talented! The costumes are usually handmade and they’re so cool!”

Cosplayers create their costumes using their creativity and imagination. It could either be plain or extravagant, depending on the role the person plans to project. It sounds like so much work but “some are really impressive and look like they took months to make while others are simple and less intricate. There is basically every type of costume possible,” Ashley Jimenez (12) said.

Like any other expo, long lines with hours of waiting had to be faced but “this past year they sped up the process so I’m in and out of line in under 15 minutes,” Jimenez said. Don’t worry; there are plenty of food trucks outside with interesting things to try.

Tickets are usually $60 for four day passes, and generally last for five to eight hours depending on the days. People get tired of walking but “that’s what multi-daypasses are for!” Jimenez said.

Some, like Irene Tsay (10), have been to the convention in the previous years, and say that cosplayers aren’t the only things that can be seen at Anime Expo. Tsay said, “Well, last year was my first time. I would say go to the arcade area because you could see some crazy Dance Dance Revolution Dancers. Personally, just explore if you go for more than one day.”

While the expo only lasts for four days, Vu and Tsay only went on the third day. Celina Rong (10) attended all four from July 2 to July 5. Rong’s most memorable experience was “going to booths to shop and meeting new people. It’s pretty awesome, I highly recommend it.”

Meeting new people is one thing, but shopping is definitely a must! Anime Expo hosts numerous booths filled with many different types of merchandise every year, for every character or anime. It’s always nice to buy some souvenirs.

“It was truly an amazing place because of all the friendly people! I didn’t encounter a single negative person there,” Vu said. A trip to Anime Expo was an awesome way to kick off their summer.