As we posted earlier, BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! joined together with Los Angeles' Cafe Dulce for a collaboration cafe event. Cafe events are standard in Japan and if you go to Akihabara you'll probably run into more than a few just walking around. If you can think of a franchise, it probably had a cafe. Because of COVID19 we unfortunately did not get the full cafe treatment with art displays, ambience, and a lot more goods to buy. To make up for it we did get something a little more unique - a Zoom call with none other than Poppin'Party's own Aimi (voice of Kasumi Toyama) and Ayasa Ito (voice of Arisa Ichigaya).
One of the cool things about Japan is that they have lots of random pop-up shops and cafe collaborations. If you can think of a popular show or franchise, it's probably had a cafe. You'll find themed food, drinks, and desserts and all in all it's a lot of fun. The cafe itself will be decorated according to the franchise and there's usually videos, art, and items on display. You can also buy special goods that are generally not seen overseas minus resellers or your lucky friends who have gone to Japan and back.
Bushiroad has decided to pair with Little Tokyo's Cafe Dulce to bring a BanG Dream collaboration to America and it's possible that this year's Anime Expo would have had an in-person version. Collaboration cafes are not things that come to America very often so this is a very special treat.
CharaExpo 2019 takes place in a little more than a month and and Bushiroad has been kicking up a storm with their announcements. CharaExpo is Bushiroad's spotlight convention for a variety of their franchises like BanG Dream, Cardfight Vanguard, Revue Starlight, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. The event takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center on December 7-8.
Tickets are $30 for the whole weekend and $17 per day single. At the door prices raise to $20 each. One of the reasons Bushiroad is able to bring as many top-name talents is because they are the source company for many of these series and franchises. The value for the price is on an unheard of basis nowadays so if you're interested in any of Bushiroad's many series you should make an effort to attend.
CharaExpo USA is still a relatively new convention but with some backing firepower it is poised to become a must-visit event for Bushiroad fans. They've announced not only BanG Dream's Roselia but Raise a Suilen as well.