Returning for its second year in the San Francisco Bay Area, Anime Impulse arrived at the San Mateo County Event Center on October 12-13. If you're unfamiliar with Anime Impulse, it’s part of a multi-event weekend hosted by Impulse Universe Inc., which also includes K-Play! Fest, Sneaker Expo, and Collectors Expo. Purchasing a ticket for any of these shows grants you access to all of them over the weekend. Impulse Universe also hosts shows in other cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and Phoenix. 

Collectors Expo

This year, Sneaker Expo was replaced by Collectors Expo, which shifted the spotlight to collectible trading card games. The Collectors Expo area was one of the busiest sections, filled with people eagerly buying, selling, and trading cards with vendors. A special “Trade Night” area allowed attendees to swap cards among themselves, though it was only open in the evening from 7 PM to 11 PM. 

Unsurprisingly, Pokémon cards dominated the scene, with One Piece coming in as a strong second. Although there were plenty of One Piece singles available, both graded and ungraded, sealed One Piece products like booster boxes and packs were in short supply, likely due to ongoing distribution issues. Beyond trading cards, a few vendors offered retro video games, vintage Western toys, and comic books, adding variety to the collectibles for sale.

Anime Impulse

Anime Impulse took up the majority of the venue, divided into three main areas: the voice actor autograph area, vendor booths, and the artist alley.

The artist alley in particular was a highlight, bustling with fans eager to pick up prints, stickers, and handmade crafts.

A small section dedicated entirely to Smart Dolls, created by Danny Choo, was a pleasant surprise. We've featured Danny several times on this site, following his career as a blogger and personality promoting Japanese culture and entertainment. Over time, he launched his doll line, Smart Doll. When catching up with him at the show, we learned that he had moved away from the concept of fully animatronic dolls due to concerns about the uncanny valley. Instead, Danny is embracing the 3D printing community by offering 3D-printed parts and incorporating cybernetic elements like wrist-mounted weapons inspired by Ghost in the Shell and Cyberpunk. He hopes to make these parts electronically movable in the future. He also mentioned he’s currently exploring the idea of embedding a mini PC into a Smart Doll. Vendors surrounding his booth also offered accessories like wigs and outfits, catering to the growing Smart Doll fanbase.

One of the key programming highlights was the Tokyo Revengers panel featuring voice cast members Yuu Hayashi (Mikey), Masaya Fukunishi (Draken), and Yuuki Shin (Takemichi). There were also collaboration events featuring popular vTubers like Shiori Novella and Akai Haato (Haachama) from Hololive, alongside various members from Nijisanji En. Note that some of these events were ticketed and required separate purchases in addition to admission.

K-Play! Fest

In contrast to the bustling Anime Impulse, K-Play! Fest in the building next door felt quieter, with fewer vendors and more empty spaces. While there were a few booths that sold K-pop albums, photocards, and signed merchandise, the rest were primarily selling fan-made goods like keychains and stickers—reminiscent of an artist alley. Surprisingly, the largest booth in the area belonged to the Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee who were handing out free food in the late morning. It would be exciting to see K-Play! Fest grow in the future, potentially with participation from Korean companies in the future.

This year’s programming highlights included K-Pop singer Suran’s Saturday performance, and the return of the fan-favorite Random Play Dance, where attendees jumped in to dance to K-Pop songs.

.

The Eat Show Night Market

Not explicitly advertised on the event’s website was the return of an Asian-inspired night market, Eat Show, held outside the main buildings. The market featured a variety of Asian street food staples, including Korean fried chicken, corndogs, takoyaki, yakitori, potato strips, steamed buns, noodles, and more. Some vendors traveled from as far as Los Angeles, bringing unique offerings not typically found locally. Be prepared to spend though, prices were on the high side with one shop charging $20 for Korean popcorn chicken.

For $40, you gain weekend access to Anime Impulse, K-Play! Fest, Collectors Expo, and the night market—a solid value overall. It's worth noting that only weekend passes were sold this year, with no option for single-day tickets. I am concerned over the growing number of ticketed programming events, which added costs on top of the base admission, a trend seen at other conventions that risks alienating fans. Additionally, there weren’t enough activities or attractions to fill the time between programming events. With some of the more popular events spaced far apart, attendees may have felt there wasn’t enough to keep them engaged for the entire day.

Anime Impulse is a much-needed addition to the Bay Area, especially with the decline or disappearance of many local events over the past two decades. The event's popularity was clear, as the parking lot was nearly full by the late afternoon. I’m excited to see how it evolves next year.