This past weekend, for one day, Pop GO was able to attend AM² at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Read on for the report.

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AM², otherwise known as AM2 or even AM^2, is shorthand for Anime, Music, and Manga. This is their second year so they are a pretty new convention. One thing about this con that sticks out is it’s generally free entry to most of the main attractions such as the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley (which were in the same room). This small convention (for now) only took up one of the big main halls on the first floor and nine or so of the smaller rooms on the second floor.

In the main hall you can find the exhibitors, artists, performance stage, console gaming, and even a spot for what was called the Equestria LA: Brony Lounge. There was also an area for the Blue Rose Academy, which from I understand is an interactive program where the con attendees are foreign exchange students coming into a classroom-type setting to get schooled on anime, manga, convention lifestyle and the like.

In the middle of the whole hall were games for the Summer Festival. Upstairs in the smaller rooms you can find Karaoke, GoH panels, video viewing, dances, and the AniMaid Café and Host Club.

Though most of the convention was free to get into, there were some events where you would need a paid pass (passport) to get into or even priority to an event and even a discount to get into Disneyland. For a three day pass to the con you would be paying at most $55 and $35 for just one day. The passports were a pretty cool idea. I didn’t get a hold of one myself but from what I saw it was a little booklet that hung around your neck that had maps and schedules of events, as well as a section where you would collect stamps from events you attended and an autograph section.

A list of the discounts you get from purchasing a passport can be found here and a list of con events a passport holder has priority and can attend can be found here.

I was only able to attend AM² on Saturday, but for the most part I think I had my fill. If you were a person attending certain panels on certain days, then you would need to come all three days to see it all.

For a fairly new convention, I thought it was put together pretty nicely. There wasn’t really anything I could pick on. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Everything mostly felt organized. I would most likely attend another AM² and I would suggest that you give it a chance. I mean come on, it’s free for the most part ^_^.

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