Anime Expo 2024: What Is Entertainment...Hall?

 

On your way to possibly a main entry point to AX, you might find yourself in front of the Entertainment Hall. Forget your troubles, grab a gashapon, listen to a an anime themed band or just go take some cosplay photos. Yes, why there's something for everyone at the Entertainment Hall. 

Unlike many of AX's bastard children. The wanted step-child of the convention, the Entertainment Hall was once a forgotten place, where one went in-between panels and main hall. A resting place after scoping out Artist Alley. Now, it's a country unto itself with booths of online gaming, Hulu for some reason and other things to buy not in the main hall. It's a convention grabber in it's own right.

We scoped out Entertainment Hall in a failed quest to get some special Gashapon we were looking for a friend. As written before, the Gashapon was heavily expanded. Over 200 machines to get random Japanese toys for your desk. How this counts as entertainment, we're not sure.

What was...somewhat banished was a proper arcade area. Usually on free play or requiring some sort of
payment in social media (and your very soul) the arcade was sent off to another room at AX. We heard it was seen as quite pathetic from people online. We did not have a chance to see it upon ourselves.

It might be better to just call Entertainment Hall, Overflow or...Main Hall 2. In fact, it might be better if AX actually put similar booths in nature in one place together or by category. 18+ is it's own island, why not streaming booths or booths with many an entertaining activity? Who knows?

Bandai Namco, also owner of Gashapon and the above MEGA CAT collection, could not be contained to the Main Hall spilling out to this one. We saw ol' beloved  NIS America with other video/PC game companies and thought, why not have all the gaming related booths here. And, nay, there was no answer where booths go from AX. Anywhere they have room it seems.

What Entertainment Hall has now as a constant is a community stage, cosplay sets and repair and Hulu showing off in front. 

Hulu did a good job to entertain with special swag drops and parlor games to play. Other booths do take on the title of the hall with many games to play with cards or even Beyblades. And, it's nice to have a section just for cosplay that isn't outside.

Bandai Namco could possibly move it's many merch booth to another room and just show off their games be they for arcade or for home. We were sad to see no Taiko Drum Master this year in the area. We even heard a localized version from North America in full English is coming out. Actually, those machines should be headed to US Arcades this November from what we've learned online.

The gospel of Taiko no Tatsujin is spreading to North America

Odd choice from Bandai to not announce it to a crowd who would very much love it at AX, but you do you Bandai. 

Entertainment Hall is as entertaining  as you make it, but yeah they could move merch booths to their own room or area. Nothing wrong with a gashapon room.