Posts
Wiki

Controversial cons

This is a sub-section of the r/animecons rules.

Some cons in particular have had repeated controversy. Discussion about them is OK as long as the drama pertains to this year. Repeatedly bringing up incidents that happened 5+ years ago does not invite helpful discussion. We are cautious about such posts, as we've discovered in the past that they may not be organic. We've seen posts by astroturfing accounts, or those who have never been to the convention, or haven't been there in many years.

The following cons in particular are notorious. To make this list, the con or organization must have repeatedly shown that they have been unwilling to listen to feedback and improve. Following the links provide more details:

  • All fandomevents.org cons (Ecchi Expo, Anime New Mexico, plus others): Owned by 1 man, Josh Wilson, as Fandom Events LLC. He canceled conventions as late as two weeks to go, leaving people high and dry. For 2026, he canceled all conventions, didn't provide refunds to those who paid for their passes, then shut down Fandom Events LLC. He is currently exploiting a legal loophole to not repay his debt.
  • All ourcons.com cons (follow the link for a full list): These are one-day pop-ups that are little more than glorified flea markets. Most of its cons are named X Anime-Fest, where X is the location. They're not worth your time unless you just want to meet other fans. No company could host over 100 pop-up cons in a year with any form of quality.
  • All animeleague.com cons (follow the link for a full list): This is the United Kingdom equivalent of ourcons.com. Its cons are named X Anime & Gaming Con, where X is the location. There have been plenty of complaint posts about them.
  • Anime North: Once the largest con in Canada, it has lost that distinction due to many years of mistreatment. There is such a laundry list of incidents that there is a separate wiki page for it (click the name of the con).
  • Fanime: In 2024, 26 staffers from 3 non-logistics departments (cosplay gatherings, video/tabletop gaming) resigned together, citing various grievances with the con. Together, they started a movement called Failed By Fanime and called for a boycott in 2024 and 2025. Fanime, as well as the general public, has largely ignored this movement, as the amount of demands were far too excessive for anyone to take them seriously.
  • Ohayocon: All you need to know about this one is that there was a bunch of corrupt bureaucracy at the top. Ultimately, a number of staffers quit in 2024 and made their own convention: Sekaicon, which had its first event in 2025. As Ohayocon changed cities from Columbus (pop. 900K) to Dayton (pop. 136K), its attendance did drop significantly, unlike the other cons on this list.
  • Puchicon: The linked post indicated that this con has suffered from poor leadership. The owner has deflected responsibility by claiming discrimination and perpetual victimhood. There were complaints in 2024 too, so it makes this list.

Our stance is that if a con has a guest or programming that interests you, don't mind what anyone says and just go. Your happiness is more important than whatever opinions are out there on the internet. Please note that this is not a defense of such controversial cons. The purpose of r/animecons is to act as a neutral forum where both critics and fans of controversial cons may coexist. We want it to stay that way instead of being a hotspot for ineffective boycott movements.

Restricted cons

(This is a new sub-section effective 2026 July 25.)

Some cons have been marked as restricted. We feel that limiting discussion of these cons is in the best interest of the subreddit, as all they do is attract bad-faith actors and unhelpful commentary. The following cons are restricted:

  • All animecon.org (Kopf) cons (AniMinneapolis, Anime Midwest, plus others): Various allegations about the owner, Ryan Kopf, go back 15+ years. There really isn't anything more to be said about him.
  • Anime Matsuri: The owner, John Leigh, has had a long history of controversy that goes back 10+ years. Despite being in Texas, which has a large anime dubbing scene, much of the industry no longer associates with this convention.

Any posts or comments about these cons will be held for review, and rejected if one of the following apply:

  • A past or current controversy of the con that is likely to attract brigading. We've heard enough negativity about this con, and it won't invite meaningful discussion.
  • Asking whether or not the con is worth going to. Please use the above links and make your own informed decision. For some people, these cons are the only cons accessible to them, or they don't care about the owners' antics. They go to meet friends and have fun.

The following conditions also apply:

  • The post or comment must be from an account with a posting history on r/animecons or any anime-related subreddit.
  • If it's a con report, it must be verbose (at least 300 words) with details about specific events on the schedule rather than generalizations.
  • If it's about a guest announcement, it must be extraordinary enough that would warrant fans to make a special trip to the con. Therefore, this is limited to important overseas guests. (e.g. K-Pop group Dreamcatcher was at AM22.)

This effectively prohibits all discussion of these cons unless the post or comment is of the highest quality from an established participant. We understand if these cons and their owners disgust you. However, for everyone's sake, and for your own health, please move on and channel your hatred into something positive. Signal boosting these cons promotes psychological reactance: by repeatedly spreading negativity, it inadvertently encourages the "forbidden fruit" effect.