Even through the intense Tokyo heat, there’s always one event otaku from around the world can look forward to: Comic Market, also known as Comiket, the world-famous twice-a-year celebration and marketplace of everything related to anime and Japanese pop culture! This year’s summer event, Comiket 104, saw a massive turnout of cosplayers, merchants, and attendees despite the scorching summer weather, with our team at Around Akiba joining in to see what exciting sights were in store this year!
Each year, one of the most anticipated aspects of Comiket is the abundance of cosplayers, ranging from casual cosplayers to those doing so professionally and even those with world-renowned status. Corporate booths in particular hired stunning cosplayers who would appear at their booths throughout both days of the event, such as the developers behind Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail Hoyoverse presenting with those dressed as the games’ characters, and even famous corporations like Sanrio. Beloved professional cosplayers also gathered massive crowds, namely Umi Shinonome and Enako, and droves of casual attendees showcased their outfits in the various cosplay areas throughout the event, particularly the rooftop and indoor areas where they could keep cool. Many cosplayers were also in attendance celebrating more niche parts of pop culture as a whole, such as topical memes surrounding Twitter and the ongoing French Olympic Games.
The cosplay scene also extends into the second day of the event, where independent cosplayers and models showcased themselves and their products throughout the halls of Tokyo Big Sight. Photobooks, DVDs, personalized keychains and merchandise, and signed photos are just a few examples offered by some of the professionals at the booths, with popular models such as Yuriko Tiger, June Lovejoy, and more greeting fans personally at their booths.
On the first day, these same vendor halls are primarily focused on independent artists and those selling doujinshi, that is, fan-made merchandise, creative works, and more that draw inspiration from or base themselves on existing series that are popular in Japanese pop culture. Similar to the merchandise that could be found on the second day, these dealers and illustrators often sell and showcase their own merchandise, ranging from music to keychains to manga and everything in between.
Corporate booths have a heavy presence throughout the event as well, with massive companies behind many well-known franchises or studios holding a booth at this year’s summer Comiket. Hololive, Good Smile Company, PSA, and countless other manufacturing, anime, and game studios decorated the halls with flashy booths and impressively immersive displays that showcase their works and products on a grander scale. Previews of upcoming merchandise or works were present as well, with an upcoming season of the hit anime Re:Zero showcased for later this year and prototype figures that are yet to be released.
Despite the intense heat at this year’s Summer Comiket, we and thousands of others still eagerly gathered at Tokyo Big Sight with plenty to see and do. We at Around Akiba took the time to interview many different cosplayers, attendees, and merchants who gathered at the event from all around the world, with a video in the works set to release soon! Until then, we eagerly look forward to the cooler Winter Comiket 105 and the other otaku-oriented events on our radar for the rest of 2024.
