Over the weekend, Bandai Namco held a free event for all Digimon fans at the convention center in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is the site of Anime Expo, but for Digimon fans, that experience came a bit early as fans gathered to celebrate Digimon’s 25th anniversary! The event featured a DigiMuseum, which consisted of original artwork from the Digimon card game and included the artwork winners of the illustration competition. In addition, the museum also featured an all-new illustration by Digimon designer Kenji Watanabe. The artwork represents the past, present, and future of Digimon.
Attendees could also purchase Digimon Merchandise directly from the Bandai merch booth. Merchandise included Anime Heroes Digimon figures, Vital Hero Digimon bracelets, and Digimon V-pet devices designed by Kenji Watanabe. Not surprisingly, the merch booth sold out by noon on the first day. Luckily for fans, Bandai restocked by the following and sold merchandise throughout the event.
DigiMuseum also had a small area dedicated to Bandai’s upcoming Digimon Project, Digimon Seekers. Fans could get a preview of the new Digivices and lead character costumes, as shown below.
Digimon Seekers is a project comprising a novel, A live-action short, and brand-new Digimon products. The novel will start serialization on April 3, 2023, at Digimon Web, with chapters being updated every week. A live-action short will be used to promote the novel. Japanese actor and YouTuber Syota Hatani will portray Nagasumi Eiji, the lead protagonist of Digimon Seekers. In addition to the novel and trailers, new merchandise based on Digimon Seekers is set to be released. Watch the Digimon Seekers Live-Action Teaser Trailer!
Digimon’s newest video game, Digimon World: Next Order, was available for the fans to enjoy, and those who participated received a special Digimon promo card. Every fan who attended the event received a card pack, Digimon sticker and exclusive event guidebook, and a limited edition Digimon postcard celebrating Digimon Frontiers’ 25th anniversary and the one-year anniversary of Digimon Partners.
Other activities included a card trading station, card purchasing tables, and participation in the 2022 Digimon Card Game Championship Finals. However, the highlight of the event was the special meet and greet with Digimon designer Kenji Watanabe and Digimon Seekers’ Art Director Fumiya Kobayashi.
Digimon fans had the opportunity to have their Digimon memorabilia signed and take photos with the guests. Kenji Watanabe is known for designing various Digimon known today and the mind behind the Tamagotchi virtual pets series. Fumiya Kobayashi is the art director for the upcoming Digimon Seekers and various other Digimon projects such as Universe App Monsters, Pendulum Z and the Vital Bracelets.
The event could be a gateway to gaining knowledge on Digimon, its card game, new products, and making new friendships.
Special thanks to Vincent Reyes for providing various photos for this coverage article.
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