Cactus Taquería Closing Sunday

You have two days left to eat at the taquería that survived a drive-by in the 90s and is beloved by Brad Pitt and Johnny Knoxville. We sat down with the owners to go down memory lane with them and remember when Bourdain stopped by to try his favorite lengua tacos.

The full… pic.twitter.com/HO7D2egaxn

— L.A. TACO🌴🌮 (@LATACO) July 10, 2026

Anime Expo 2026: Miss Ya, Back In LA Next Year

 

We're sure, like so many of you attendees, you're missing AX and all of the adventures and time you had there. AX was and will continue to be an amazing convention. If you have gripes and we know you do, you can always email the event and of course, complain online. For the most part, I was at ease at AX myself. And, had some great moments. You'll always want more, so always remember to allocate your time wisely and just enjoy the cosplay/being there.

Some of you are prepping for Comic-Con and safety be with you as the Summer isn't over. There's quite a few events to go to.

We still have more coverage coming in as there was just too much happening at AX this year.

A press release from AX goes over a few tidbits of info.

-The SPJA, the group behind AX, says, the four-day, sold-out convention welcomed turnstile attendance of over 422,000 fans and delivered an estimated economic impact of over $115 million to LA.

-More than 1,400 hours of programming

-As reported before, Anime Expo will return Los Angeles Convention Center on July 2-5, 2027

L.A. Material's latest Newsletter is all about AX. I suggest you read Julia Wick's The municipal money moves behind L.A.’s Anime Expo, which goes over the AX crowd spending time at (blech) Yard House.

 

There's some great jokes with upcoming events and stories using anime inspired names in the newsletter.

 

Anime Expo 2026: Cosplay Pt 2

 

Here's even more cosplay from AX 2026.

Even more cosplay after the jump

Kinokuniya Little Tokyo's Back & LA Anime Artist Alley

 

Kinokuniya Little Tokyo

101 San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Hours:
11:00am - 8:00pm (Daily)

The the second largest Kinokuniya in the US is up and running. Finally, had a chance to see it as AX
came in to town. And, woah, is it impressive.

 

People were lining up outside before it opened...just because. There was no giveaway or special event.They just wanted in. 

 

 The bookstore closed down for unspecified reasons last year from its decades old Weller Court home to move across the street from that exact location.

 

What an amazing selection, you could easily get lost in there for an hour. And, it being so close to plenty of other Japanese stores, since it's in Little Tokyo, it's easily makes it worth a trip to come out to visit it. 

 

 

After spending almost an hour at the store, we could have easily spent more time there. It was off to the LA Anime Artist Alley. This new artist alley was created because there's less room at the LA Convention Center for the official Artist Alley of Anime Expo. As the Convention Center undergoes construction for expansion it'll have less room for events. Many artists couldn't win the annual seats raffle and make it into AX. So, many banded together and held their own artist alley in the outskirts of Little Tokyo. It was free to attend, no badge required or tickets.

 

As you can see from the photos below many people came out to see what it was like and enjoyed it. It was quite the crowd. From their Instagram, the makers said the Artist Alley went great and they had a huge attendance.

 

Anime Expo 2026: Cosplay Pt 1

 

Let's send you on your weekend with the best cosplay we saw at AX 2026.

 

Some Gachiakuta love.

 

Now, let's take a look at some of best and silliest.

Break it up!

 more photos after the jump 

Bleach LA Artist Collective Gallery

 

The Bleach LA Artist Collective has come and gone from Little Tokyo's JACCC Plaza. It was there just over AX weekend. It featured multiple artists showing off their love for Bleach. Sadly, none of the original pieces were available for order, but just like at the pop-up gallery you can still order prints at the above link. Gotta say, didn't expect to see artist Tokidoki in the mix.

Tokidoki

 

more photos after the jump

 

What's It Like At The Ryoko Kui Exhibition & "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition?

By Jonathan Bilski

 

Oy, why didn't they make a deal with a neighboring restaurant? To say you come out hungry from the dungeon is an understatement. Sure, you're walking distance from the Arts District and Little Tokyo cuisine. Wurstküche nearby makes sense, because it has some random sausage meats to try. Ever try rattlesnake? It, still would have been nice if a deal was struck with any of the restaurants nearby for a special meal or treat for visiting. Guess, you'll just have to eat with your eyes and there was a feast for them.

On the last Sunday of AX, we ventured to the special exhibit featuring the work of artist Ryoko Kui. It's not only Delicious in Dungeon, with a recently announced new season coming out Oct 2027. The Dungeon is definitely the draw, but the first section is all about the artist and her earlier works. It shows precursors to D in D.

 

Much of it is short stories and taking the time to think about what problems might occur dealing with leaving in a world with races out of fairy tales and mythology.

 

What you could also see is that Ryoko Kui is a stellar artist and able to achieve both cutesy and shock from her pages. She can do it all. The first section covers her career in manga and even Delicious in Dungeon. I didn't even know the manga of D in D is over already.

 

 

Loved seeing the art from ending theme up close. 

 

Easily the silliest photo spot in the place

 

Then, a whole other section is devoted to the only anime that is both a adventure and something that easily could air on Food Network. Because, each monster cooked up in the anime is brilliantly plated and explained how to be cooked up like a recipe. And, in this dungeon there was no exception. Food from the show was ready for photos. Wipe the drool of your face.

The food looked good enough to eat in many cases. I was told the replicas of the dishes were made the same way storefront fakes were normally made in Japan. You'll probably have a meal you wish was real from the selection inside. Maybe, not the bug money. Sadly, the best you can do is take a really nice photo of it or with it here. Oh, and maybe somethings want to make a meal out of you for other good photos.
 

The gift shop at the end had plenty of goodies. We just heard even more special merch came in as of writing this; that you won't find anywhere else.

We traversed the dungeon and suggest you too. A perfect hour or so near Little Tokyo...once you have lunch or dinner nearby.

 

 

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & "Delicious in Dungeon" Exhibition

July 2 – 26, 2026 

Open daily from 12:00 PM–7:00 PM

Art Share L.A. 801 E 4th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90013

General Admission: $20

Exhibition-Exclusive Plate (Add-On) : $25 (Limited)

 

 

There's are plenty of pay lots nearby, but give yourself time to find one and possibly stay/walk to, to grab food after.