Anime Hype: Little Tokyo Edition: Kodansha House, Kinokuniya Coming Back To Little Tokyo & 'Streets of Elation' Honkai: Star Rail Take Over

 Woah, Little Tokyo is buzzing with news. And, just after Delicious Little Tokyo last weekend. First off, during Anime Expo this July, will be treated to Kodansha House in Little Tokyo. It's the first time we've gotten the pop-up in the LA area.

Here's some excerpts from the press release:

"...Kodansha House, which will make its West Coast debut this summer in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood July 2-12, while Anime Expo runs concurrently July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

More than a manga event, Kodansha House is a vibrant meeting place where the world of manga crosses over into the real world. Fans this year will enter a portal that takes them into a dynamic, interactive space to connect with and celebrate the impossible stories they have come to love. They can then spend their time more leisurely with friends, as well as meeting new ones, while hanging out in a manga gallery, cafe, lounge, and library. With daily programming to include manga creator appearances, anime screenings, panel discussions, and more, Kodansha House is the perfect pop-up for manga enthusiasts, both new and seasoned, to mingle and dive deeper into the magic of manga.

Highlights of this year’s Kodansha House Los Angeles will include guest appearances by the creators of two of the biggest manga hits of the year: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura, the creative team behind the global-hit soccer manga Blue Lock, and Kamome Shirahama, author and artist of the magical fantasy manga Witch Hat Atelier, recently adapted into a highly anticipated anime series. In addition, Kaneshiro-sensei, Nomura-sensei, and Shirahama-sensei will appear as official guests of Anime Expo, where they will hold separate panels and signing events. More details of how to attend these coveted appearances at both Kodansha House and Anime Expo will be announced. Attendees of Anime Expo can also unlock special benefits at Kodansha House with their AX badges—more details forthcoming. 

Once again Kodansha will partner with Kinokuniya USA as its official Kodansha House partner for retail operations during the Los Angeles pop-up event. Look for future announcements on exclusive merchandise that can only be purchased at Kodansha House and Kinokuniya bookstores."

Now, what's interesting about that last point was the Kinokuniya is teaming up to sell merch back in Little Tokyo. As many might know, for undisclosed reasons it was kicked out or left it's decades old home at Weller Court. A temporary home for the store is at The Bloc in downtown LA. However...

If you look across the street from Weller Court you can see a new Kinokuniya is setting up shop. Looks like or it sounds like it'll be up in running in time for Kodansha House/ Anime Expo this July as no official word has come out about the place at all. And, it looks like it might be even bigger than the last one.

What an f u to Weller Court's owner if they literally just book store next door. But, we could be totally missing something, because Kinokuniya's Little Tokyo branch never explained why it was closing. The best guess was higher rents from the owners of Weller Court. In any case, we're happy to see them, hopefully coming back this Summer.

The old location in Weller Court has been turned into a very empty anime store. With literal empty shelves called Sora Gumi. We're not sure how it's paying rent, but maybe exists just as some sort out of a deal out of spite. Nothing wrong with the staff or products. They just don't need a retail space that large. It's comical if you want to head in there and pretend you're in The Backrooms.

And, finally here's a few snaps from the Streets of Elation' Honkai: Star Rail Take Over Sunday. There were some long lines to grab special food or merch required to receipts to gain a special ticket that would earn you  prizes. Plus, a mini festival in the JACCC Plaza.