The awaited return of Anime Night went all out in true “My Hero Academia” fashion with a Plus Ultra theme January 26, 2023 at the Hard Rock Cafe. The event filled the venue with nearly 250 guests there to share their love of anime music and subculture. To help the event really go plus ultra this time, music was performed live, a cosplay contest was integrated and the vendor section expanded. It was a great night for Kawaii Gifts to get our name out there to fellow anime enthusiasts!

Abigail McNatt Photography (c)

Abigail McNatt Photography (c)

Music spanned popular anime openings from top current shonen and movies like “Chainsaw Man,” “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Your Name” to the classics from “Pokemon” and “Sailor Moon.” Sprinkled in were clips of key moments throughout “My Hero Academia,” so apologies if you weren’t caught up with the latest season!

Altogether, fans enjoyed two hours of DJ sets from DJ Little Lyss with full length AMVs, plus a live cover band and featured guest performances! Making up the anime band were members Brad Brunazzi of Arcane Haven, Brenden Kucik of Luke and the Second Coming, Zack Bowman of Shy Birds and Kieffer Kiesewetter of Wolferd. Shane Turner of Hear Tonight got everyone hyped with his performance of “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” and Luke Crouse of Luke and the Second Coming blew Sonic fans away with his performance of “Escape from the City.” Of course, the live performances wouldn’t be complete without a track from MHA, and Meg Wills of Young Lungs delivered with her high energy “Hero Too” cover.

Drinks were also thoughtfully crafted to fit the anime theme. The event, which aims to bring together adult anime fans in an adult-oriented space that other anime events sometimes lack, wouldn’t be complete without drinks like the #1 Hyperactive Knucklehead Special, Icyhot Martini or Sharingan, which is a reorder of whatever drink the bartender last made.

I, on Kawaii Gifts’ behalf, had the exciting honor of getting to be a part of the cosplay contest judging panel. Joining me were Isabel Hope, a tattoo artist at Electric Ladyland, content creator Starr Dustss, and professional cosplay artist Sarah Spectre. Entrants based their costumes off of popular characters from “My Hero Academia,” “Demon Slayer” and “Jujutsu Kaisen,” three of my personal favorites. The competition was stiff, but with deliberation from the other guest judges, we landed on a gender swapped Sukuna cosplay from JJK as the grand prize winner!

Abigail McNatt Photography (c)

Plenty of cosplay artists turned out, even though the contest was capped at a few entrants. These fans looked convention ready in full cosplay for their favorite characters. Many organized duo cosplays with friends, such as Present Mic and Aizawa, Bakugo and Kirishima and plenty others.

Abigail McNatt Photography (c)

There was plenty of excitement to be had for “My Hero Academia” fans at the Kawaii Gifts table. We brought along the “My Hero Academia” Ultra Impact series Ichiban Kuji for extra fun and sold nearly half the tickets in one night. Believe it or not, the very first ticket sold was none other than the A prize ticket, a Deku figure! If you’re not familiar, Ichiban Kuji is a Japanese prize raffle where every ticket corresponds to a prize. With prizes ranging from exclusive figures to small collectibles and surprise boxes, everyone ticket is a winner. We also brought along a sample of the kind of merchandise you can find in our Shadyside shop, such as Japanese candy, Loungefly backpacks, Sanrio plush, surprise boxes, Kirby accessories and plenty of anime figures.

We were also happy to be collaborating with Evan Tucarello and his team at Mossdeep Entertainment for another great event. Seeing other familiar faces from the last Anime Night, like local tattoo artist Isabel Hope and the teams at Warp Zone and Retrograde Gaming and Collectibles, was also a nice treat! If you’re a fan of classic video games, manga and figure collecting, and full color anime and video game art of your favorite characters, definitely check out these amazing vendors as well as Mercury Apothecary and Self-Care Goods, Geekadrome Games and Comics, and Joy’s Japanimation. With a manga shop, mini arcade and more, everyone brought something unique to the event!

The team at the Hard Rock Cafe was splendid, too. The space was perfect for the energy everyone was bringing! The fantastic atmosphere was captured by photographer Abigail McNatt. You can see her work on Facebook at Abigail McNatt Photography, Instagram at @abigailmcnattphotography and Twitter at @abigail_mcnatt. We will certainly be anticipating the next Anime Night! Stay tuned to our blog and our social media to see what we do next!