Interview: Anime NYC Founder Peter Tatara

With just over two weeks to go to Anime NYC, Peter Tatara is a busy man. The founder of the three-day celebration of Japanese pop culture jokes about taking a break from organizing the event to speak to NerdSpan. “This is the highlight of my day,” he says. “This gets me out of the chaos. No matter what anyone says, we’re going to do this for five hours, so I don’t have to go back to work. It’s good stuff, it’s exciting stuff but definitely I’m sleeping less this week than I do most weeks.”

This is the fourth Anime NYC. Years 2017, 2018 and 2019 had live shows (2020 had a small online event). Over that time, it has grown from 22,000 attendees to 46,000 in 2019. Speaking of attendance this year, Tatara says “It could be 50,000. It could be 55,000. Facemasks are required in the building. Our job is to bring this community together in as safe and healthy way as possible.”

They have another anime show in Texas and two Comic Cons focussed on more western style elements such as Marvel, DC, Avengers and Doctor Who. “We have a team of ten people who work on them full time through the calendar year,” he says. “When it comes to the show, the team expands. Anime NYC has upwards of 600 crew that are helping to build the event and make it take place. I’m building PowerPoints. I’m building Excel files.”

Peter Tatara has been a fan “since before it was called anime.” He was a fan of the 1985 action animation Robotech he saw on CBS. Then he watched Vampire Hunter D on the SciFi Channel in the early 90s. “I just couldn’t believe what this was. Here’s a cartoon but it’s dark, it’s grim, it’s serous, there’s action, it’s got an unhappy ending. It did something with animation I didn’t think was possible. I went onto AOL, I typed it in to see what this was, I learned it was called Japanimation and I learned there was more of it. That was my anime origin story.” He ran anime clubs in middle school, high school and college. After college he found work at Central Park Media, one of the big Anime publishers of the 1990s. He’s pleased to see how big it has grown since his initial interest. “At this point, [Anime] is mainstream in everything but name.”

One notable event from this Anime NYC which Tatara thinks could be a highlight is a hololive event featuring five VTubers. “I’m so excited to do that,” he says. “It’s never been done before and it’s a new type of content.” Anime NYC is also hosting a “major Demon Slayer special event” which will bring all three of the US voice actors on stage for the first time in 20 months. Also, he says “It’s the 50^th anniversary of Lupin the 3^rd and we’re bring together all five of the cast members for that, to do a big Lupin panel.”

His advice to first time Anime NYC visitors is “First, pace yourself. There’s a lot to do. Don’t try to do it all at once. Download the app. The app has the full schedule. It has all of our guests. It’s updated live throughout the weekend in case there are any changes. It has the map. It has the guidebook.” He also recommends going to something you don’t know about. “One of my favourite things personally about building these shows is presenting stuff in front of fans who have never seen it before. My hope is you walk away from this show with a new favourite Anime or a new best friend. There’s something magical about live events that is difficult to replicate online.” He also recommends the Attack on Titan manga gallery. “It was the biggest manga of the last decade. The manga ended earlier this year. The final 12 episodes of the Anime are starting at the end of this winter.” The exhibit also includes messages from fans from around the world, saying how much AoT means to them. “That’s right as you enter the show. Well worth spending some minutes walking through.

With such passion and a huge range of anime knowledge, I was sure he would have a recommendation for a good series. “I actually started One Piece,” he says. “One Piece is approaching 1000 episodes. I had never taken the plunge because there’s so much of it. With the pandemic, if I’m ever going to have the time, now is the time to try One Piece. I am 300 episodes in and everything people say about it is true. It is absolutely fantastic. It is amazing, it is fun, it is silly, it’s an adventure, it’s got so much heart. It is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It is absolutely amazing and truly heart-warming.”

Anime NYC 2021 runs from November 19-21 at New York’s Javits Center (655 W 34^th St). For more information, see their website. If anyone is checking, the interview absolutely took five hours.