Event report: Japan Expo 2015 (Paris)

Iconic yuru-kyara Kumamon in the flesh

It's been a whole year since I first made the trip to Paris, France for Japan Expo, just to watch Sengoku Basara Judge End a few days early. The event ran again this year - it's now celebrating its 16th anniversary - and given the sorry state of the UK convention scene I decided to drag two of my dearest friends along and give it another try. That's how I ended up making a fast-paced overnight trip to France on Thursday and Friday last week.

Paris - like much of the rest of Europe - is extremely hot this week, and gathering together with thousands of excited fans is never an effective way to stay cool. The organisers had done what they could to warn people to dress appropriately and bring plenty of drinks yet we still witnessed several people passing out in the entry queues and the lines at the stands selling slush drinks and other refreshments were impressive. I dread to think how hot it must be this weekend when even more people will have been descending on the convention halls to see the biggest guests. The dilapidated RER trains back to central Paris were stifling, too. It was almost unbearable.