Fans dive into San Diego Comic-Con despite drop in celebrity panels
Richard Cao, 38, from San Diego, said he has been preparing for a long time, getting into shape so he can go as bare-chested Inosuke Hashibira, a character from the anime series 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'.
"I lost about 30 pounds over six months, that's just the physical, I guess, investment I made," Cao said.
This year's festivities at the San Diego Convention Center will not have the usual Hall H major A-list celebrity panels, which typically discuss popular movie franchises from the likes of Marvel and DC Studios.
But highlights will include "Star Wars" creator George Lucas making his San Diego Comic-Con debut and Disney's "Tron: Ares" and "Predator: Badlands" panels. There will also be a panel for the upcoming film "Project Hail Mary" starring Ryan Gosling, and the world premiere of the 'King of the Hill' revival and a panel with show co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.
It is also the first year to include a two-day music festival called Crunchyroll Anime FanFest, hosted by Crunchyroll, an American subscription-based anime streaming service owned by Sony Group Corporation.
The festival will feature anime music from popular titles, including "The One Piece 25th Anniversary Symphony Voyage," based on the popular anime series. Crunchyroll has over 13 million subscribers globally.
Although hotel and overall travel prices continue to rise for those out of town, fans say they weren't deterred.
"It's totally worth it," said Sophia Blanco, 39, from New York City who paid "a couple of thousands" for her entire trip.
"You go on vacation, you do anything, you're spending money. So, just spend money on what you enjoy, no matter what you do," she added.
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