The cicadas buzzed loudly amongst the backdrop of Tokyo Big Sight. But that wasn’t the only sound that you could hear. Staff members calling people to the proper lines, excited con-goers talking about the artists they’re looking forward to meeting, and the laughter of cosplayers reuniting or meeting up for the first time. All these sounds could only mean one thing: Comic Market was back!

The 108th edition of Comiket is by no means your ordinary doujin event. On top of it being the biggest independent and fan-based comic expo in Japan, this year marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic convention! Considering the milestone, it was no surprise that Comiket was going all out this year, with a plethora of posters, banners, and signs showcasing the greatness that this convention has to offer. And in these next two days, the only guarantee you’ll be given is that your leg muscles will be so sore that it’ll be difficult to walk on Monday! (This is coming from someone who walked a total of 35 kilometers last year!)

At 9:30 a.m., the press line opened, and with my badge all set, I waited an hour for the doors to open. Although the main event doesn’t start until 11 a.m. each day, press gets 30 minutes to walk the floors and scope out the area before the main crowd. Finally, when the clock struck 10:30, the doors swung open, and my coverage of Comic Market 108 began!

DAY ONE:

10:30 a.m. sharp was when I entered the East Hall of Tokyo Big Sight. There, I was greeted with wall-to-wall Blue Archive doujins. The mobile game’s popularity has yet to be depleted, as the quantity of booths devoted to those halo-wearing animal-eared girls seemed to have doubled from last year. Roaming through, I did discover a couple of doujins of characters that I actually enjoyed, allowing me to make my first purchase of the day.

Horse girls overtook a huge chunk of the vicinity too, with Uma Musume’s popularity skyrocketing in the last year with the game’s Western release. Naturally, the fan comics and the cosplay DVDs seemed to be a popular grab at Comiket 108, with a couple of books I was keeping a keen eye on obtained before even the first hour of the convention ended. (I even managed to find one that AFLM was seeking.)

At that point, the public was finally let in, meaning it was only going to get crowded from there. Roaming through more of the aisles, I came across a plethora of KanColle: Fleet Girls Collection and Fate doujins, a sure sign that neither of those fandoms were dying out anytime soon. There were a scattering of Gundam ones too, especially ones focused on the recent GQuuuuuuX series that aired last year. Fanzines and Gundam essay books also were on display in those sections, and even without the need for pictures, I found a decent line for these fanzines almost at every point of Day One.

The other section of East Hall was all about Hololive and Vtubers past and present. From Mori Calliope to Kizuna Ai, a plethora of books, hug pillow covers, and acrylic stands were being sold in what seemed like an endless hallway. It was here where I ran into one of my favorite artists, Casino. His latest book was being promoted, and I managed to grab one and a few of his past art books. We chatted for a couple of seconds, and I was grateful for the support that our podcast always gives him.

One half of this section of East Hall was all devoted to arts and crafts tables. Custom rings, wood-carved weapons, and even soap were being sold in this area. It was an odd placement to see such hand-crafted talent deep in a pool of virtual waifus. However, it goes to show that Comiket isn’t just a place to showcase your talents with a pen; it’s also where the power of one’s hands and imagination can truly be brought to life and put on display.

30 minutes! That’s how long it took to walk from East Hall to West Hall. If there’s one thing I can complain about Tokyo Big Sight, it’s the fact that they close down half of the escalators and moving paths during this convention. As a result, the pace of moving from one hall to the next is incredibly sluggish. I don’t know if they thought it’d be safer to do this, but it made things feel more crowded than they should.

Speaking of crowded areas, West Hall! There were lines all over the place for fan works based around Zenless Zone Zero, Arknights, and Azur Lane. West Hall was also where a good chunk of the mish-mash of various manga-based doujin were. From Bocchi the Rock! and YuruYuri to Kin-Iro Mosaic and Onimai, there were a plethora of works on display showcasing characters in both SFW and NSFW manners. Thankfully, exiting out of West Hall was far quicker than entering it!

The corporate areas rested on the top floors of West and South Hall. Practically every big Japanese manga and anime company was there to showcase their works and sell merch. Kadokawa, Manga Time Kirara, HoneyParade Games, and ufotable all had their popular series on display, with tons of people crowding around stages to watch cosplayers posing as their favorite characters. It’s not a bad place to take a quick rest, but — again — it can get crowded very quickly.

Perhaps this is where I can say one more downside to Comiket: the hours aren’t long enough. People who go in blindly will think that five hours to go through the convention halls will be enough. But considering Day One had roughly 130,000 people, there is bound to be a lot of wait time to get to certain areas. As such, you more than likely won’t get to see everything.

Hence why I found myself skimming through South Hall, as there wasn’t enough time to really walk around and get a good look at all of the tables. This area was more designated towards popular series, as the likes of Pokémon, Pretty Cure, and Madoka Magica had a bountiful number of booths. Fan faves like Makeine, Re:ZERO, and KonoSuba had their fair share of representation, but this area was more dedicated to the really, really big properties of the last forty years.

Alas, due to the need to eat, I had to call it an early day for the first half of Comiket 108. Despite the heavy crowds, it was still an enjoyable Saturday. It was fairly easy to find the artists that I was seeking, and I even discovered a new artist or two that I will follow. All in all, a successful Day One of Comiket 108!

DAY TWO:

Press were allowed into the East Hall a few minutes before 10:30 a.m., which allowed me to roll around to get a good feel of the area. While Day One had its themes and the like, Day Two in East Hall was all a mix-and-match of properties and original works. It was on this day where the hobby otaku took over a chunk of East Hall. From trains and World War II weaponry to camping and even crocheting, there was something for just about everyone in East Hall.

I went through the second part of East Hall fairly quickly, even if it took about ten minutes to enter through the massive line. Doujins of Ranma ½, My Hero Academia, and Rent-a-Girlfriend were making a big presence in this section. It was in this area where I came across Kuro Akagi, the cosplaying artist whom I interviewed years back for her Aspe-chan web series. After buying her latest comic, I headed towards West Hall, hoping that it wouldn’t be as crazy as the day before.

Thankfully, it took only five minutes to get to West Hall this time around. There were a few artists that I was familiar with within the same table section, making my time there a lot easier and quicker to go through. Getting to South Hall was also a lot easier, now that the map’s layout was etched into my head. That area played host to more hobbyists, with a focus on food and world history.

It was also in the South Hall where all of the cosplayers were selling their books and DVDs. This was a far better setup than what I witnessed with Comic Market 106, where the cosplayers were shoved into the West Hall and causing a standstill with the crowd movement. I chatted with a few of the cosplayers, with one section being a group that also performs metal music. The band, LYL, had their debut mini-album on sale, which I was happy to buy. (FYI: the album, Zettai Akuma Shugi, was surprisingly good!)

Since I wasn’t able to go the day before, I figured I would take a look at the cosplay area near South Hall. However, those plans fell through when an unexpected rainstorm came through. With all 130,000 people that day coming inside, it was apparent that getting around would be a very tight squeeze. As such, I had to make the decision to call it a day at Tokyo Big Sight.

While it’s a shame that Day Two wasn’t as long and fulfilling as Day One, there were still some pretty enjoyable things to check out. I was happy to see the hobbyists expand more throughout the convention, and while that aspect of Comiket may not be my thing, it’s showing that even the most niche of things can find some popularity. As a whole, Comic Market 108 was a fun time, albeit slightly tiring on the legs by the end of the second day. Fifty years have gone by since Comiket started, and if this weekend was any indication, it’s bound to last another fifty!

Special thanks to the staff and crew at Comic Market 108. Photos in the article provided by the Comic Market press team.