就像很多青少年男女一樣，我從小就喜歡看動漫作品，像是前陣子過世的日本漫畫大神鳥山明的作品，就是我的最愛之一，然而，長江後浪催前浪，一代新人換舊人，現今也有不少好的動漫作品，每年的動漫特展，我不一定會參加，主要是，已經不年輕了，但是，很多動漫作品，我還是多多少少有在接觸，至少，別人問我《葬送的芙莉蓮》，我還知道是甚麼？前幾年，知名的改編動漫電影《咒術迴戰》，我也是有去電影院看的。
不過，我感覺看動漫作品的人越來越多了，因為看新聞，每年的動漫展覽的規模都越來越大，漫畫博覽會是全台規模最大整合 ACGE（動漫、漫畫、遊戲、娛樂）的展覽活動，在這裡可以看到動漫作品之外，還能找到電玩、電競、娛樂、Vtuber、知識、玩具、模型、音樂、文創等作品，今年的漫畫博覽會，因為有找到朋友陪我去，所以就去看看，今年的為期五天的漫畫博覽會，因為凱米颱風過境，而取消一天，新聞上有報導，人潮爆多，很多粉絲都第一天開幕就衝過去，搶限量商品及福袋等，例如，咒術迴戰的20吋行李箱加手指抱枕加咒符浴巾原價4580台幣，優惠價只要1980台幣，假如搶到的話，價錢便宜很多，而當限量商品及福袋賣完後，人潮還是很多，但就沒有一開始那麼多了。
我的印象中，UNIQLO 是一家日本的快時尚服裝品牌，主打價錢合理、款式簡潔、抓住流行元素的服飾商品，沒想到，居然在會場看到 UNIQLO 的快閃店，UNIQLO 特別為了動漫迷，推出動漫聯名系列商品，聯名《我推的孩子》及《ONE PIECE》，《ONE PIECE》是成名20多年的知名動漫作品，我感到訝異但不意外，對於《我推的孩子》，我倒是沒甚麼聽過，但是應該很紅，所以我只有去查看《ONE PIECE》系列商品，有8款成人與5款孩童服裝，只要現場購買，就有機會拿到限量的紀念扇一支，送完為止。
舞台區則是有各式各樣簽名會、表演會及見面會等活動，只要有活動，這裡就是最多人聚集的地方，我入場時，剛好有偶像團體在作熱舞表演，我猜是她們地下偶像團體，因為我同時看到有一群年輕人很勇敢的，在舞台下用跳躍、拍掌、揮動手臂和有節奏地喊口號等動作，幫舞台上表演的女生加油打氣，地下偶像團體是指一群人在沒有商業的支持下，組成的偶像團體，而台灣的地下偶像穿梭在每年約 1,000場的 ACG 活動中，屬於次文化的一種，我沒深入研究，只是有時候，在某些場合遇到，看多了，自然就知道一二。
Like many other teens, I grew up loving anime. One of my all-time favorites is the work of the late Japanese manga legend, Akira Toriyama. However, as they say, "The old must make way for the new". Today, there are plenty of great anime and manga out there. I don’t attend every anime convention, mainly because I’m not that young anymore. But I still keep up with a lot of the latest comic books. At the very least, if someone asks me about Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, I know what they’re talking about! A few years ago, I even went to the theater to watch the popular anime movie adaptation, Jujutsu Kaisen.
Lately, I’ve noticed that more and more people are getting into anime, and you can tell by how much bigger these conventions get every year. The Comic Expo is the biggest event in Taiwan that brings together anime, comics, games, and entertainment. Besides anime, you can also find video games, eSports, Vtubers, toys, models, music, and all kinds of pop culture stuff. This year, I decided to go because I had a friend to go with. The Expo was supposed to last five days, but one day got canceled because of Typhoon Khanun. The news reported that the place was packed, with fans rushing in on the first day to grab limited edition items and lucky bags. For example, there was a Jujutsu Kaisen bundle with a 20-inch suitcase, a finger pillow, and a cursed towel, originally priced at 4,580 NTD, but discounted to just 1,980 NTD if you were lucky enough to get one. Even after the limited items sold out, the crowd didn’t thin out much.
I’ve always thought of UNIQLO as a Japanese fast-fashion brand that offers affordable, simple, and trendy clothing. So, I was surprised to see a UNIQLO pop-up store at the Expo. They launched a special anime collaboration series featuring Oshi no Ko and ONE PIECE. ONE PIECE has been a famous anime for over 20 years, so I wasn’t shocked to see it. But Oshi no Ko was new to me, though it must be really popular. I only checked out the ONE PIECE collection, which had 8 designs for adults and 5 for kids. If you bought something on-site, you could get a limited-edition fan, but only while supplies lasted.
The stage area was packed with all kinds of events like autograph sessions, performances, and fan meet-and-greets. When I arrived, an idol group was doing a dance performance. I think they were an underground idol group because I saw a bunch of young fans near the stage, jumping, clapping, waving their arms, and shouting in rhythm to cheer them on. Underground idols are groups that form without commercial backing, and in Taiwan, they’re part of a subculture that’s present at around 1,000 ACG events each year. I haven’t looked into it deeply, but I’ve seen it enough times to know a bit about it.