Thursday, October 1, 2026
Anime fans throughout the tri-state area gathered at the Rockville Centre Public Library on Saturday, Aug. 4 to celebrate their shared passion at the third annual Anime Tosho-con. Approximately 360 devotees of all ages—most dressed in costume—attended workshops, live performances, craft programs and games throughout the day. Ongoing activities included screenings of anime and an artist alley, where about 25 artists sold artwork, jewelry and other anime-inspired merchandise.
Libraries have only just begun to tap into this market, and its success can be seen throughout professional literature and from Rockville Centre’s three ever-growing conventions.
Librarian Marissa Wolf and her young-adult anime club pioneered the Rockville Centre Public Library’s Anime Tosho-con in 2010. Tosho-con was the first library anime convention in Nassau County. Most of the events were planned and run by veterans of the Rockville Centre Library anime club, including Gabriella Loccisano, Diana Carter, Rita Rozen, Jethro Inwald, Will Riley and Tiffany Tang, the creator of the mascot, Rocki.
Anime is the term used for Japanese animation, while manga refers to Japanese comics, an important part of Japanese culture for more than 200 years. The popularity of anime and manga grew exponentially in the U.S. in the last two decades. Anime and manga are popular with people of all ages and backgrounds. Anime conventions provide a means for anime fans to meet in person, discuss series, and interact with industry professionals.
One of the most successful events at Tosho-con has been the cosplay (or costume play) “death match,” introduced at Tosho-con in 2010 by anime club member Etai Klein. During this event, contestants dress up as their favorite characters and the audience votes for their favorite contestant.
Tosho-con tries to keep things fresh with every new convention. This year, there was a Chinese shadow puppet workshop, led by a representative of the Chinese Theatre Works, and two Japanese pop music performances.
Angelic Complex and Hitomi Himekawa and the Rainbow Bubbles sang in front of hundreds of new fans. Angelic Complex’s performance at Tosho-con was the first in their U.S. tour; Hitomi Himekawa has performed at NY Comic Con and Anime Next. Tosho-con also welcomed back the OMNY Taiko Group for another successful interactive drum performance.
The Rockville Centre Library is a proud supporter of bringing anime fans into the Library and introducing them to library services. Many fans were surprised that libraries could hold such events and how relevant libraries are for people of all ages and interests.
