Netflix’s eye-catching booth stood tall at this year’s Anime Expo, drawing attendees to its various attractions in the Exhibition Hall. On theme, the booth highlighted two of Netflix’s current animation titles as well as video games related to their existing IPs.
The booth was easy to spot from any spot in the Exhibition Hall, with a ginormous inflatable Taro Sakamoto protecting the inhabitants of the booth from above. SAKAMOTO DAYS-themed activities occupied a generous part of the station, with various photo-ops with everyone’s favorite assassins and the iconic Sugar Park mascot, as well as a laser shooting game.
Additionally, the booth featured a convenience-store-themed SAKAMOTO DAYS merchandise stall, which sold hats, stickers, and an apron that could also transform into a bag, constructed in collaboration with the clothing brand UPRISERS. This utilitarian item, exclusively sold at Anime Expo, smartly paralleled the transformative nature of Taro Sakamoto, who switches from “family man” to (nonviolent) “assassin” time and time again.
The main attraction at the booth was its three-stage maze, with each stage inspired by a Netflix animated release: the Devil May Cry animation, SAKAMOTO DAYS anime, and Squid Game: Unleashed video game. Behind the entrance curtains lay a bouncy-house tunnel, ornamented with various “spikes” and saturated with dark red light to simulate a tumultuous trek through Hell. At the end of the tunnel, participants stumbled into a mirror maze, caught in the crossfire between Sakamoto and his enemies. Multiple monitors hung between the mirrors, where Sakamoto made his rounds, making you instinctively look over your shoulders as if you too were involved in the battle.
Finally, attendees made their way to the last stage: a money pit inspired by the Korean drama Squid Game and its spin-off game, Squid Game: Unleashed. After ascending the stairs to the edge above the money pit (filled with styrofoam money bills), you had the choice of falling forward or backward into your expensive, untimely demise — or, in this case, into a cute photo-op!
Aside from these activities, the booth had a station dedicated to Netflix Games, where fans could play on two screens and learn more about this developing feature of the streaming platform. Additionally, the booth provided a lounge area in the corner of the attractions, a much-needed space for anyone who wanted to get a moment’s rest from meandering around the convention.
All the interactive ideas at this booth enticed fans to line up and stick around, successfully showcasing their expanding pursuits to the crowd. Among the myriad of anime promotions and video game booths present at the convention, Netflix proved through their singular booth that they have a stake in all of these avenues.
