Hey my fellow anime/manga lovers, I’m Sharon (@almondmoy), your overthinking anime/manga lover content creator! There’s a bunch of free events coming up in NYC and I’m really excited to share the manhwa recommendation this week, so read to the end! (And let me know if you’re already a fan, need to gush with other people)

This club aims to provide a space for adults to come together and discuss anything anime/manga. All topics are welcome. This is a bimonthly in-person program.

Place: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), 3rd Floor, Room 304 | Southeast corner of 40th Street and 5th Avenue

Time: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 6:30 PM EST - 7:30 PM EST (End times are approximate)

Tickets: Free but registration required here with a valid library card barcode. Preference will be given to those who register.

In collaboration with @Japan_popupjourney, this is a SNOW MIKU SKY TOWN Pop-Up Store at select dates and locations. New York BOOK-OFF will be from May 22 - June 7. You can get a free random sticker when you show the MIKU EXPO ticket or drawing on their PIAPRO Wall and sharing the photo. There will also be exclusive MIKU EXPO 2026 merch and fabric stickers available at this BOOK-OFF.

Place: BOOK-OFF New York | 49 W 45th Street, New York, NY 10036

Time: Friday, May 22, 2026 - Sunday June 7, 2026

Tickets: No tickets needed. Check out more information in their instagram post here.

This is a night of trivia dedicated to The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra universes! They’ll test your knowledge from the epic battles to the wonderful characters and the four nations! How much of a fan can you claim to be after this trivia?

Place: Slattery’s Midtown Pub | 8 East 36th Street, New York, NY 10016

Time: Friday, May 22, 2026 7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST

Tickets: Free to reserve a spot here, but description says there’s a $20 food and drink min per person.

Meet fellow Gundam fans in this event that will feature display areas to encourage everyone to bring their finished projects, old or new, to put on display for everyone to see. Feel free to bring your tools and model kits too! There will be a $1 raffle contest every hour (at 5 ticket limit) and their official vendor, @the_popcurator will be on site too.

Place: Japan Village, 2nd Floor | 934 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Time: Saturday, May 23, 2026 1:00 PM EST - 6:00 PM EST

Tickets: Free and open to all ages.

Legendary Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, renowned for his character designs for Vampire Hunter D and the Final Fantasy franchise, features large-scale paintings and gold-leaf panel works in this solo gallery exhibition in NYC. This is the last week to check out his art at this gallery! Note that the gallery is only open Wednesday - Saturday.

Place: LOMEX Gallery | 86 Walker Street, 3rd Floor and 89 Walker, #2R

Time: April 24, 2026 - May 23, 2026 | Wed - Sat 12:00 PM EST - 6:00 PM EST

Tickets: Free and open to public. More information here.

Paint your favorite Eeveelution with your fellow Pokémon lovers! There will be themed drinks, music videos, pre-lined canvas (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), unlimited board games, and unlimited video games. There will also be 3 vendors to purchase themed cake pops, personalized nerdy charms, and Pokémon cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026 5:00 PM EST - 9:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

If you love Webcore, old cartoons, and other early internet aesthetics, this cosplay friendly artist alley is perfect for you! There will be 20+ curated vendors, treats, and a craft table. This event is for all ages.

Place: Bayonne Public Library | 697 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002

Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026 10:00 AM EST - 3:00 PM EST

Tickets: Reserve a spot here. FREE Admission. This just helps the organizers to manage crowds)

This is a one-day anime convention created by local fans in partnership with MCCC James Kerney Campus and fiscal sponsorship of Trenton Pride Center (they’re not a club or alumni of the college). There will be industry guests, cosplay guests, musical guests, panels and workshops, gaming, tournaments, and more!

Place: Mercer County Community College, James Kerney Campus | 102 N Broad Street, Trenton, NJ 08608

Time: Saturday, June 6, 2026 10:00 AM EST - 7:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. There are 3 separate kinds, all-day, morning block, and afternoon block in order to prevent crowding on the campus. More information and bag policy here.

Paint your favorite Sanrio character with fellow Sanrio lovers! There will be themed drinks, lo-fi aesthetic videos, pre-lined canvas (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), unlimited board games, and unlimited video games. There will also be 2 vendors to purchase personalized nerdy charms (Mother’s Day charms will also be available) and TCG cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, June 20, 2026 3:00 PM EST - 7:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

Paint your favorite anime character with your fellow anime lovers! There will be pre-lined canvases (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), of Luffy (One Piece), Serena/Usagi/Sailor Moon, Naruto, and Goku when you choose the paint & sip option. There will also be 3 vendors to purchase themed cake pops, personalized nerdy charms, and TCG cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, June 20, 2026 7:00 PM EST - 9:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

Anime High Club and Nikke NYC are teaming up to bring you this Bunny Royale event! There will be live DJs & performances, an anime fashion show, and various vendors. It’s more than a party, it’s supposed to be a whole experience!

Place: Partake NYC | 10-29 44th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101

Time: Saturday, June 27, 2026 9:00 PM EST - 2:00 AM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. For 21+ only

The voice talent agency, Aoni Production, just announced on Friday that Wakana Yamazaki passed away at 61 years old on April 18. There was a private funeral held for her by her family. She was born on March 21, 1965 in Yokohama and made her debut as a voice actress in 1991.

She is best known for her role as the heroine, Ran Mori, in Detective Conan, which she voiced since 1996. She had also voiced Nami from One Piece, in episodes 70-79 when the original voice actress, Okamura, was on maternity leave. Her other notable roles in anime were: Nojiko (One Piece), Koan (Sailor Moon R), Ruri-Hime (Mononoke), Meiko Akizuki (Marmalade Boy), Maria (Ghost Sweeper Mikami) and more.

Sometimes I forget how great manhwa are. The colors. The art style. So gorgeous. Also the long engrossing storytelling. *Chef’s Kiss*

Synopsis: This Korean web novel turned web comic follows a university student who has a terrible family situation. She’s the illegitimate child of a wealthy family and is constantly made to feel unwanted and unloved by her two older brothers and father. However, she finally gains her freedom by studying hard and getting accepted into a prestigious university. While enjoying freedom, she gets hooked onto an otome game where she tries to succeed playing the villainess on hard mode who is constantly getting killed by the male love interests with one wrong move. One night she closes her eyes only to wake up as that same villainess and has to try to survive in this otome game world. What do you do when at every turn, your very life is dependent on your every move and word?

My Thoughts: If you have an addictive personality like me, then you’d better only start reading this if you got a couple of hours or a day free haha. There’s 207 chapters out right now cause season 3 has started now (if you’re used to mangas, instead of arcs, manhwa have seasons). You’ll love this if you love a strong and smart female lead, very slow burn, and becoming very engrossed in the main character’s struggle to survive (you might find yourself heartbroken or tearing up a few times). She’s also very logical, so don’t expect a goody-two-shoes type of innocent character; she will use, manipulate, do morally gray area actions that will cause you to wonder if you want to root for the female lead (which I always felt for her even if she had to deal with the consequences of her own actions).

Hope you enjoy! Bring the tissues!

That’s it from me. Now go clear your watchlist…or add 10 more, I don’t judge.
- Sharon (@almondmoy on all platforms)