Sora Tanka
I am an anime enthusiast who loves deep-diving into the shows that keep us hooked and the ones that make us quit. My writing explores the highs and lows of the anime experience, one review at a time.
Published: July 21, 2026 | 22 min read | Last updated: July 21, 2026
Every summer, tens of thousands of anime fans descend on the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, for Anime Matsuri — the state's largest anime convention. The cosplay is spectacular, the Japanese pop culture programming runs around the clock, and the energy in that building is genuinely electric. And yet, for over a decade, this same event has been at the centre of one of the most persistent controversies in the North American anime convention scene. Sexual harassment allegations against its co-founder, questions about inflated attendance numbers, an attempt to legally silence critics, ties to another polarising figure in the anime voice acting world, and now a new Texas law that has the fandom on edge. The Anime Matsuri controversy is not a single event that came and went — it's a layered, ongoing story. This article covers all of it: what happened, who was involved, how the con responded, and whether, heading into its 20th anniversary in 2026, Anime Matsuri is still worth your badge money.
Quick Answer
Anime Matsuri is Houston's largest anime convention, running since 2007. Its controversy stems from sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Leigh (dating to 2015), disputed attendance figures, and attempts to silence critics. Despite an apology and continuing operations, the con remains divisive. Whether it's worth attending depends heavily on your personal stance.
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What Exactly Is Anime Matsuri?
Founded in 2007 by John and Deneice Leigh, Anime Matsuri began as a small Houston gathering and grew into the biggest anime and Japanese pop culture convention in Texas. The name itself comes from the Japanese word matsuri, meaning festival — and in its heyday, that description felt accurate. By the mid-2010s, the con had claimed spots on AnimeCons.com's list of the ten largest anime conventions in America, attracted Japanese rock acts, hosted elaborate Lolita fashion shows, and even had the Syfy reality series Heroes of Cosplay film an episode there in 2013.
The convention runs four days annually at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, featuring an artists' alley, live concerts, J-fashion shows, a car show, voice actor panels, cosplay contests, gaming events, maid cafes, and over 800 hours of programming. On paper, it's an impressive event. The scale alone makes it a draw: by 2026, it's positioning itself as a 20th-anniversary celebration, with the Vampire Knight cast announced as reunion guests.
How the Controversy Actually Started
The earliest cracks appeared well before any harassment allegations went public. Even in 2014, reporters and convention-goers noted that Anime Matsuri had a chaotic streak baked into its DNA. Free Press Houston described the 2014 event as something like "Disneyland on day one: all the attractions malfunctioning and a lot of long lines." Panel cancellations happened constantly. Volunteers received inadequate training. Japanese guests had no translators. Voice actress Caitlin Glass attended in 2014 and later made clear she would have nothing further to do with the convention due to the treatment she received.
Financial conduct was another early red flag. According to a 2015 investigation by Houston Press, the Leighs had a documented pattern of not paying their partners. Houston-based Mike Udompongsuk lent tens of thousands of dollars to the convention over the years and never received repayment. Japanese record label PS Company, which represented rock star Miyavi, found itself financially burned following a 2009 engagement. These weren't rumours — they were accounts backed by receipts, correspondence, and on-record interviews.
Key Stat: According to Houston Press (2015), concerns about financial misconduct and guest mistreatment at Anime Matsuri date back at least to 2009 — nearly a decade before the boycott movement launched.
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The convention kept growing despite this. In the absence of social media amplification, the grievances stayed largely local. That changed in 2015.
The Sexual Harassment Allegations Against John Leigh
In June 2015, Houston Press published a report detailing multiple women's accusations against John Leigh, the convention's co-founder and event manager. The accusations were specific and consistent across multiple sources: unwanted touching, slapping of buttocks, sexual jokes directed at women in professional settings, requests for nude photographs, lifting up women's clothing, and asking a woman about her sexual history in an entirely inappropriate context.
Many of the accusers were models and cosplayers who had appeared at Anime Matsuri's elaborate Lolita fashion events — a subculture Leigh had positioned himself centrally within. In 2015, John and Deneice Leigh had even been appointed "Kawaii Ambassadors" by the Japan Lolita Association, a significant honour within that community. The allegations put that appointment in a very different light.
One woman, referred to only as N, described arriving for what she understood to be a promotional photo shoot, only to find it was a video shoot — at which Leigh then requested she simulate a sexual act on a male subject. She refused. Her account, shared with Houston Press, captures a dynamic that multiple women described: the veneer of professional opportunity used to blur boundaries.
"I noticed he had a nervous way of telling me. It was odd how he was acting."
For three years, the story lived on blogs, Tumblr posts, and within the Lolita fashion community — noticed by those close to the scene, but not yet broadly amplified. Then came early 2018, and everything escalated.
I'll be honest — when I first started hearing about Anime Matsuri in the early 2010s, I was mostly curious about the Japanese fashion show lineup. It had a reputation as the most ambitious J-fashion event in North America, and that was enough to put it on my radar. When the harassment allegations broke in 2015, my reaction was the same as a lot of people in the anime community: I hoped it was exaggerated, I wanted to wait for "more information." I now recognise that this wait-and-see instinct is exactly what allowed the situation to persist for so long. The information was already there. It had been there for years. — Sora Tanka
The DMCA Takedown That Blew Everything Up
If there's a single moment that transformed the Anime Matsuri controversy from a community whisper to an internet-wide story, it's the December 2017 cease-and-desist letter sent to Tyler Willis — the creator behind the YouTube series "Last Week Lolita News," who posted under the name Scarfing Scarves.
Willis had produced videos covering the harassment allegations against John Leigh, along with broader concerns about the convention's conduct. The Leighs responded not with a rebuttal, but with legal threats: a cease-and-desist demanding the videos be taken down, later accompanied by what critics described as fraudulent DMCA copyright claims — an attempt to have YouTube itself remove the content. The legal action was eventually dropped in February 2018 after widespread public backlash, but the damage was done.
Important: The decision to pursue legal action against a critic rather than address the underlying allegations directly is what galvanised the broader boycott movement. As one boycott organiser told the Houston Chronicle, the cease-and-desist made people say: "If you're not only going to do these things but silence people who talk about it, maybe we should give you something to silence."
John Leigh eventually issued a public apology in early 2018, as reported by the Houston Chronicle, acknowledging "insensitive jokes" but framing the original incidents as taken out of context. Many found the apology incomplete. The convention went ahead that year despite the controversy, with John Leigh publicly stating the apology was not motivated by ticket sales concerns. Whether or not that was true, the boycott had by then taken on a life of its own.
The Boycott Anime Matsuri Movement
By January 2018, the Twitter account @BoycottMatsuri was active and amplifying survivor accounts, financial grievances, and details of the DMCA campaign. The Boycott Anime Matsuri Facebook page accumulated thousands of followers. And the guest cancellations started rolling in.
According to the boycott movement's own tracking, nine scheduled guests cancelled their 2018 appearances, citing the harassment allegations. High-profile names included Johnny Yong Bosch (voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in the English dub of Bleach), several voice actors from Steven Universe, and the Japanese pop duo FEMM. These weren't minor cancellations — Bosch was a recurring and beloved guest. His departure was a real signal.
Key Stat: At peak momentum in 2018, the Boycott Anime Matsuri movement counted at least nine guest cancellations from a single convention cycle — an unusually high number driven specifically by conduct concerns rather than scheduling conflicts.
The movement drew on the energy of the broader #MeToo moment — The Comics Beat noted in February 2018 that #MeToo helped revitalise what had been a years-long but low-visibility campaign. This contextualises why 2018 felt like a tipping point: the cultural moment was right, social media infrastructure was primed, and the DMCA overreach had provided a fresh, concrete reason for anger beyond the original 2015 allegations.
The convention ultimately ran in 2018 and continued operating every year since (with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Leigh attended, programming continued, and new fans — many of whom had no idea about any of this — bought badges and had genuine fun. This is the uncomfortable duality that defines Anime Matsuri: the controversy is real, and the convention is also real and ongoing.
Is Anime Matsuri Lying About Its Attendance Numbers?
Let's talk about the numbers, because this is a separate controversy entirely — and one with concrete, traceable evidence.
Anime Matsuri has claimed attendance figures that drew significant scepticism. For 2019, when Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner attended the opening ceremony, the convention reported approximately 43,000 attendees. Patrick Delahanty of AnimeCons.com — a respected industry tracker — openly stated this was false, and went further: he declined to publish his annual list of largest North American anime conventions specifically because he did not want to reward Anime Matsuri for fabricating numbers.
"They ARE NOT the 2nd largest anime con. I didn't want to reward them for lying about attendance."
AnimeCons.com later retroactively removed Anime Matsuri from all previous rankings, citing "significant discrepancies" between the convention's self-reported numbers and the number of tickets sold according to the venue. Artists who tabled in the alley reported experiences far more consistent with a 15,000-person convention than the claimed figures. Vendors noted slow traffic, poor wayfinding, and layouts that suggested organizers expected fewer people than they claimed to have attracted.
Why does this matter beyond wounded pride? Because inflated numbers affect where sponsors allocate budgets, which guests agree to appear, how press covers the event, and ultimately, the financial picture vendors and artists use to decide whether to commit. It's not a victimless exaggeration.
The Vic Mignogna Factor
In 2019, the wider anime community was consuming another sexual harassment controversy — this one centred on voice actor Vic Mignogna, best known as Edward Elric in the English dub of Fullmetal Alchemist. Multiple allegations of inappropriate touching and other misconduct emerged, leading to Mignogna losing his roles at Funimation and Rooster Teeth and being dropped from most conventions.
Anime Matsuri was a notable exception. Rather than cancelling Mignogna, the convention publicly stated it would keep him as a guest, framing it as a matter of due process. This drew substantial criticism — critics noted the irony of a convention already embroiled in its own harassment allegations choosing to explicitly stand by another figure facing similar accusations. The optics were, at minimum, uncharitable.
The relationship deepened further. In 2022, Anime Matsuri announced a partnership with Mignogna to launch a new dubbing studio, recording dubs of two Nippon Animation shorts — Genbanojo and Chuck Shimez — with Mignogna involved. Anime News Network reported on the announcement, and the reaction from critics of both figures was swift and negative. Supporters, however, framed it as an independent entity choosing to work with someone they believed had been treated unfairly by the industry.
Mignogna has continued to appear at Anime Matsuri events, including the 2024 and 2025 editions. His presence at future editions remains a factor some attendees consider when deciding whether to buy a badge.
Texas Senate Bill 20 and What It Means for Anime Matsuri
Adding a genuinely new layer to the story in 2025 was Texas Senate Bill 20 — officially the "Stopping AI-Generated Child Pornography Act." The bill, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025, and effective September 1, 2025, creates criminal offenses for possessing, promoting, or producing obscene visual material that appears to depict a child — and its language explicitly includes animated and cartoon depictions.
KPRC Houston reported that as soon as the bill hit the internet, John Leigh received calls and emails from out-of-state artists asking whether Anime Matsuri would be impacted. His public response was essentially reassuring: "It's totally fine. It's not targeted towards you. Texas is a great place for business... and we've never had any issues. We screen artists, and we have rules against this stuff anyway."
The anime community's reaction was more anxious. Critics noted the bill's language was broad enough that subjective interpretation of "obscene" and "appearing to depict a child" could create a chilling effect on certain types of anime art commonly sold at convention artist alleys — particularly fan art involving stylised characters whose ages are ambiguous or who look younger than stated. Forum discussions on MyAnimeList, Reddit, and social platforms reflected genuine concern, with some users describing it as a de facto "Texas anime ban" (though that characterisation overstates the law's direct intent).
Pro Tip: If you're an artist considering tabling at Anime Matsuri 2026, review your portfolio against Texas SB 20's language before committing. The law is still relatively new as of this writing, and legal interpretation is evolving. When in doubt, consult the convention's own content guidelines, which Leigh has said are actively applied.
It's worth noting that Houston is also home to HIDIVE and Sentai Filmworks (subsidiaries of AMC Networks), meaning Texas's relationship with anime is commercially significant enough that this law likely faces ongoing scrutiny from the industry itself.
So Is Anime Matsuri Actually Worth Attending in 2026?
Here's where this article refuses to dodge the question.
If you know nothing about the controversy and stumble into Anime Matsuri, you will probably have a good time. The George R. Brown Convention Center is an excellent venue. The cosplay quality at the event is genuinely high. The J-fashion programming remains the most ambitious in Texas. The 20th anniversary in 2026 promises a Vampire Knight reunion that will draw series fans who have been waiting years for this. If you're a first-timer to anime conventions in Houston, it will feel like magic.
But the question "is it worth attending" can't be answered without acknowledging the following:
- John Leigh is still involved. The apology came. The legal threats were dropped. But Leigh remains a director of the convention. Whether you consider his 2018 apology sufficient is a personal call — but it's a call you should make consciously.
- Vic Mignogna is a recurring guest. If his presence bothers you, it's worth checking the guest list before purchase. If it doesn't, proceed. But know it's likely to continue.
- Attendance figures cannot be trusted. If you're a vendor or artist trying to assess whether this event is worth tabling costs, the convention's self-reported numbers have been publicly called fraudulent by a credible industry tracker. Plan accordingly.
- Organisational chaos is a known quantity. From the 2014 panel disasters to a 2025 attendee account noting poor panel time management and under-equipped rooms, some things appear structurally stubborn. Budget extra patience.
- SB 20 adds a new variable. Especially for creators, the regulatory environment around certain types of anime art in Texas has changed. Stay informed.
For many attendees — particularly Houston locals for whom this is the accessible big event — the calculus comes down to: can I enjoy the con experience while being clear-eyed about who runs it? Some people can. Others genuinely cannot square that, and no one should guilt them for it either way. What matters is making the choice with real information rather than in ignorance of it.
Anime Matsuri vs the Controversy: A Quick Assessment
| Factor | Reality Check |
|---|---|
| Convention experience | Generally positive for attendees; chaotic operations are a known issue |
| Harassment allegations | Multiple corroborated accounts; John Leigh issued an apology in 2018 |
| Attendance numbers | Self-reported figures publicly disputed and removed from industry rankings |
| Guest cancellations (2018) | At least 9 guests withdrew over harassment/conduct concerns |
| Vic Mignogna connection | Ongoing guest and business partner since 2019; still appearing as of 2025 |
| Texas SB 20 impact | Potential chilling effect on certain artist alley content; AM leadership says guidelines cover it |
| 2026 anniversary event | 20th anniversary July 23-26, 2026; Vampire Knight reunion among announced highlights |
Texas Anime Convention Alternatives Worth Considering
If Anime Matsuri isn't your vibe, Texas has a genuinely solid convention landscape. Here are the main alternatives the boycott movement itself has historically recommended:
Delta H Con
A Houston-area convention that has been explicitly cited by Boycott Anime Matsuri as a community-run alternative. Smaller than Anime Matsuri, with an emphasis on inclusive, fan-driven programming. Worth a look if you want a Houston con without the baggage.
San Japan (San Antonio)
San Antonio's major anime convention. San Japan has a reputation for solid organisation and community focus, making it a frequent recommended alternative from people who have sworn off Anime Matsuri.
Comicpalooza (Houston)
Also held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Comicpalooza is a multi-genre pop culture event that includes significant anime programming. If you want the GRB experience without Anime Matsuri specifically, it's a viable option.
Anime Fest (Dallas)
Dallas's long-running anime convention, focused squarely on anime fandom. Worth the drive from Houston for the dedicated programming and guest lineups it typically attracts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Anime Matsuri controversial?
Anime Matsuri is controversial primarily due to sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Leigh, which date to 2015 and involve multiple accusers. The controversy intensified in 2018 when the convention attempted to legally silence a YouTube critic, prompting a boycott movement and mass guest cancellations. Disputed attendance figures and ties to another controversial voice actor have added further layers.
Did John Leigh ever apologise for the allegations?
Yes. In early 2018, John Leigh issued a public apology acknowledging "insensitive jokes" that hurt women, stating he had no ill intentions and had taken steps to prevent recurrence. Many critics found the apology insufficient, noting it framed the incidents as misunderstandings rather than directly addressing the accusations. He remains involved with the convention.
Is Anime Matsuri still happening?
Yes, Anime Matsuri is still an active annual event. It was cancelled only in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2021 and has run every year since. Anime Matsuri 2026 is scheduled for July 23-26 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, marking the convention's 20th anniversary.
Are Anime Matsuri's attendance numbers accurate?
Industry tracker AnimeCons.com publicly called Anime Matsuri's self-reported attendance figures inaccurate and removed the convention from all past rankings citing "significant discrepancies" with venue ticket data. Veteran artists who have tabled there estimate real attendance is closer to 15,000, far below the 40,000-plus the convention has claimed in recent years.
What is Texas Senate Bill 20 and how does it affect anime conventions?
Texas SB 20, signed in June 2025 and effective September 1, 2025, criminalises possession or distribution of obscene visual material that appears to depict a minor — including animated or cartoon content. It has raised concerns in the anime community about potential impact on certain fan art, though Anime Matsuri's leadership has said their existing content screening policies address the issue.
What Texas anime conventions are recommended as alternatives to Anime Matsuri?
Boycott Anime Matsuri has historically recommended Delta H Con and San Japan as community-run alternatives. Comicpalooza in Houston offers multi-genre programming at the same venue. Anime Fest in Dallas is another well-regarded Texas option. All four have been cited as conventions with stronger ethical reputations among those who have disengaged from Anime Matsuri.
Did Anime Matsuri guests cancel because of the controversy?
Yes. In 2018, at least nine scheduled guests cancelled their appearances over the controversy, including voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch, Steven Universe cast members, and Japanese duo FEMM. These were explicitly conduct-based cancellations, not scheduling conflicts. Anime Matsuri continued operations regardless and has rebuilt its guest lineup since.
The Bottom Line
The Anime Matsuri controversy is not a story with a clean ending. John Leigh apologised. The boycott happened. The convention kept running. Guests cancelled, and new ones came. The attendance numbers were called out, and the con is still marketing itself with large figures heading into a 20th anniversary. Texas SB 20 adds a new wrinkle to the regulatory environment. And somehow, every July/August, thousands of people line up at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston because they love anime and they want to be around other people who do too.
None of that erases the reality of what was alleged, what was documented, and what was covered up. But it also doesn't change the fact that the convention experience itself — cosplay, panels, fashion shows, concerts — is real and enjoyable for many who attend.
Ultimately, the Anime Matsuri controversy is a test case in a conversation the anime community keeps having: who do we hold accountable, how long, and at what cost to the fans who just want a good weekend? There's no universal right answer. What there is, now, is a fully documented record — and you're better equipped to make your own call than anyone who walked into that convention hall in 2015 without knowing a thing about any of this.
Make that call for yourself. Just make it with your eyes open.
Sources & References
- Rouner, Jef — "Anime Matsuri Organizer Accused of Sexual Harassment" — Houston Press, June 2015
- Rouner, Jef — "The Con: Anime Matsuri Is Growing, and So Is the List of People Unhappy With It" — Houston Press, September 2015
- Darling, Cary — "Houston's Anime Matsuri Festival Draws Sexual-Harassment Controversy" — Houston Chronicle, March 2018
- Orsini, Lauren — "Anime Matsuri Moves to Silence Vlogger with Cease & Desist" — Anime Feminist, January 2018
- Ayres, Andrea — "How #MeToo Helped Revitalize The Boycott Anime Matsuri Movement" — The Comics Beat, February 2018
- Delahanty, Patrick — AnimeCons.com — Attendance rankings dispute and removal statement, 2018-2019
- Wikipedia — "Anime Matsuri" — compiled reference with primary source citations
- Mateo, Alex — "Anime Matsuri Licenses, Dubs 2 Anime Shorts From Nippon Animation" — Anime News Network, July 2022
- Jones, Zorrie; Balogun, Rilwan — "Understanding Senate Bill 20, if anime could be impacted in Texas" — KPRC Houston, March 2025
- Garcia, Ariana — "Could this new law make anime illegal in Texas?" — Houston Chronicle, April 2025
- Haydon, DL — "Anime Matsuri: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" — Free Press Houston, March 2014
- "Anime Matsuri's John Leigh Lawyers Up to Silence Fashion Vlogger" — Anime Herald, January 2018
