Anime Evolution started out as a 1-day public Japanese anime showing by the SFU Altered Reality Club (ARC) in 1998, named Anime Showcase at the time. In 2002 this was expanded to a three-day event at SFU Harbour Centre with participation from other local anime clubs: the Vancouver Japanese Animation Society (VJAS), the Vancouver Sleep is for Wimps Anime Team (VSWAT), and the UBC Anime Club.
In 2003, the 3-day showcase made the leap from local campus event to a full public convention under the name of Anime Evolution (AE) and run by the AE Convention Corp. Attendance grew from 300 to 1,200+ as special events, vendors and industry guests were added to the video showings. The goal was to accommodate growing mainstream interest, while maintaining AE's grassroots ties.
Now Anime Evolution draws thousands of people annually and features a diverse array of events including artist and vendor rooms, special guests, cosplay, video and AMV showings, contests, interactive panels and workshops.