Sunday (March 27th):
Sunday is basically just a day to finish up shopping in the dealers’ room and artists’ alley. Everyone knows this. You wake up super early and pack everything up because hotels make you check out by noon so the morning is always rushed and blah blah blah. However, this year, something cool happened that made mornings feel even MORE rushed. That was…
The Kiznaiver World Premiere at 5:30 AM and the Free Bagel for 100 People:
There is no way I am waking up at 5:00 AM. My friend went, though — he said it was cool.
The Kiznaiver Rebroadcast at 11:00 AM and No, This Is Not the Line for Cosplay Chess:
That’s more like it. This is a time where I can actually exist. I actually wound up rushing over to Hall D for this nearly two hours before it started because I assumed it would be packed considering the popularity of Studio Trigger. But…there was basically no one there. And barely anyone would even show up. I mean, there were a lot of factors determining the success of this event (The 5:30 showing, Easter Sunday, dealers’ room rush, etc) but, really? There were less than a hundred people in line even when it fully developed. Instead, people kept coming up to us and asking, “Hey, is this the line for Cosplay Chess?” Dude, what even is Cosplay Chess? So we looked it up — it doesn’t even follow the rules of normal chess! You can lose the king and still win! Why are so many people going to this event and not seeing this cool anime about people who share pain or whatever!? Anyway, the anime itself was actually pretty solid. In fact, it might wind up being my favorite from Trigger if it keeps on its current path. After Kiznaiver ended, we were greeted with another premiere — Anne Happy. At this point, pretty much half the crowd left because dedicated Trigger fans only care about Trigger and that’s it. Regardless, Anne Happy was cute, funny, and basically everything you’d expect from a series centered around middle school girls. The question is, can it drag out its running joke of unluckiness for an entire season?
The TL;DR Part:
Anime Boston 2016 was a step up in many ways for the convention. The staff was significantly better this year in terms of line management considering how much of a mess it was in 2015. (Flashbacks to the mosh-pit autograph line for LiSA). nano.Ripe put on one of the best shows I have ever seen and completely rocked the auditorium and dominated Friday night. The mall was less packed than usual and even the Starbucks in it seemed to manage its lines pretty well. The dealers’ room could have definitely fit some more booths in their, but the lack thereof definitely made it easier to navigate. Of course, that comes at the expense of having less things to buy. The artists’ alley, on the other hand, seemed pretty packed most of the time with more condensed booths than last year. The convention hall, itself, faced no major changes in layout and was still easy to navigate. In fact, I’d say Anime Boston is the best I’ve been to in terms of navigation. Panels, this year, seemed a bit less diverse and the videos played before main events were rather unlikable and…off, as far as I’m concerned. But overall, the experience was still great and Anime Boston continues to be one of my personal favorite conventions. Here are a few bolded topics to put an end to this round-up.
Best Event: nano.Ripe Concert
Best Panel: Your Lie In April Live-Drawing
Best Purchase: Goodnight PunPun Vol. #01
Best Free Thing: Your Lie In April Poster (Launch Party)
Best Announcement: Plastic Memories Blu-ray
Best Place To Eat: Wagamama
Best Hair: Erica Lindbeck
Best Dealer: New England Comics/Aniplex
Best Artist: Tanya Zolotareva
I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at Anime Boston next year when they once again announce a musical guest that I will have no other choice but to go see!
