The Great War in Anime by Jared the Greek
Occasionally you can come across a good history panel at a con. This panel covered how various anime series used imagery from World War I and II, as well as showcasing a few anime that feature stories that are fictionalized versions of the Great War. The panel also gave an overview of Japan at the turn of the century and how that led to the Imperial Japan of WWII. It was an information packed panel that also recommended several series that people may have passed up. It was a good first panel of the day and it is good to see high quality panels like this at Anime Boston.
Live Gaming in the Entertainment Hall by Jared the Greek
One of the best places to go to at a con is the live gaming room where you can play different tabletop games to relax. The room had a couple closed box Magic: The Gathering tournaments as well. They had plenty of games to check out and sold several games were up for sale for those who wanted to add a new game to their collection. The one thing that we found odd was that there was no D&D or other d20 system games set up to play. It would be nice to see more TTRPGs at the con, I’d even volunteer to run those games if needs be. Hopefully, next year we can all go dungeon diving together.
The Video Game Room by Jared the Greek
From the last time I visited the room in 2019 to this year’s return the electronic gaming room has not lost a step in being one of the best gaming rooms at any convention. They had a good set of rhythm games, console games, and a big screen showing off the various tournaments. The console lineup was strong with games ranging from Melty Blood to Mario Kart to Guilty Gear to Puyo Pop. There was plenty of room for everyone, but it could get very crowded. It was well run and not as loud as one might expect. If you are a gamer this is a must see video gaming room.
The Quiet Room by Jared the Greek
Not many conventions have a quiet place to just disconnect from the wild rush of the convention. The Quiet Room was a nice little area for people to sit down and relax for a bit. Stopping by the room was nice and it had plenty of chairs and a water cooler to hydrate. While there wasn’t much else in the room, but knowing the room exists is enough. If you need a convention break this is a great place to start.
Yokai Nation by Jared the Greek
In one of the few mythology connected panels we learned about all the different kinds of creatures from Japanese folklore and urban legends. The panel went into the most well known creatures and the origins of some creatures/myths that came to be due to cultural exchanges with other countries. This was a well run and funny panel that also connected the yokai, oni, and other mythical creatures to video games, anime, and even fashion. This was one of the best panels of the convention and it would be great to see more myth-themed panels at Anime Boston in the future.
And they call it Japanimation by Jared the Greek
Sometimes you get panels like this one. A panel where the panelists have a good presentation and know their stuff, but are way out of their depth on the subject matter. This panel was about great anime titles from the 90s as told by two people born after that decade. Due to this they lacked quite a bit of insight that a person who lived those years would have experienced. More than that, they didn’t stay on subject as they began talking about early 00s series. This panel wasn’t a waste of time, but the panelists should have done more research than just watching series on Netflix . Skipping the great movies, OVAs, and obscure series of the time period makes this a very generic here’s some good anime panel. Hopefully the panelists will learn from their experience and bring a better version of this panel in the future. I believe in them!
Berserk: Miura’s Manga Masterpiece by Jared the Greek
The night brought a panel based on one of the best Dark Fantasy series of all time Berserk. The panel looked at the story, the inspirations, and those works influenced by this long running series. The audience was made up of many fans who were looking to learn more about the series and celebrate the life and work of the new diseased mangaka who created this dark masterpiece. Overall, this was an enjoyable panel and it explored a genre that doesn’t get much due at anime conventions as well.
