Happy Easter!
As per Anime Boston tradition, attendees who celebrated free chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits, added rabbit ears to their cosplays or gave out Cadburry eggs to random attendees. Last year, Anime Boston was held on Memorial Day Weekend, so unfortunately, we didn’t retain that tradition. Sunday usually doesn’t bring in too many people because many attendees go home to celebrate the Easter festivities.
Private Cosplay Shoots
Because Sunday is less hectic, this is when I schedule my 1 on 1 photoshoots. I worked with my friend, Bunny Moon Photography, to get some amazing shots of my Yor Forger cosplay. If you’re inconspicuous, you can get a lot done early in the morning. We shot across the street at the Christian Science Center courtyard. The fountains weren’t running, and it was cold AF wearing a form fitting dress. We had to be subtle about shooting at the Christian Science Center courtyard. Security can be hit or miss. Some cosplayers have reported being kicked out of the area. The church area doesn’t allow for cosplayers to shoot there either. Bunny Moon and I also shot at the winter garden section of The Pru. There’s an indoor garden next to the new bookstore that has winter plants and this area is basically empty at 8AM. You kinda have look around and brainstorm to find spots for private shoots around Anime Boston that’s not within the convention center.
There were places on the third floor that we used for a private shoot on my mobile phone. It helped that there were no crowds on Friday.
That 2008 Feeling: Exploring the Era of the 2000s anime bubble
Another interesting history panel where the host talked about how anime’s growth in the late 90s and early 00s lead to some crazy times. The focus was on the various companies that came out of that era and how they imploded. The panel also went over some of the fly by night companies or ideas that fell apart and crumbled the industry. There could have been more information in the panel, but it was a good start to what could be a very interesting panel.
Cosplay Chess
Once again, we had an amazing cosplay chess show at Anime Boston. We had a great intro with both players having a little smack talk as they called out their pieces. The battles were well done and the random traps on the board gave the viewers a great show. The show might have been a little bloated with a host, players, and side show stuff that was enjoyable, but might drag the show out too much for some viewers. This is one of the best day three events and is well worth the time. It would just be nice if the show was a little more focused with less distracting material clogging up the show.
Closing Ceremonies
This may be the last time I attend closing ceremonies. With the exception of Sarah Natochenny giving away a free Pikachu Funko Pop to one lucky audience member, closing ceremonies didn’t feel the same as previous years. The omission of Anime Boston theming subtracted for the excitement and hype for 2024. While it is understandable that Anime Boston had to let go of theming for budgetary reasons, closing ceremonies felt like a church service for all attendees to come together one last time to reminisce this year’s Anime Boston. We used to see video clips of the convention on screen, a memorable A-chan and B-kun act, all of the guests saying their bye’s, etc. We did have some guests come up on stage, but seeing all the guests would have been nice for a collective send off. A-chan and B-kun did have an act on stage, but didn’t compare to transitioning onto the next theme. We did have our closing credits, but it was the same lackluster tunes from last year. Nothing to really make the audience go awww…
Post-credits, the audience stuck around for anime music video winners. Highlights included the AMC parody trailer, Best Day Ever featuring 10’s anime characters having a fun day at a theme park, and a cute Komi Can’t Communicate were ones that stood out for me. The Death Parade video featuring a cover of Running up the Hill also got me curious to start watching Death Parade. A stylized Toilet Bound Hanako won the top honors. Jay and I left with a collective sigh and begun to prep for our flight back to Los Angeles.
Most years closing ceremonies are an exciting and sad part of Anime Boston. However, this year it was a bit of a drag. We still got the goodbye from the staff, A-chan and B-kun, and a couple of the guests. We got to see the AMV contest and credits, but something was missing. With no new theme for next year and a general lack of energy it just didn’t feel right. Ending on a sour note was probably not their intention, but it was the result. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come in later years.
Written by Dame Aznable and Jared the Greek