![\"\"](\"http:\/\/scarlet-rhapsody.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/665-IMG_1527.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOne of the biggest challenges that Anime Boston faces every year is the location.\u00a0\u00a0The Hynes Convention Center is centrally located, but it has an odd layout and the connection to the mall can make the security lines problematic.\u00a0\u00a0This year they put the security lines in the center so that lines did not cut off hallways or scatter outside.\u00a0\u00a0The rooms were in their same locations as previous years so making your way around is easier if you have attended in the past.\u00a0\u00a0The staff made good use of the space and getting in and out was a bit easier than previous years.\u00a0\u00a0One of the drawbacks of the location is that the mall got rid of the old food court and the other food options will fill up really quick.\u00a0\u00a0This is an event where bringing your own lunch might be the best choice.<\/p>\n
The panel line up his year was weak.\u00a0\u00a0While there were some panels I really liked, more than half the time I went into a panel and found it either poorly run or the difficult to navigate convention center made the host late.\u00a0\u00a0While there were some great panels that I saw and in some cases missed, it feels like there needs to be some higher standards with the panel scheduling because quantity does not beat quality.\u00a0\u00a0Despite the host quality, the tech staff really seemed to have their gear ready to go as any technical problems that any presenter had were solved almost immediately.\u00a0\u00a0If you aren\u2019t much of a panel hopper the game room, Anime Boston museum, and video rooms can provide quite the distraction especially since the video rooms show off rare AMVs and new movies.<\/p>\n As always the dealer hall and artist alley were packed this year.\u00a0\u00a0The artist alley had small aisles making the packed room even more difficult to navigate, but this was compounded with the fact that the artist alley is one of the two ways to enter the convention center so as long as the artist alley is open the room always had foot traffic.\u00a0\u00a0The dealer hall on the other hand didn\u2019t face those kinds of issues.\u00a0\u00a0The aisles were nicely spaced and there was plenty of room for those looking for some rare anime merch.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t pick up anything, but a few things did catch my eye.\u00a0\u00a0Surprisingly there was a swap meet and people were legitimately trading items in hopes of getting that rare Sonic plush or missing DVD from their collection.\u00a0\u00a0That little room was perhaps the most fun I\u2019ve had shopping just because of the odd assortment of items and great deals.\u00a0\u00a0I hope they continue the swap meet because I\u2019d love to bring some things I\u2019m trying to get rid of as well (especially if I can trade them for some hard to find Lupin manga volumes).<\/p>\n One of the things that sets Anime Boston apart is that the vibe can be a little weird.\u00a0\u00a0While there are plenty of rude people who will push you out of the way or stand in the middle of the hallway in high traffic areas there are just as many good people who were taught proper manners.\u00a0\u00a0In some past years cosplayers have had problematic attitudes, but this year most of them seemed fine.\u00a0\u00a0I attended the Saturday Metal Gear photoshoot and my friends attended several other photoshoots and we all have positive stories about those gatherings.\u00a0\u00a0Even security had a better attitude this year making this a more comfortable event.\u00a0\u00a0That being said, I did run into some very immature adults and one person hit me in the face while getting his camera ready in the middle of a walkway.\u00a0\u00a0Overall, the vibe is good, but people are horrible and that can sour the event significantly.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n