Another Anime Convention is only my second convention in the East coast. While AAC may be one of the smaller conventions it was a good way to get introduced to the east coast convention scene. There was always something to do and the people I met were fun to hang with for the weekend. Getting to the event was not that difficult and the location seemed to work well for everyone. By the end of the weekend my expectation were more than surpassed.

The location is great. It has enough room for all the various programming options, a very large (for a small con) dealer hall, a nice outside area, and a lounge for late night hanging out. Not only that, but it is easily accessible by car or bus and even has a decent little pub. The panel rooms had enough space for everyone and the main events area had enough seating for every person at the convention. This is a great place for an event this size and I hope they hang onto it for years to come.

There were plenty of different panels going on throughout the weekend and often times there were two or three going on at the same time that we wanted to hit up. It was a bit surprising to see the high quality level of the panel line up at such a small convention. It was also nice to see a mix of fan panels, guest panels, cultural panels, and developmental panels when most small events just have fan or guest panels. I was able to network with other writers, learn new things about Japanese folklore, and see people do silly things for waffles it is a rare event that allows for all three of those. There are panels that will match anyone’s interest and they are so well run that it makes me wish that I had run a few panels this year.

There is a good amount of entertainment outside of the panel lineup. From concerts and dances to cosplay chess and AMVs there were plenty of events at Another Anime Con. Our team was lucky to go to several events and they all met (or exceeded) our expectations. The AMV room was well handled and the use of themes works really well. In addition, cosplay chess was great and better than any previous version I have ever seen. On the swag side of the convention I was impressed by how the dealer room and artist alley was handled. Having the artists in the middle while the dealers covered the walls made the area very organized and made finding things very easy. Finally, the detention lounge was adequate, but nothing special. While the theme fit and there was good music and amusing games it did not really stick out as a memorable part of the convention. This could be due to the theme being difficult to pull off or the lack of chairs, or perhaps I did not see the party in full swing.

The vibe of the convention is very laid back. I had no problems with convention staff or with attendees. Everyone was respectful to each other. It was fun cosplaying and it was fun meeting new people, even if I tend to forget to get their contact info. Lines were never that bad and you could usually find someone to chat with while waiting for a panel or event to start. Finally, there are plenty of cute gals at this con which gives me high hopes for other New England events.

The bottom line is that Another Anime Con is one of the best small scale conventions I have hit in a long time. I got to meet some interesting people, watch some great panels, and generally forget about real life for three days (even if I got con plague). I want to come back next year and run some panels and enjoy more of the night life. If you are looking for a nice end of year event this is the convention you should attend. Before I wrap up I would like to extend my thanks to the AAC staff, the Scarlet Rhapsody staff, Adam, Ari, everyone playing Pokemon, the lounge staff, the Hetalia crew, all the panel hosts, cute Mizuho, and sexy Hungry. If you need to contact me for any reason feel free not to e-mail me (jared [at] scarlet-rhapsody.com). Until next time here is my list and I ask for you to give my love to hottest couple at the con (me and a mirror).

The List
1. Where to begin…
2. I can’t hear you over the sound of how hot I am
3. How far to Greenvale?
4. Street Passing
5. One Austria, two Hungrys?
6. Re: 5 – /smirk
7. Skit idea too late
8. Rockin’ the Puppet
9. New Hamtaro panel
10. Cowabunga!
11. Waffles!
12. Writers write
13. Missed by that much
14. What’s our room number again?
15. I’ll just play Pokemon
16. Next Cosplay: Igor of course
17. Oh, sensei, yes I will…
18. Fancy Feast!
19. Me and a mirror
20. Why didn’t I do a panel?
21. A fun con? Nice!
22. Hey, can I borrow a knife?
23. Stupid fancy shoes
24. Sing it if you know it
25. Mind if we dance with your dates?
26. Super Mario 3
27. Tea time
28. Just like the old days
29. Happy prime number day Miss 88
30. Checkmate
31. Next time, I’ll bring the water of life

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