Anime Boston took place on a blustery and rainy weekend in May. Typically, the convention takes place on dates closer to Easter, but this year, the anime convention took place on Memorial Day weekend going up against Fanime, Anime North, and Animazement. However, it did not stop over 25,000 otaku from attending.

Traveling

It's very easy to travel to Anime Boston. Our colleague from Epic Cosplay flew in via Virgin Airlines and took a cab to the convention. Alternatively, you could also take the Silver Line to the commuter rail at South Station and the board a train to Back Bay. For locals, you have the commuter rail and the MBTA. It is a travel / public transit friendly area. It's very easy to get to downtown Boston and find your way to either of the Prudential Center hotels.

Registration

Anime Boston has had a rough history with badge pick up. In 2008, there was the dreaded Line Con, in which people waited up to 10 hours to pick up their badge. Thursday night pick up was open. Attendees have recorded a less than five minute wait. It was all grab and go. Attendees can even use a QR code on their smartphones to confirm their weekend registration. Registration was fairly efficient. Press registration for Scarlet Rhapsody went very smoothly and we are thankful for the opportunity to finally cover Anime Boston.

Con Theme: Tales of the Yokai

Prior to the convention, Anime Boston hyped up the 2013 show by having a yokai, or Japanese folktales theme for the con. The con focused on mischevious supernatural beings native to Japanese culture. Decorations were spread out all through the Hynes convention center - standees of karakasa's (umbrella ghosts), kitsune's (fox spirit),kappa (frogs), etc, a TV that had the well from Ringu / The Ring, and some mini-shrines. Even the program guide highlighed panels and events that reflected the yokai theme. This was a very creative way to keep each year of Anime Boston fresh. While cons do not necessarily need a theme to enhance attendee experience, these guys go all out and it provides tons of interactivity and learning new things about Japanese culture for paying attendees.

Hotels and Surrounding Area

There were two main hotels for Anime Boston. Both were situated right at the Prudential Center, an upscale mall in downtown Boston. The Marriott at Copley and the Sheraton were the main places to stay for the con. Scarlet Rhapsody stayed at the Marriott. It was like any standard Marriott; nice beds, mini fridge, nice open spaces, etc. There was hardly a wait for the elevators and the staff were generally approachable.

Day Zero Photoshoots

One of the draws to arrive at the con a day before is to make some time for photoshoots. While the Prudential Center is no stranger to cosplay photoshoots and meet ups, there are a ton of nice places to do quality photoshoots. We teamed up with Harmony Cloud for a series for Eternal Sailor Moon photoshoots in the Copley mall. The nice thing about the Prudential Center is that there's a ton of natural light and sun roofs. Despite the fact that it was drizzling, we got the shots we wanted. Day Zero photoshoots are the best since you don't have to worry about fighting through crowds and being delayed for a shoot.

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