VIDEO: Anime Boston wrap-up

Anime Boston 2008

ThePhoenix.com's resident cosplay expert, Maddy Myers, reports from Anime Boston. And yes, if you must know, she made that Zelda suit from scratch. 

Good idea: 15,000 Anime Fans swarming Hynes Convention Center.ce:office" />

Bad idea: Only five computers set up to register them all.

Staffers were undeniably overpowered by attendance at Anime Boston 2008. Nicknamed "Line Con", Anime Boston featured a wait for almost every event. (It probably didn't help that there was an outbreak of "Con Flu.") Hopefully, the higher-ups will have found a better way to organize registration by 2009, but that won’t stop the lines for other huge events. Patience has become a necessary virtue for Massachusetts-based otaku.

When events ran well, they ran quite well indeed. The Pillows concert exceeded the already-high expectations (for those willing to wait in the hours-long line to see them). The Tetris Ninjas returned to the Masquerade this year to do an amazing Duck Hunt sketch. And, as always, cosplayers from far and wide came together to impress the heck out of each other (my highest compliments to the Devil May Cry 4 group, Ultima from FFXII, the Companion Cube from Portal, the humongous Jigglypuff, and . . . well, I could go on all day).

Even though I saw a lot of kids bitterly pawning their 3-day passes after a disappointing Friday, I think Anime Boston is still worth attending. Despite its notorious disorganization problems, the convention has always had impressive guest speaker lists and a huge variety in events. Next year, fans will know what to expect and the long lines won’t disappoint or surprise. We’re all just hoping that the staff size starts catching up with the attendance rates. The Anime fans of New England deserve it!

-- Maddy Myers