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What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:01 pm
by Shadow
Sorry, I may have helped kick off the "Butt Scratcher!" thing >.>
It was meant as an in-joke with a friend, but then it snowballed into me waving my lightsaber about and yelling it <.<

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:29 pm
by SpectacleG
It wasn't just Smash, if you looked, you couldn't get on pretty much anything. The only orderly lineups were probably the DDR machines. Street Fighter 4 was constantly packed (and there were way too many consoles playing it), don't even THINK about getting near Call of Duty, and the only retro consoles were playing single player games or otherwise only had one controller. Didn't make much sense to me.

Also, I agree about the Smash house rules. I play all the time with my friends around here and the "hardcore" players (a.k.a. the guys who NEED to win every time and who cry when they don't) always try to sneak the level select cursor to Final Destination...and that's AFTER turning items/smash ball off. I didn't feel like doing that at Anime Boston, too, so I just ignored the Smash section altogether.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:33 pm
by Shadow
One year, I got kicked out of the Guilty Gear line because I said I'm a Dizzy player -_-

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:35 pm
by TheNerdyFeminist
seriously, if I wanted Death Note or Bleach gear I'd go to Hot Topic. When I go to the Dealer's Room at AB, I kinda hope to get something I couldn't just snag at a local mall.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:37 pm
by Shadow
Oh yeah! This really ticked me off!
What the hell was up with the HD video room on friday night? Vexille ran 40 MINUTES over time, AND the staff looked like they were gonna cut Elfen Lied short.
I understand a few minutes off, but more than HALF AN HOUR? And, potentially making it worse by cutting off those who quietly dealt with it?

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:42 pm
by SpectacleG
Reminds me of Sunday. I kinda wanted to watch Full Metal Panic TSR in the HD room at 1 pm or so and it ended up being delayed an hour and fifteen minutes meaning there'd only be about two episodes fit into that time span before everything closed for the closing ceremonies. That didn't bother me much though cause I found out soon after that the English dub of DBZ Kai was playing at 1 pm as well in another video room.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:50 pm
by marimacc
[quote=Shadow]Oh yeah! This really ticked me off!
What the hell was up with the HD video room on friday night? Vexille ran 40 MINUTES over time, AND the staff looked like they were gonna cut Elfen Lied short.
I understand a few minutes off, but more than HALF AN HOUR? And, potentially making it worse by cutting off those who quietly dealt with it?[/quote]

I'm really sorry about that; unfortunately, we had a lot of trouble with the equipment in that room on Friday afternoon/evening, and I believe we even ended up having to switch out to a new player, which is how things got so behind in there. Generally, if we're running a movie, we don't want to cut a movie off, but technical problems CAN put us behind timewise, and in that case, we may have to cut off an episode of the next scheduled episodic anime, just so we can get somewhere back close to the schedule. I am talking to programming about putting a bit more of a time buffer in the schedule next year, so perhaps we won't have to cut anything short, or cut anything off when we have to close the room; but unfortunately, this year, I had to start shutting the rooms down between 2:30 and 2:45 so we were out of there at 3am, so we did have a few things cut short at the end of the night, again, sorry about that. On the whole, I felt like we had fewer technical problems, and delays, in the video rooms, so I think there was an improvement there. :)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:55 pm
by Shadow
I see, though at least a warning of some sort would have been nice, like have someone slap a post-it on the sign with an explaination or something, just as a heads up

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:06 pm
by Keithel
[quote=Galliana]2) The Karaoke has gotten WORSE with every passing year.[/quote]
Then help us find someone that will help run a good Karaoke event! Remember -- we're all volunteer.

[quote=Galliana]3) Panels are poorly run and not really about what their titles claim.[/quote]
This one is solved by getting more people who do good quality panels, submit panel requests, and describe their panel well. How else is it achieved?

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:12 pm
by acid_fusion51
Wow read everyone's post, agreed about 98% of everything above but im gonna just basically repeat what hit me the most

1-Dealers room, yes many stuff i want (with most a higher price compare to their online websites or just any website and some crazy enough to be more then websites with shipping) but seems the most popular stuff controlled what was for sale and the less popular or new anime is hard to find. example, friend in the group wanted something small that was hello kitty, found maybe two places selling hello kitty. (not a good example but it will do)

2-game room, seemed the only thing that was "monitored" or "regulated" was tournaments (well mostly), everything else was mostly player rules and such, SSB sucked a big one as a regular player with the some people trying to make it as professional as a national tournament.

3-Shouting random things, The game was a fail this year. It grew big a while back and it was cute, but now everyone wants to yell it. The only people losing the game now is the person yelling it. Marco polo?? we arent in a pool, nor is vast majority under 12 at the con. (and those who are arent the ones yelling it.) I yelled buttscratcher last year and honestly maybe 3 others did the same, so it was rare and funny, now everyone is doing it, has become annoying. I was tempted to actually cosplay peter from family guy (with the little box trying to sell buttscratchers) but due to what i saw this year on sunday, that cosplay idea has been scrapped.

4-The lines, registration with the scanning was the coolest thing and fastest thing, I went there a hour after it opened up on Thursday and the big a$$ line was gone, the room was empty, pretty nice, BUT!! The autograph line for Nobou was crazy and too long. So like many, assuming those who didnt get on sat would be able to on sun, a surprise attack of the line waiters who got line cutter tickets (meaning they were guaranteed a spot in line for sun) That was bad but what happened to enforcing the pre line forming rule thing? i saw a group of people forming a line 2 hours before a big event. I thought there was suppose to be someone to keep this from happening.

5-events, Overlapping, the performance on sunday, panels not really relevant to their "title". Im sure i might think of a few others, but these were the top of my list. Along with this is how the cosplay dating game filled up to capacity, which i understand things happen, but 30 mins and up to a hour into it i counted 50 people leaving, yet the staff wouldnt let anyone enter as long as i stayed, (which i waited from 30 minutes after starting to the end) a few people of our group was inside, one was actually participating in the game but the rest of us were stuck outside.

Like everyone, i have many things i didnt like but honestly, Anime Boston '09 was my first Anime Boston and i thought that one was amazing. Seems this years fell real far from '09.

Overall rating for AB'10: 5.6/10.0

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:38 pm
by MerchMaven
I understand everyone's frustration about the dealer's room, but think about this logically:

You're a guy trying to make a living by importing stuff from Japan. This is not an easy job. Unlike fans, who can seek out a single copy of something, to stock something, and make it worth the while of purchasing and importing, you're buying a case or more of something. For a show that may or may not legally be available here. Just because 8 million people are watching a fansub does not mean they'll invest actual MONEY in this show, something that has been proven time and time again. If I had a dollar for every time an "OMG SO AWESOME LOVE THIS" show has absolutely flopped upon release in the US, I could buy all the manga I want.

Plus, you're buying a couple months in advance. So you're looking at Show X out of Japan, super popular over there, but still new, so merch is trickling out, and snapped up quickly by local retailers. There's limited stuff, limited quantities and tends to be very overpriced by the time some broker gets done with it.

So, from a business persepective, what're you going to go with? A pallet of very expensive toys from Show X, that hasn't been released here, that has moderate internet buzz, that you have to pay for in advance and pray sells, or Bleach, which can be purchased legally and relatively inexpensively from VIZ US?

Think of it from a business persepective. The dealers want to sell stuff, and not go bankrupt. Right now? Safe is the way to go. Just because us jaded 30 year olds aren't interested in things that can be bought at Hot Topic doesn't mean we're their intended audience.

As to the other major complaint here, until the merch dept gives in and buys Security their branded AB tasers, there's really no way to stop people from screaming overused, unfunny memes. My advice? Stop reacting. At all. Don't yell shut up, don't yell polo, just meet them with stony, blank faced silence. Public shaming: the only way this stuff'll stop. :)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:49 pm
by kiarrens
[quote=SciFiGrl47] Don't yell shut up, don't yell polo, just meet them with stony, blank faced silence. Public shaming: the only way this stuff'll stop. :) [/quote]
Even better: give them the look of diapproval.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:52 pm
by Eilonnwy
I agree, I hate the game, I hate Marco Polo, but what can you do except not participate?

I personally hate getting hugged by strangers but part of the problem is people would ask and I felt obligated to say yes. Now I say no, and yes, some people look hurt, but what was the point of asking if I can't say no? I'm uncomfortable with it and I have a right to refuse people.

When you consider that anime conventions tend to be thousands of nerds, half of which are children let off the leash of their parents for the first time, you can see how silly shenanigans proliferate. I used to participate in them myself when I was new to cons and didn't know any better.

The best you can do is not participate and ignore them. If they do something disruptive and potentially dangerous to other con-goers, then you call security.

At Anime Next last year some children were playing tag in the hotel and nearly knocked me over. I'm handicapped, I was using a cane, and they didn't care. I reported it to hotel security and it stopped.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:12 pm
by Galliana
Keithel, thank your for addressing my comments.

As for the improving the karaoke, I have already made suggestions. A dedicated computer for karaoke. Put the accumulated library of music and lyrics on it, and store it for the convention. Pre-cue the songs during the 20 person wait. That's about 90 mintues, more than enough time to locate 20 song files and sets of lyrics.

As the the constant technical issues, I don't even know why they are so bad, I can't for the life of me figure it out sitting in there as much as I do. Presumably a computer is plugged into speakers, and the microphone's have fresh batteries. Where are the problems coming from in the first place? How can I make suggestions to help things run smoothly when the source of the technical problems is so mysterious?



While there isn't much I personally can do about poorly run panels, the descriptions of the panels should be accurate because presumably the content of the panel has been submitted for approval. It should be pretty obvious to the approver if the title matches the content. That is how proper naming and description is achieved. the filter required is pretty minimal. Unless all one needs to do to get a panel is say "here is my awesome panel name" and they get the a-o-kay with nothing more than that.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:01 pm
by marimacc
[quote=Shadow]I see, though at least a warning of some sort would have been nice, like have someone slap a post-it on the sign with an explaination or something, just as a heads up[/quote]

Thanks for pointing that out Shadow, and I'll see what we can do to try and keep things closer to schedule next year, or inform people if we get more than 15 minutes off in a room.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:02 pm
by Princess-Meru
Aside from all the obnoxious shouting, the mean mall security, and the psychotic panel planning (It ruined my planning when they didn't inform us that the dance was pushed back - I could have watched the whole masquerade! I had great seats!), I was mainly bothered by the date.

It was on Passover and Easter! I know other people have said this, but as a person who observes Passover, this made going to a convention very difficult (I pulled it off in 2005, but I wasn't anxious to do it again). People who observe Easter are forced to lose a day in order to spend time with families, and our con steps on the toes of people who pray there. People who celebrate passover have to carry their food with them and have to work much harder at planning, especially if they're staying at the hotel. My brother and I had to coordinate meals and one of us had to carry around a cooler all day!

And I looked at the date for next year, and it's on both holidays AGAIN! I know it's cheaper and I respect how hard it is to reserve a date, but REALLY? I know this is just me, but I could live with fewer guests if it meant going to Anime Boston without feeling preoccupied with that.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:22 pm
by coolforever
The only thing I really didn't like was the fact that the voice actor guests weren't from any animes that I'm really into. Plus a couple of panels were good but had really small rooms. Other than that, everything was great :)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:45 pm
by Syagria
[quote=acid_fusion51]example, friend in the group wanted something small that was hello kitty, found maybe two places selling hello kitty. (not a good example but it will do)[/quote]

Slightly OT, but just for future reference, New England Comics booth (and many of their stores) always has a huge Hello Kitty section :)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:21 pm
by Franquita
I appreciate all the work that goes into making AB work, really. But I do agree that the dealers room seems a little lacking. I understand the economy isn't making an already difficult business any easier, but I just feel like it was more diverse in terms of vendors from previous years. Perhaps I've just gone to so many cons that I'm tired of seeing the same old stuff all the time.

I also saw some big discrepancies between prices in various booths. The figure dealers are especially guilty of this. A dealer on one side of the dealer's room was charging $130 for the same figure that another was selling for $100. I am appreciative especially of the Animadness people who had the most reasonable figure prices I've seen - I was happy to see that their nendoroids were in the $40 range whereas I usually see them for $55 or more. Figure collecting is an expensive hobby to begin with - do the vendors really need to overcharge so much? And seriously, $8 for a keychain? Is there anything the AB staff can do to regulate prices in the dealer's rooms?

Taxes are annoying, but meh, that's the state for you. They don't call it Taxachusetts for nothing. The 6.25% sales tax sucks compared to the previous 5%, but it's better than shipping costs from Asia, really.

Overlapping events really frustrated me. And I'm kind of upset that Reni's performance was only 15 minutes long. I know it's an opening, but... I dunno. I think it would've been better if the concert was on Saturday and in a bigger room. I missed Reni Reni because it took just as long to walk from the Karaoke room to the Sheraton as the concert lasted. It also seemed like there were fewer panels than in previous years.

I'm not sure how well the Masquerade ticket system worked. I'm sure it meant for a more streamlined system for the volunteers, but those tickets sold out so fast (I heard it was like 30 minutes) that my friends and I weren't able to attend the Masquerade. And who really wants to watch it in that room where it's on TV? :\ I feel I kind of missed out on the whole con experience by not attending Masquerade, even though the skits usually kinda suck (no offense).

I also want to say that I didn't think the AMV winners were all that great this year. Especially Best in Show... it really wasn't all that exciting. That's not really fully AB's fault, though.

I don't want to sound like I had a bad time! I did enjoy the karaoke room (even though the delays were a bit frustrating - why didn't people print out lyrics ahead of time?) and I know it must've been hard with the Nobuo panels/autographs since SO MANY PEOPLE wanted to get in on those. I am super happy that AB was even able to get such a prestigious guest this year. Seeing him made the whole con worthwhile.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:44 pm
by Kristi
[quote=Princess-Meru]Aside from all the obnoxious shouting, the mean mall security, and the psychotic panel planning (It ruined my planning when they didn't inform us that the dance was pushed back - I could have watched the whole masquerade! I had great seats!), I was mainly bothered by the date.

It was on Passover and Easter! I know other people have said this, but as a person who observes Passover, this made going to a convention very difficult (I pulled it off in 2005, but I wasn't anxious to do it again). People who observe Easter are forced to lose a day in order to spend time with families, and our con steps on the toes of people who pray there. People who celebrate passover have to carry their food with them and have to work much harder at planning, especially if they're staying at the hotel. My brother and I had to coordinate meals and one of us had to carry around a cooler all day!

And I looked at the date for next year, and it's on both holidays AGAIN! I know it's cheaper and I respect how hard it is to reserve a date, but REALLY? I know this is just me, but I could live with fewer guests if it meant going to Anime Boston without feeling preoccupied with that.[/quote]

Yes, this! I totally understand that how the dates are reserved years ahead of time but maybe in the future you could attempt/try to schedule it not on Easter/Passover/some holy holiday. I know some of my friends' parents don't let them go on Friday and Sunday because of Good Friday and Easter. (these people being my only mode of transportation, though besides that going back to the parent thing, they want to go all 3 days but are restricted.)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:52 pm
by FromZeroToHero
I can live with over priced shirts, I can deal with the added tax on clothes, but not a single vendor had Akatsuki hoodies? Why doesn't anyone have these things?

Also there should be ages on badges so we can all avoid "unnecessary awkwardness" when mingling lol

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:10 pm
by Kilgamayan
Everyone in this topic talking about the lack of merch from their favorite franchise should thank their lucky stars they're not Touhou fans. There were exactly three booths selling Touhou merch this year: one selling just the games, one selling just a few doujins because they got absolutely declawed by SakuraCon, and one selling figs that started at $160.

Anyway. My only real problem was all the shouting. Can't we at least get funny back-and-forths going? "I HAVE NO MOUTH!" "AND I MUST SCREAM!" would be great. I'd gladly take part in that. Or even something as popular as Dental Plan, which doesn't get nearly as overused as the stupid stuff that was going on all weekend.

[quote=eidna]Not to mention that informing people every 5 seconds that they Tom Selleck'ed it up..."Doing it wrong" is all I can really say.[/quote]

On the contrary, good sir, this is exactly how to do it right! Telling people that you won The Game prior to the con is a classic example of trolls trolling trolls.

"You all just lost [you-know-what]!"

"Nope! I won The Game last week!"

"You can't win The Game!"

"Maybe you can't!"

Shuts 'em up every time.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:16 pm
by Akimichi Sazuki
Panda express tried charging me for a 3 item combo when i only had a 2 item combo >-<

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:25 pm
by Screw
1.Video Gaming last year pwned.... sucked this year
2. maps mislabled on the handouts
3. WHY DO YOU MOVE THE ENTRANCE EVERY YEAR ?!?!?

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:47 pm
by AnimeGuru06
What I did not like about the convention was the whole Marco Polo thing plus the "I just Tom Selleck'ed it up" Those are both very old internet memes and are no longer popular, yes mudkips are a no as well.

ps~Thanks to staff who changed the bad word filter to just won a game :P instead of the one I was trying to imply.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:52 pm
by SylphinesBane
[quote=Dostovei Illuminas]While we're on the subject of annoying con memes, add "The Game" in there. I gave a hale and hearty "F**k The Game and f**k you" to every person mentioning it that I ran into. It's old and stupid people, let it die already.[/quote]

I completely agree lol

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:58 pm
by ElectronicSiliviy
[quote=Xiren]All the Germany cosplayers from Hetalia giving the Nazi salute on passover outside the Pru during their photoshoot wasn't very likeable...

Just sayin. [/quote]

I agree. :( I feel bad for the people in that photo who had no idea what was going on behind them. The people who saluted were just offensive.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:59 pm
by eye
Well, since my feedback thread was ignored, I might as well paste it in here.

I could write several pages on the situation Saturday morning at the Uematsu autograph session, but I know the staff has already gotten many complaint forms. That said, I was there from the beginning and can provide a detailed and unbiased report (with pictures!) on exactly what happened if any staffers are interested. Otherwise, I'll assume you already know everything about that debacle.

However, I do think the line issues at both autograph sessions, along with many other events, warrant a review of the line policy. The idea behind the current policy is admirable if nothing else; ideally people wouldn't have to worry about lines until right before an event, so they could have more time to enjoy the con itself. Unfortunately this breaks down in the real world, which I think you've noticed first-hand. Getting an autograph is of varying importance to all attendees, and if that importance crosses a certain threshold, they will wait, whether in line or out of line. Some people paid their $40-50 only for an autograph and nothing else, and the line policy isn't going to stop them from waiting around all day to make sure they get what they came for. Clearly trying to stop people from waiting is a losing battle, so the best choice is to simply organize the line the best you can from the beginning (the line Saturday morning was a good example of this before it was dispersed).

On a related note, I just want to recognize the staffer named Jon/John who was helping at many of the Uematsu-related lines. This guy was a hero to many people in that Saturday morning line, myself included, and he deserves all the praise in the world. If you're reading, I already said this, but THANK YOU.

Lines aside, my only other major complaint is regarding the screaming in the halls. I understand that the kids are there to have fun, and that they might randomly yell pretty loudly, and that's okay. However, the persistent yelling simply has to stop. Every time I heard "marco" and "polo" I came one step closer to walking out the door and not coming back. People who repeatedly scream in the halls are bothering everyone else, and should be warned and/or kicked out if they refuse to stop. As it stands, it annoyed me so much that I won't be returning unless this is dealt with somehow next year.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:23 pm
by Doxie
I TOTALLY agree with you. Easter for me isn't really a big deal but for my mother it is. My family and I don't go to church but for my mom it's a day for family to be together, church or not. It's tradition. I was lucky enough that my mom HAD to work this year so I was able to go. Chances are next I won't be able to go next year on Easter. No matter how old I get there is no reasoning with an angry mother lol

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:29 pm
by Doxie
Panda express DOUBLED my price for a 2 meat thingy that should have been $6.29. The girl said I got twice the meat so it was doubled. Only thing she could do was give me 10% off since I never asked for double. I can pack my food away but really what they where trying to sell me was crazy

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 7:13 pm
by AmandaMaie
Gotta say I kinda agree here. I was just getting mobbed for photos and the security guards kept yelling at me for being too close to the Anime Boston entrance, then I moved as asked, and I was yelled at for being too close to the church. On Sunday, I would have understood it, but it was Friday night and I wasn't doing anything weird. Just posing for photos. I'm Catholic, and quite honestly, it was taken way too seriously. It's not as if I was doing Nazi salutes... Come on now.

Also, I was looking at a map on a large easel in the center of a hallway (to try and find the photo suite location & room number) and I was scolded if I didn't move I was going to be removed! WTF?!

Also, yes the live gaming room was a complete disaster. Someone needs to take control and run something correctly in there. Every year it's always a mess. This year was especially bad though.

The whole marco polo thing gets old. I though butt scratcher was kinda funny, the cake is not a lie is annoying, but classic... but I am SO SICK TO DEATH of you Tom Selleck'ed it up!

More then anything I wanted to punch of the face of the girl who was ripping my right ear off of my cosplay screaming "You're a FURRY" in my face! Dude! Get your mitts off my costume I worked hard to make and take your douchebag opinions elsewhere. Seriously. I hate people who destroy your costume with no thought what so ever of the work that went into it.

Also, I loved artist alley as I always do. I love to support my fellow artists but some of the pricing is starting to get painful. As well as the sales tax on EVERYTHING in the dealers room. I guess I have the same gripes as everyone else really as far as that goes.

I was also very disappointed the courtyard was closed. We had to take our photo shoot in a cramped side room by an escalator and you had to take 3 or 4 photos to get everyone in the group. Kinda sucked.

Oh and also, three dollars for a bottle of water is just awful when you are sweating to death in an excessively hot costume in April. How do they sleep at night.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:53 pm
by tylerofmaine
[quote=AmandaMaie]Oh and also, three dollars for a bottle of water is just awful when you are sweating to death in an excessively hot costume in April. How do they sleep at night. [/quote]

Very classy metal Anime Boston water bottles were being sold for 6 dollars apiece, and good old fashioned water fountains dispense H2O for free :)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:20 pm
by Hielostar
[quote=tylerofmaine][quote=AmandaMaie]Oh and also, three dollars for a bottle of water is just awful when you are sweating to death in an excessively hot costume in April. How do they sleep at night. [/quote]

Very classy metal Anime Boston water bottles were being sold for 6 dollars apiece, and good old fashioned water fountains dispense H2O for free :)[/quote]

Except a lot of those water fountains in the hallway weren't working, so you had to duck into a video room to use the water cooler to fill your water bottle. :p

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:20 pm
by Seizetsu
I didn't like how the staff had no idea where registration was!!!! Or at least there was a huge absence of staffers who knew anything when I needed them. :( We were given incorrect directions to the registration line twice, and spent --no joke--an HOUR walking around the block trying to find it. No one gave us a room number, no one gave us a specific location, just "go left, you'll see a sign." There were no signs, only wandering children. In the Sheraton lobby, no more than 40 feet from the registration line, a second staffer sent us back outside to take more lefts. I think we lapped the block twice, and almost missed out judging time for the hall cosplay contest even though we had given ourselves what should have been ample time.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:45 pm
by Toph88
So i was totally into the "What Time is It?!" thing because i ended up saying it a ton of times, but "the Game", "butt scratcher" (which my boyfriend did a lot, and "Marco Polo" got old real fast.

So i also heard last year there was a huge "Pokerap" at lunch time in the food court Sunday, well me & the bf showed up to see/be a part & NO ONE was there. v__v sad sad day.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:23 pm
by SpectacleG
I tried shouting "I'm Basch Fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!" at the Nobou Q&A and I got like 3 responses of "Basch Lives!" or "Don't listen to Ondore's lies!" which really made me sad cause a moment later someone shouted "Marco" leading to about 30 "Polo" responses. Were there no Final Fantasy fans at the Nobou Q&A Saturday? (joking of course on that last bit)

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:37 am
by takenogundam1
First lets clarify: people were taking pictures and sitting against a wall. No one was staring in, making noises, making faces, screaming, swearing, ect or anything else that was out of line.
I agree you should not interrupt religious services, however a simple "Please move along, we don't want to distract worshipers" would have been sufficient. Being rude was not needed, as we were not being disrespectful. I simply disliked being talked to like that. FYI: This was on Friday. Not Easter Sunday. And that guard wasn't the only one I heard making comments. While in non cosplay, I overheard many guards making rude comments, including the physical attributes of a girl who couldn't have been more than 16. Being an AB Staff member of higher ranking, I would expect a little more support in situations like that, not a step-away verbal scolding. Con goers pay money to come to this convention and should not expect to be talked to in this manner. Not trying to cause any problems, just trying to voice a concern.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:53 am
by Arcanexalchemist
[quote=Eilonnwy]I agree, I hate the game, I hate Marco Polo, but what can you do except not participate?

I personally hate getting hugged by strangers but part of the problem is people would ask and I felt obligated to say yes. Now I say no, and yes, some people look hurt, but what was the point of asking if I can't say no? I'm uncomfortable with it and I have a right to refuse people.

When you consider that anime conventions tend to be thousands of nerds, half of which are children let off the leash of their parents for the first time, you can see how silly shenanigans proliferate. I used to participate in them myself when I was new to cons and didn't know any better.

The best you can do is not participate and ignore them. If they do something disruptive and potentially dangerous to other con-goers, then you call security.

At Anime Next last year some children were playing tag in the hotel and nearly knocked me over. I'm handicapped, I was using a cane, and they didn't care. I reported it to hotel security and it stopped.[/quote]


Were you the one who was organizing and showing area's where people could sit at the VGO? Just curious because if so I remember seeing you and wanted to give you props for helping people.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:07 am
by reiji_kiryu
Allow me to briefly state that seeing such a well-written and intelligent post next to a picture of Miku Hatsune is... disorienting. Well done, ma'am.

On to the main topic! I love AB. I love it. And I understand that a convention this truly massive requires the time, effort, and dedication of many fine people, and if any of said people are reading, I cannot thank you enough for successfully creating three of the happiest days of the year. But despite this, there are flaws.

1. It's time to figure out the screens. I attended last year's opening and closing ceremonies and this year's closing ceremony, and I have not seen any of them go off without a hitch. Too often, the speakers will give a very clear cue for a video to start and end up staring to the side at a screen showing them staring to the side. Cue awkward silence.

This year, Emily and Robert Dejesus's intro. The speakers look to the side and nothing happens. They wait. The video starts when they go back to speak, and stops abruptly. Emily comes out, and while she speaks the video starts up. Last year, Laura Bailey was introduced with the wrong video. She covered for it nicely by coming out, saying "I don't think I did that role," and giggling, so at least the crowd laughed.

Add to that the presence of spelling and grammatical errors here and there in the text blocks, and what should be very professional is not. I work in a concert hall and run the control booth- managing a full sound board and a video switcher pulling feed from three automated cameras, two cameramen, and b-roll. I understand that this is complicated, but I have faith in this incredibly talented staff.

2. The schedule. A con like this has to be totally crazy, and piecing together a working schedule has to be an incredibly unenviable task. To those who undergo this annually, you have my sympathies, appreciation, and thanks. It is because this is so complicated that I can totally understand not having a "perfect" schedule present. I still would like to ask for one.

Tom Wayland is kind of a big deal in this industry. I don't think it's an okay thing for the schedule handed out to give an incorrect time for his panel. Having Heroic Age and Eva 1.11 switched on the schedule kinda sorta messed up my movie-watching plans for the night. And was Nobuo's second panel on Sunday even listed? Thousands of attendees were handed out pamphlets that were incorrect in all sorts of ways.

When I went to an information booth on Friday morning asking for revised schedules, they had no idea what I was talking about. It was annoying.

This must read very aggressive, but it's hard to properly get my feelings across through text. The summary is: I love AB, I loved AB 2010, and I'm already excited for AB 2011, but this con is very much in the big leagues and it's time for its organization to reflect that.

P.S. Sorry for writing War and Peace here, this is a weekend's worth of thoughts.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:28 am
by alucard2024
The way Nikki Kolosha handled the Saturday Nobuo Uematsu signing. I'm not going into to much detail as it is all in my complaint form, but she was very rude and seemed to enjoy ordering people around and made it so everyone who showed up early to the session moved from being number 11th to, I'm not exaggerating a staffer counted, 163rd in line. She abused her power and does NOT have the integrity to be in such a position on staff.
Sorry, kinda ranted there.
Other than that I had a great time.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:21 am
by penwhale
It's during school year.

I didn't really enjoy getting into Boston at 2AM. :p

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:02 am
by acid_fusion51



What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:05 am
by acid_fusion51
[quote=Penwhale]It's during school year.

I didn't really enjoy getting into Boston at 2AM. :p[/quote]

Technically any con is during a "school year" since you got regular, summer, and winter classes

some may not go to summer and winter classes and school's "regular" year start and stop at different times depending on what state, middle, high school, college, or whatever

I basically left after my Thursday classes (nice non lab week so only one class) and missed 4 classes on Friday, but i prepared and kept my grades up and teachers informed

[quote=Chibivamp7]So i was totally into the "What Time is It?!" thing because i ended up saying it a ton of times,[/quote]

but that was part of that characters cosplay, he was acting his part so to me, its understandable, like someone dressed as captain falcon say FALCON PUNCH!! a lot.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:56 am
by Shinden
Oh I have more.

Dealer's room- Seeing things I can find online for $6 WITH S&H for $16. Pisses me off a bit.

Lookie here:

http://www.amazon.com/Hetalia-Axis-Powe ... 287&sr=8-4

See those? $22 for the set of six? $10 EACH in Dealer's Room. >:|

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:14 pm
by PatrickD
Guys, there is NOTHING that Anime Boston staff can do about dealer prices. They set whatever prices they want. The convention cannot and will not regulate prices...nor will the convention regulate what a dealer has to bring for inventory. If they just want to bring stuff from a handful of popular shows, that's up to them.

So, really, I hope you're not posting here with the hope that staff will do something about it.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:46 pm
by kiarrens
[quote=PatrickD]

So, really, I hope you're not posting here with the hope that staff will do something about it.[/quote]
Maybe they're posting because they hope the DEALERS will see it, or at least the staff might pass the info along to the dealers? I know at least two dealer's room people check the forums.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:10 pm
by Skanking_Pickle
[quote=Princess-Meru]Aside from all the obnoxious shouting, the mean mall security, and the psychotic panel planning (It ruined my planning when they didn't inform us that the dance was pushed back - I could have watched the whole masquerade! I had great seats!), I was mainly bothered by the date.

It was on Passover and Easter! I know other people have said this, but as a person who observes Passover, this made going to a convention very difficult (I pulled it off in 2005, but I wasn't anxious to do it again). People who observe Easter are forced to lose a day in order to spend time with families, and our con steps on the toes of people who pray there. People who celebrate passover have to carry their food with them and have to work much harder at planning, especially if they're staying at the hotel. My brother and I had to coordinate meals and one of us had to carry around a cooler all day!

And I looked at the date for next year, and it's on both holidays AGAIN! I know it's cheaper and I respect how hard it is to reserve a date, but REALLY? I know this is just me, but I could live with fewer guests if it meant going to Anime Boston without feeling preoccupied with that.[/quote]


My friends family is a bunch of extremely religious people and my mother wanted me to spend time with the family since I'm at school so we had to completely skip out on sunday. I feel as if that is a waste of money for us. And we had to miss things we wanted to see since she had to be home before 8 since she goes to early morning mass.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:45 pm
by Red_Wolf
[color:green]the whole...

"Marco, polo" - that got annoying after friday.
"The Game" - No one seems to know how to play it these days
"I love mudkip" - its old and gone. shut up its not funny anymore...actually it was never funny to begin with anyway.
"the whole cake being a lie" - once again thats like three years old..
"Buttscratcher was funny and then EVERYONE said it like every three seconds and it just got annoying.

-Also the game room, everyone just doesn't understand the whole taking turns and sharing. I shouldn't have to wait almost an hour for a turn..its a little ridiculous.

Not towards Anime Boston but the sheraton maids were absolutely rude this year.[/color]

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 3:56 pm
by Syagria
[quote=AnythingButFine]We had to completely skip out on sunday. I feel as if that is a waste of money for us.[/quote]

I can understand your frustration and disappointment on this. I'm certainly not going to tell you that you shouldn't feel that way, but on the other hand, I would like to offer up something by way of perspective. An AB 3-day pass is, at its most expensive (at the door), $50. This is an AMAZING deal - just over $15/day!! By contrast, Dragon*con's *cheapest* 4-day pass rate is $20/day, or $80. If you buy your pass at the door, it is $100, or $25/day. Otakon 2010 is now $75 at the door for a 3-day pass (which is, like Dragon*Con, $25/day), and the cheaper pre-reg rate is $65, which is still $15 more than AB's top price. I know it's pretty small consolation, but paying $50/day for the first two days of AB doesn't make it an expensive badge to purchase - it only pulls the relative registration rate per day up to the same level as two of the other biggest cons on the East coast. Any way you slice it, AB has done an amazing job keeping registration costs manageable and low for the attendees.

[quote=reiji_kiryu]Tom Wayland is kind of a big deal in this industry. I don't think it's an okay thing for the schedule handed out to give an incorrect time for his panel.[/quote]

I agree; I don't recall the printed schedules from last year having as many changes/misprints as this year. As soon as I entered the con, I went straight to the info desk to pick up an updated Friday schedule. Tom's panel was one of the few that I really wanted to go to on Friday, and I decided to spend the time between arriving and when his panel started at 3 to wander around. I was very glad that I decided to locate the panel's room beforehand to ensure that the panel location was correct, as that is the only place I saw posted that Tom's panel had been shifted to 1 instead. As I went back by the info desk later, I took a peek at the announcements, and did not see anything that indicated that his panel time had been moved.

Generally, if I miss a panel, it's no big deal - I don't get upset over these types of things. But I did notice that this year did seem to have quite a lot of schedule changes! I know these are to be expected due to panelists being in other activities or due to their travel plans, so I don't know what can be done to improve the scheduling snafus that inevitably arise.

What did you NOT like about AB2010??

Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:18 pm
by Dorothy2
i shouted Magellan when ever someone said Marco Polo...my boyfriend went with Leif Ericson. a small sort of victory, but we were drowned out as well.