Anime Boston

The yearly topic I make for you all to express your feelings in terms of how you are now that the con is officially over.

This year I don't feel too bad that the convention is over. It was quite a lot of fun as always, and there were several highlights of the con that made me REALLY enjoy it. Post con depression doesn't usually hit me that hard any more since I have a lot more cons to look forward to this year, and I'm going back to Japan in June so I'm REALLY excited for that

So, how do you guys feel now that we've wrapped up AB 2016?

I feel like a zombie...
I had a blast at the con. I think this may have been my favorite AB out of the seven years I've attended. But now that it's over, I'm wicked tired (good thing it's a slow day at work), my feet have blisters from my boots on Saturday, and my cat won't let me out of his sight lest I leave him again. I enjoyed the con greatly, though, and I'm looking forward to next year.

Very tired and sore but looking forward to next year!

Tired, but happy. I saw all the people I wanted to see (who were actually at the convention, at least), did some fun things, got some nice stuff, and generally had a good time.

Was somewhat annoyed by the additional security measures this year (metal detectors, really?), and the poor handling of traffic flow resulting from them, but I also get that that's not really something that the AB staff has any control over. Can someone tell the Hynes that having both bag checks AND metal detectors is a bit redundant though? I mean seriously, having to wait 30+ minutes outdoors to get back into the Hynes after getting out of a panel at the Sheraton (or getting lunch) at this time of year is a bit NG.

But now I have like, seven series that I have to watch that will totally be keeping me busy until next year.

I've got a little bit of post-con depression going on, mostly because I don't know when I'll be able to go to a convention again next, and I injured myself slightly thanks to binding my chest(which is why I didn't bother on Sunday). But I had a fantastic time overall, mostly thanks to the awesome friends I went with and the great reception my cosplay had. Not even the crazy lines put a real damper on that.

Arakni666 wrote:I've got a little bit of post-con depression going on, mostly because I don't know when I'll be able to go to a convention again next, and I injured myself slightly thanks to binding my chest(which is why I didn't bother on Sunday). But I had a fantastic time overall, mostly thanks to the awesome friends I went with and the great reception my cosplay had. Not even the crazy lines put a real damper on that.

Eight hours!!!! Eight hours is the maximum time you can safely bind with a regular binder.

Vanner wrote: Eight hours!!!! Eight hours is the maximum time you can safely bind with a regular binder.

Veteran crossplayer here! I am VERY safe about how I bind, don't worry. In an ironic twist, I actually managed to injure myself (very slightly, mind) in taking the binding off, not while wearing it.

I'm already planning things for next year! Gonna cosplay from my favorite retro video game!

Relieved. Either I am not going next year, or I am doing my damned best to get a panel next year to avoid this happening again. (Not that avoiding the line is exclusively the reason. My friends and I want to actually host a gameshow.)

For the first time in 14 ABs, I am forced to say ambivalent, if not downright worried. Make no mistake--I had a lot of fun: I caught some panels I've never seen before, got to see Monica Rial for the first time in years (yay!), and my trips to the dealers room resulted in some pretty sweet scores. Add to that the open, cheerful camaraderie of my fellow otaku, and I judge the weekend to be a success overall.

Having said that, and though I avoided the worst of the line situation (having pre-reged, arrived Thursday night for my badge, and not cosplaying this year), comments made to me both personally and in these forums are filled with frustration, anger, and in some cases a resolve to give up on this convention once and for all.

And after all these years of loving and supporting Anime Boston, that hurts.

And I'll be honest: I was far from immune to the stress of the security lines, and expended way too much effort timing my departures from the Hynes so that my schedule wasn't shot to hell.

I intend to give feedback in a few days, but I need to sort out my feelings and address only those factors that NEAS has any real power to address.

http://cosbook.livejournal.com/ here is my little review on Anime boston, for the first time in forever I actually enjoyed myself, please click the link to my live Jurnal to read more, pics will be posted up on there after CT Con (So it could be one big picture party)

I feel that security is becoming bullshit. Why did one of the entrances close mid-Saturday? Why did you make us stand in the rain like a bunch of drowned rats? Why aren't you threatening to take your business to the BCC if the Hynes doesn't start cooperating like sensible people and not forcing metal detectors on us?

As someone who has attended Anime Boston since 2006, right after the con I felt a bit sad, but not at the level of sadness that con depression brings. I felt more fatigued than anything, which I expected (since I attended the Kiznaiver premiere at 5AM with only 3-4 hours of sleep,) and felt it for days. Now that I've recovered, I can post my honest thoughts.

I don't know if it was because last year was so awesome for me or what, but I didn't feel like I had an amazing time this year. Sure, I got to meet and see some old friends and my cosplays were great, but the feel of the con this time was more tense and stressed than euphoric. The lines certainly had to do with this.

I really hate to say these things, since I love Anime Boston so much, but I have to admit that I just didn't have as good a time as I usually do. I'd like to voice out my opinions to the staff so that they can address our problems and make 2017 a much better year. Then when this topic comes around next year, I'll have more positive things to say.

Alcor wrote:I feel that security is becoming bullshit. Why did one of the entrances close mid-Saturday? Why did you make us stand in the rain like a bunch of drowned rats? Why aren't you threatening to take your business to the BCC if the Hynes doesn't start cooperating like sensible people and not forcing metal detectors on us?

The AB staff has posted an explanation on why they will not choose the BCEC in the future. You can find it here. Also, Mass law now requires metal detectors during events like these. PAX is getting the exact same security measures this year (Luckily they informed us a whole month in advance.)

I will agree with you on closing the AA entrance on Saturday without any notice. That was uncalled for and should have been handled way ahead of time. They clearly didn't think of that possibility before the con, so what we got was a last minute attempt to control crowds.

NanoZero wrote:I don't know if it was because last year was so awesome for me or what, but I didn't feel like I had an amazing time this year. Sure, I got to meet and see some old friends and my cosplays were great, but the feel of the con this time was more tense and stressed than euphoric. The lines certainly had to do with this.

I really hate to say these things, since I love Anime Boston so much, but I have to admit that I just didn't have as good a time as I usually do. I'd like to voice out my opinions to the staff so that they can address our problems and make 2017 a much better year. Then when this topic comes around next year, I'll have more positive things to say.

As a fellow congoer, I encourage you to please leave feedback if you haven't already! You might have heard or witnessed something that con staff really needs to hear about.

I felt sad leaving on Sunday, "is it really over". I wished it had gone on for a few more days. For me it's like stepping into an anime. When the con ends, it's like your favorite anime ending.