Anime Invades Boston: 2013 Edition

I’M BACK! I’M ALIVE! I know you all have been wondering where I’ve been for the past few weeks.

And, boy, do I have some stories to tell you…

Let’s just say, events took a wild turn the second finals ended. Why, you ask? Because, after finishing my last final, I embarked on a six-hour bus ride to Boston to attend my first ever Anime Convention.

The reason I waited so long to post about it was because it took about a week for it to sink in.

Now, for those of you who don’t understand Anime Conventions, my best advice would be to attend one. That’s the only adequate way to explain. For those of you who aren’t into anime…well, you’ll just have to stay wondering. But, I digress.

I’ll start from the beginning:

I arrived in Boston in a semi-conscious state. Due to a childhood filled with motion sickness, I take two Dramamine every time I travel. Needless to say, I was asleep on the bus most of the trip. Even then, it takes a while to wear off.

That night was all about preparation. My sister, two friends and I stayed in MITERS for the better part of the night. They were sewing, sanding, spray-painting, gelling – all while I, very helpfully…did not much.

Let me tell you right now – their work paid off. These three friends cosplayed characters from the anime Durarara!! and looked really cool. It being my first con, however, I threw on a simple Expressive Kitty-inspired cat maid outfit, and called it a day. Well…three days.

Day 1:

Three of us walked to the Hynes Convention Center in humid, rainy weather. I was sporting my cat maid outfit, a purse, and a red umbrella (over which I was effectively fighting with my friend.) My sister was sporting her initial Kurisu cosplay (from an anime called Steins Gate) and the friend was Shinri (from Durarara!!) but, of course, kept getting mistaken for Steins Gate’s Okabe (especially next to my sis!)

The journey of that morning? Well, the minute we walked into the center, I was taking pictures. We couldn’t get down the main hallway on the first floor without getting stopped so someone could take pictures of my sis and my Okabe-look-alike friend. What did I see? Anime coming to life. Colors. Faces. Fake weaponry. Dudes in dresses that lit up. And I’m pretty sure there was a walking box…

We did a quick once-through of the Dealers room before heading back to MIT to pick up my other friend. I, of course, squealed at every plushie I saw (I swear to bacon that, at some con in the future, I will be sitting behind a table selling Expressive Kitty books and merchandise. You have been warned.)

The rest of the day was spent wandering through the con, buying orange kitty ears, and being weighed down with stuff as my sister and friends were constantly stopped for pictures (yeah, they looked that cool.)

Day 2:

Still rainy, however a lot less humid (yay!)

Walk into the con like ‘wattup I got a big...maid’s outfit on?’ All ‘Thrift Shop’ references aside…

This day began a little differently. We went to see a new film by Makoto Shinkai called ‘Children Who Chase Lost Voices.’ I had never seen anything of his before and I can safely say that it was worth it for the scenery. It included gorgeous anime landscapes with vivid character appearances and one adorable little kitty.

Not you, numbnuts.

Aside from the scenery - I’m not sure if something got lost in translation or not (it was dubbed) but the storyline was a little...like this:

Yeah, I didn’t get it. But it was pretty! And, therefore, worth it.

The aftermath of the emotionally and mentally dazzling, yet confusing experience consisted of my friends and I returning to the Artist’s Alley and the Dealer’s Room. However, this time, we were joined by my sister’s best friend from Middle School, dressed as Shizuo (and her friend, who I have now renamed VOTW [pronounced Vot-oo] which stands for Valley of the Wind…long story.) Needless to say, this new addition to the Durarara!! cosplay cast was thoroughly awesome, but it significantly lowered the number of steps we could take before someone ELSE had to take a picture.

We went to a panel later that afternoon about anime villains. It was pretty funny. What I remember from it is there are certain types of villains in anime, including:

The Sob Story:

...Not quite what I was getting at. 

After the panel, we as a group went to Trader Joes, picked up a TON of food, traveled to my sister’s place and ate dumplings before watching The Road to El Dorado (one of the best movies in existence.)

Which brings me to a very important part of that day:

WE RAN INTO A GUY COSPLAYING TULIO!! For those of you who don’t know who Tulio is: GO WATCH THE ROAD TO EL DORADO RIGHT FREAKING NOW! I was a little frazzled and didn’t register his outfit at the time, but I am very appreciative of his appearance.

Day 3:

This day was a lot more low-key due to the fact that my sister and friends decided not to dress up so we could actually make it through the Artist’s Alley and Dealer’s Room before they closed. It totally worked. Seriously, we were in and out of those places in about two hours.

Plus, I got to pick up some loot on the way!

BEST POSTER EVER

Orange Cat Ears

Thanks to my sis <3 !

My New, Dapper Hovercat xD 

So, overall assessment? Cons are crazy. It’s a bunch of people running around in costume, taking picture, giving random hugs, and yelling at each other (literally, there was some serious ‘Marco-Polo’ happening.) It’s loud and crowded and weird and crazy and I can’t wait to go to another one! Thanks to my sister/friends for taking me to my first Anime Convention!