Thursday

[Registration]

If you ask me, hiring an outside company to handle registration was a fantastic idea. While the line at the start time was intimidating, the line moved rather quickly. Our secondary panelists, Angelo and Matt were only in the line for about an hour at most. They were shocked, especially with the result last year. Again, this was pre-registration so we’ll have to see how things roll out on Friday since lines were far worse on Friday with more people arriving on Friday then Saturday.

Friday

[Opening Ceremonies]

The Opening Ceremonies I would hope is setting the tone for the whole con. I realize the point but this is something that felt was much improved. I swear, someone on the Tech Staff listens to the show… as the Top Ten for this events pre-show… How Anime Boston survives a Zombie Apocalypse.

Overall, very exciting and kept me very excited for the event at large. With guests arriving late and one sad cancellation by Studio Capsule. As well as one video mix-up, the Opening Ceremonies gave me the feeling that the con started on the right foot this year and the fun starts here.

[Cosplay Court Case]

There are several advantages right out of the gate this year.
One; They’re not scheduled against any big musical guests!
Two; Much, much, much bigger room.
Three; Highly organized compared to the last time we attended in 2007(To the Point of handing out lots and lots of material, and sharpies… lots and lots of sharpies)

There is always an inherent risk of failure when you randomly pick people for an event, but this actually works out well for the most part. If there is any star of the show, its the crowd. The crowd always seems to have the right thing to say.

Case 1: Sora Assault. So apparently, Sora attacked a farmers cow and is put on trial. Unfortunately, this case taught us that innuendo is alive and well… wait… fortunately. Some characters went a little too far in recreating their characters… to some success and to some confusion. Sadly guilty, 20 years working on a farmers farm.

Case 2: Mansty(A Man Misty) Murder of Optimus Prime. All I can say here is that absurdity is alive and well. The back and forth between the lawyers made this a real impressive case. Whats sad, too much arguments Pokemon mechanics. This was certainly main event quality and only proves why the crowds for the panel are so large. Not guilty.

Case 3: Readman creating ‘you lost the game’. Sadly, this was a little tooooo absurd for me. Everything was really slow, which was a real let down from the previous two cases. The other bad thing, half the audience cleared out during this case. Sadly we were among them, this couldn’t hold interest.

The bad news, I’d say certain people can improv, some can’t. Thats the flaw and the best part. I’d also say that there could be some more imaginative thought in the crimes however.

I will say this, I really wish I un-retired a cosplay for this event. If there is one improvement or suggestion that could be made, I would say an 18+ version of the event would be interesting. That and gnome punting, there could be gnome punting. The other disadvantage is the length of the panel, I think that an hour to an hour and a half is more then enough time. Two hours ended up being a tad excessive.

[Anime Squares]

This year, new host, and a nice organized format gives this panel a thumbs up here. Not everyone was up on the comedy but the contestants really make the panel more enjoyable.

On the panel was PatrickD, Daryl Surat, Troy Baker, Jennifer Woo, B-Kun, Travis Willingham, Lou, Laura Bailey, Rym and Scott. I was a little disappointed with B-Kun, but Daryl and Troy really carried the comedy… then again no one was slouching.

[ADV Panel]

ADV had a fairly larger crowd then I was expecting which was a pleasant surprise. However, the panel was an hour long Q&A session mainly talking about ADV’s lost acquisitions, the new CMP licenses, anime in retail, online rights and distribution and anime in a recession.

The panel really gave me the faith that ADV has a lot of plans in the works as well as a soon to be heavy online presence that may even rival Funimations.

[Anime Unscripted]

All I have to say, check out the SHAFT TV we’re putting together. However, it was everything we expect and more. It was also nice to see an original game in ‘Powerpoint Presentation’. Proof that innovation makes even solid panels/events even better.

[The Chibi Project]

Yes, another PatrickD panel. What can we say… its well organized and enjoyable stuff. If you’ve never heard of The Chibi Project, think Mythbusters without the science and anime toys. Its a lot of fun and highly enjoyable. If you want to see what I mean, check their podcast!

[18+ Dating Game]

Gene was the only SHAFT member in attendance. If you want an event with innuendo amped up to 11 thats crude and clever at the same time, this is it. Its proof that an 18+ event doesn’t need porn, toilet humor and endless internet memes to thrive.

Oddly enough in all three rounds, contestant three was the best and chosen. I know I’d have chosen number three in all three cases.