Anime Boston 2003 thoughts
Bonnie and I left the kids with their grandmother yesterday and went into Boston for Anime Boston 2003 -- the first major regional anime expo in this area that I'm familiar with, and I when I say "major," it's no understatement: Bonnie and I got there at about 10:30, and had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to register. Shortly after we got there the show's coordinators announced that they'd closed the line behind us because they'd hit maximum capacity -- about 4,000 people all told.
Bonnie and I are big anime fans, but we're not otaku -- in other words, we're not obsessive. We know which stuff we like and which we don't, but we don't track each voice actor or director or artist's moves in stalker-like creepiness, we don't swoon every time something new is released in the states, and we don't keep track of each minute detail about every character in the stuff that we watch.
Looking around Anime Boston, my first thought -- and one that occurred to me over and over again -- was "boy, am I old." Approaching our mid-30s, Bonnie and I were distinctly older -- by at least a decade -- than many of the people who showed up.
Cosplay -- or costume play -- is a big part of the scene. And if you're in your early 20's, it's a feast for the eyes: Young, nubile bodies dressed up in tight, revealing clothing inspired by the fantasy creations of Japan's best anime and manga artists. As titillating as it sounds, though, I wasn't really that turned on by it. Maybe my tastes are changing or maybe my libido was just down yesterday, but I looked at a lot of the girls at the show and wasn't particularly turned on. "Underdeveloped" was the word that came to mind, and I don't mean in a bulimic or small-chested sort of way: I mean just ... well, too young.
Having said that, there were a few costumes that just made my jaw drop or made me laugh heartily. Good cosplay involves either spending a lot of money having a costume made for you or using your own skills to put together a good costume. I was totally impressed by a lot of the artistic skill in evidence at the show.
I was also tickled by the senses of humor of some folks in costume, especially one young guy who showed up with flowing, long hair and a shirt open to his waist with a sign around his neck that said "Generic bishounen: Just as effective as the more expensive brand." (Bishounen means "pretty young man".) Another guy -- bigger and taller than me -- was wearing a grey sweatshirt and had a black-painted nose. It wasn't immediately obvious to me who he was until I saw him in the dealer room haggling with a vendor over a plushie doll of Mai, the three-year-old bratty younger sister in Miyazaki's classic movie, "My Neighbor Totoro." It was then that I saw the grey chevrons on the white chest of his sweatshirt, and he held up his sweatshirt hood to reveal two pointed ears. He was Oh-Totoro (Big Totoro), of course.
One final word on cosplay: Despite what anyone might say, cosplay most assuredly has a huge amount to do with adult sexual fantasy, and fetish. If you're fat, or really ugly, don't cosplay unless you're gonna do something cute, like Oh-Totoro (or another big, burly guy I saw yesterday) dressed as Kero-chan from Cardcaptor Sakura). If you're fat and you're trying to be sexy, you're creeping the rest of us out. Really.
The day was filled with discussion panels of voice actors from animes we liked, folks from companies who publish and distribute anime and manga in the united states, and various other luminaries who pontificated on various issues ranging from video games to how to make your own manga characters. There were also several different tracks of videos running almost continuously, a rather disappointing room filled with video games, and lots of other goings-on. All told, a fun time.
The event needs a bigger venue, however -- it totally overwhelmed the Park Plaza. And they definitely need a more effective registration process for next year: The entire line -- that hour and a half wait I referred to before -- was stymied by what basically amounted to a pair of women and a man who were laminating badges using what looked like a single machine. Definitely Not Efficient.
Comments
Wow, Can we say bitter? My friend and I went and we didn't even get registered for Anime Boston, but we met and talked to quite a few nice people. I think in your bitterness you've forgotten that Conventions are just to have a good time and meet new people. Take whatever that grudge is off your shouldar and relax....have a good time and enjoy yourself! =) You'll have a much easier life if you do...
Posted by: Anonymous | May 3, 2003 09:03 PM