UPDATE: ANIME BOSTON JUST ANNOUNCED THAT HIZAKI (THE GUITARIST FOR VERSAILLES) IS GONNA BE AT THE CON IN 2024 LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!! THANK YOU ANIME BOSTON
I was sold on Queen Bee concert honestly (flying from California). I'm doing interviews with guests and content creators. Are you interested in chatting (can be just verbally recorded) if you're interested
I've watched anime "in the closet" since I stumbled upon Inuyasha on adult swim in 2004. Still haven't been to a con due to crippling social anxiety, and high school memories of how badly the anime kids got made fun of. Now I'm afraid of being "too casual" as I don't watch most new shows. Ah well. Maybe someday...
I was one of the 60 people at TOTEMCon in Natick, MA back in 2002. I was 13 years old, with my mom, and we all got to hang out with Scott Mcneil and Brian Drumond for a bunch of hours. Basically, an early 2000s kids dream come true. I remember we sprinted to a nearby Hot Topic to buy Dragon Ball T-shirts for the two VAs to sign. I'm now 35 years old, never remembered what the con was called, and am incredibly grateful to you for connecting this childhood memory.
This vid was such a nostalgia hit. Fun fact, I designed the "Signature Boston" logo that appears all over the Hynes as a wee graphic design intern years ago. This video is how I discovered they apparently own this venue too, I thought it was just the BCEC haha
Anime bostons artist alley was insane til they switched to lottery. It was RUTHLESS and they didnt always post when the sign ups would go live. I remember refreshing the page for hours because we didnt know when it would go live and artists were comparing the minutes and seconds on their time stamps when it finally did go up
@@bluebaron6858 Both, technically. An-ime goes back to Animation, which is the loanword that anime comes from. Ah-nime is just pronouncing it the way a Japanese speaker would with the language's phonetics アニメ
That did catch me off guard. I completely forgot people used to pronounce it that way in the US. But the dude was over pronouncing each syllable or something.
I was a junior in high school during 2003 - 2004. The "anime kids" at my school got made fun of HARD. I learned about anime during that time by stumbling upon Inuyasha on adult swim, and watched it "in the closet". It wasn't until 2010 or so that I even had the confidence to tell another person I liked watching anime. I still haven't been to a con. .
I wrote my comment because going to a con was totally different 20 years ago. If you were "normal" you wouldn't want to get caught dead at an anime con. Being into anime was a defining part of your personality, and many people weren't willing to make that jump. I wasn't. I liked watching Inuyasha, but I wasn't about to become an "anime kid". I wonder where I'd be if I did...
As someone who first went to one around this time, I've got a message for you to spread. Support your local anime scene. Buy from mom and pop stores, attend cons, and attend get togethers in your area with ANY like minded individuals. The corporatism of the modern era his stripped a lot of that magic from the whole experience, but it's not completely gone.
As an old school weeb and New England native, I always WANTED to be nostalgic for Anime Boston, but it started a year after I joined the Marine Corps, so I've never actually been. Thanks for letting me experience that vicariously!
So the bit about the fire Marshal stirred a memory, and one of the biggest reasons fire marshals were so involved was because two months prior to the first AnimeBoston, the Station nightclub fire happened in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Event capacity was high key in everyone's mind at that point, it feels like nothing to us now, but that fire really put it back in perspective. Great video btw!
The Fire Safety Course I took to be AB Con Security cited that Nightclub Fire and even included a few brief interviews. This was a few years ago, mind you... 2016 or 17.
as someone who loves anime cons but who will likely only attend cons based in ireland and the uk, i love the second hand nostalgia i get hearing people talk about conventions from back in the day
Great video! I've been going to Anime Boston since 2005, and was on their staff from 2010-2018. I was actually responsible for the new logo and rebranding in 2010. Thank you for putting a lot of work and research into a comprehensive history of the con!
As someone who’s been going to AB for 10+ years and literally met the man I’m about to marry there, I can’t can not tell you how warm this makes my heart. Thank you so much for putting together such a great video and doing amazing research!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm a volunteer for Anime Boston who's been attending since that first year in 2003 and providing art for publications and merch since 2007 (I did the 2007 Program Guide cover, and it turns out I drew A-chan's kimono folded improperly, right over left, which is a funeral arrangement! Did this set the wheels of bad luck into motion that caused the Line Con disaster of 2008?!) I was absolutely charmed by this retrospective and surprised by the new things I learned about its first year, when I was but a wee college student at my first anime convention ever. I'll never forget that first year's excitement and energy, in spite of the space restrictions! I just wanna thank you for doing such a thoughtful, informative look at a con that means so much to me that really captures how much care and passion goes into its operation. There are so many memories in here, and it makes me proud to be a part of the team that makes them possible, for over 15 years. It's great to see you'll be at AB2024 as a guest, and I'm looking forward to attending a panel of yours.
My first experience with Bad Anime Bad was indeed a lamb to the slaughter my first Anime Boston as a young high schooler brought there by friends. I was SO excited when I moved and attended my first Katsucon and saw it on the schedule. I excitedly dragged my husband to this panel HYPED. I was borderline devastated that the format had changed and instead of a hilarious clip show you'd almost pee your pants watching.. it was just watching nearly the entirety of Food Fight.
Thanks for the history. Great look back and AB’s history and telling some of our story. I’ve been on staff since ‘03 and would never dream of stopping. AB is “home” to so many people and we strive to deserve that place in their lives more than many can understand.
48:22 Holy shit! As one of the people who works for OMG!Con in Kentucky Greg has been here yearly since it's conception as well and even helped the con out in it's early days when we had some logistical problems.
As a Mass native and serial PAX East attendee, this was a fascinating look at the history of "The Other Con." I've been toying with going to AB for a few years now, maybe 2024 is when I make the jump.
Man, as a NH native, it is SO WEIRD hearing all these towns and cities coming from TH-camrs. It’s so rare that I can say “I know that place!” But this is ALL that!
As a long-time staffer (since '16) and having attended the con since '09 (and I've heard stories about the early days) - AB holds a special place in my heart. We have our ups and downs, as other conventions do, but it's the other staffers, exec staff, and the people that make the con for what it is. I find that AB treats people more like people. I have a few friends that I've kept in contact with (only if I see them once a year) and the friendships I've made have lasted the test of time. As an attendee, I enjoyed the atmosphere. The "small con feel" despite it sold me. It's the one con I do whatever I can to go back to, to work, and make other people how I feel. It's three days, but it's your home away from home. Also! Glad to have seen you as a guest this year! Come back soon! ^^/
Damn, I can't believe I spent like 3 hours watching youtube documentaries about conventions I will never go to. Very interesting stuff! Great job. It's a shame we'll never see this kind of video for FFXIV's recent FanFest in Vegas that was such a nightmare.
I’m a Mass native, and a con-goer, (who loves learning about early anime fandom) so this video is absolutely perfect for me and my niche interests. It’s so cool but also a little surreal seeing people mention locations I’ve been to many times. Like I had no idea that the Anime Zakka in Harvard Square (which is closed now sadly) used to be a totally different anime store. That alone is so fascinating.
i went once in 2015 on a whim kind of trip to boston. i frequented chicago cons big and small and was **floored** by the badge "lines" because there WASN'T any lines. i went with 2 friends. i pre-reg'd and had an email ready, my friend lost their email but pre-reg'd, and my friend forgot to pre-reg. we went to 3 different registration booths and got our badges at the *exact* same time. the artist alley was beautiful. security staff were amazing, filing people into the con area in a breeze. the food options and areas to just *breathe* also were so great because at ACen usually those areas were in the hot summer sun outside and probably on the ground rather than a bench. i didn't even have a hotel at the con and had an amazing time. the longest line i stood in was to meet yoko shimomura which still was only an hour. i fell in love with anime boston and have wanted to go back ever since. idk if any of the staff will see this, but thank you.
I’ve only gone to California conventions my whole life. I’ve been to ANYC and went to Anime Boston for the first time this year for work. I keep telling my friends that Anime Boston was such a nice convention and the area was amazing! I definitely want to go again as a regular attendee one day.
1:12:18 - Hey speak for yourself! I had a great time when I attended the Bad Anime Bad panel in 2013 For real though I was completely unaware that Anime Boston had so much interesting history behind it. Was definitely cool to get to learn a fair bit more about my local con tonight.
Having staffed for a small anime con for several years and attending AB for the past two, I can definitely agree with the "small con feel" idea. I've never waited for more than 2 hours before an event and have only been turned away from 1 event due to a full room.
Man, my first AB was 2005 and having stayed at the Park Plaza before, I can't even imagine holding an anime con there TWICE. The AMV contest was always the highlight of my experience.
I was a painfully shy teen- I always wanted to go to a con, but could never get over nerves. I hope to make up for lost time one day. Thank you for all the work you put into your videos- seems like a ton of research and it absolutely pays off
either 2007 or 2008, I don't remember which, was my first anime boston convention (and first con overall!) and I went with my high school anime club, None of us had pre-registered and I remember us being in line for three and a half hours, the line snaking throughout the entire building on saturday. we learned our lesson and in future years and made sure that we did everything in our power to have as short a line wait as possible. also in 2009 anime boston was the same weekend as my schools prom! and I went to a fancy boarding school. like hair stylists were hired to do hair in the girls dorm lounge, so imagine the dichotomy of several dozen girls sitting around with curling irons, glitter, and silky dresses to me and my small gaggle friends in cosplay and colorful wigs ready to fill in a school shuttle bus for an hour drive to boston
Staffing Anime Boston was a big part of my life. For 10 years! Unfortunately, my division had some.....shenanigan like restructuring happen, and my entire team got pushed out of our Department. It was a sad day. The volunteer staff team for AB is fantastic, 99% of the time. We just got burned by the 1%. Unlucky!
I've been to every anime boston. This video really brought me back with unbridled nostalgia. I have friends just starting their fandom, and now I have something to help educate them. Thank you SO MUCH for covering a cornerstone of my fandom ❤️
Your longest video yet! I remember seeing the Providence Anime Conference section at a panel of yours as a teaser for this video, and it's nice to finally watch the whole thing. Great video!
My brother and I have run the gambit with Anime Boston since 2008 (Our actual first convention ever as seniors in high school) from attendees, to Press, to Panelists and it has definitely been a staple in my con circuit. Now, AB has unfortunately fallen out of my circuit currently as an artist, with AB being so incredibly competitive to get into. If it finally moved to the BCEC, they could fill the space with as many AA table and vendors as they wanted, cutting out the worry of having too much space, giving the left overs from the Hynes application competition a fighting chance of making it! I've vended in the BCEC space for FanExpo Boston for a couple years now and the idea actually sounds more and more appealing if anything were to ever happen to the Hynes. Hopefully I'll make it back to AB one of these years, but the new business certainly comes first, however AB will forever remain close to my heart being my first convention ever and having an amazing time despite 2008 being an infamous year. Top memories for AB have included seeing Orega perform Ghost in the Shell live, filling a panel room with nearly 1000 people, and seeing Roadie rise from nothing and becoming a staple after being a last minute replacement for the Masq. Great Video, Great research! Defintiely makes me miss it even more!
love that ive never been to anime boston but ive been so invested in the cons history that im pointing excitingly knowing this video is the specific niche ill love
this is such a cool video, thank u for making it !! u should know that the boston lolita fashion comm has already shared this video amongst themselves and praised it for being such an interesting and informative look at the convention (and also freaking out bc some of our comm members are featured in the photos lol). i’ve only been able to go to anime boston once, in 2022 (my first year was supposed to be 2020, but,, y’know), and i already consider it to be My Convention, my favorite one that i’ll always go to when i’m able, so it’s really cool to get to know the history behind it that i wasn’t able to experience for myself. edit: i’d completely forgotten this, but i had heard a rumor that linecon was caused (or claimed to be caused) by one poor software programmer who was roped into creating the registration system by his girlfriend when he had zero experience making that kind of thing shfbebdbbf
Incredibly fantastic video, I love the story of a con starting and the people behind it. I was surprised by how there was limited cons in the area given the population there. Thanks for making a very unique video I would love to visit Boston some day.
AB!! I started attending AB around 2013 when i started college in Boston, and have been going ever since, I’m excited to see you go through the early years!
It's so surreal hearing that Anime Boston only ever had one Line Con when every big convention that I've ever been to in my home state of California has a Line Con every year, even for pre-registration.
Im glad I was an artist alley person during Line Con...also the whole 21 and up con in RI...I went to a different one and yup as a vendor it SUCKED but as a DRINKER IT WAS FUN
46:08 Hey! It's the event I'm now the coordinator of! I will say getting Pat D for this video was so necessary. He was everywhere in the early 00's for cons and basically knows the New England scene like the back of his hand.
I’ve been listening to Katie Hunt’s Convention Confessionals podcast for a few years now and it was super wholesome to see some of the folks I’ve only heard on the podcast! Patrick’s voice is so distinct that I recognized it immediately 😊 Awesome vid and history finding, thank you! Anime cons have been a part of my life since 2007 and I doubt I’ll ever get tired of listening or learning about them. 🥰
I always love videos like this as someone who has volunteered at and have worked as pretty much a staff member at another convention for... Five years now. **coughs up dust** And have been going to anime cons since about the 2010's I am always curious about the history of various anime conventions.
Damn. My childhood nostalgia ey? I was at the first Anime Bostons. My Dad is awesome and always supported my obscure interests so he brought middle schooler me the first few years until I was old enough to take the train in on my own with friends. Cosplayed as Aya from Weiss Kreuz in 03 and 04. Attended annually until 2010. It was so hype getting into Toonami and Adult Swim then finding out there was gonna be a whole convention focused on this newfound hobby of mine. I think I might still have the 2 lanyards from the Park Plaza years.
Aw man seeing the interview with Greg brings a huge smile to my face. I remember, must've been around 2007, being huge into the band KMFDM at the time. Anyway I showed up to the meet and greet with him and we were both in KMFDM t-shirts we were like, "aw hell yeah dude" I asked him to play some at the rave.
I honestly think that a 21+ Anime Con that's not just... Hentai and Alcohol would be really fun in the year of our lord 2023. Like Imagine a panel talking about old con horror stories? It could be a celebration of how far conventions have come since the early 2000s!
PAC 2008! I was there! Thanks for that tangent, brought back some fun memories. Only thing I can clearly recall is how Rhode Island sized it felt, which I guess was both a positive and negative. Still glad I went!
Ah yes. “The Great Wait of ‘08”and “The Long Line of ‘09”. I still have flashbacks. I was there when the “free hugs” were nigh unavoidable, when dozens were lost to the Glomp Pits. I was there…and the cringe never leaves you when you were *there*
2005 was my first year, and I look back on it fondly. Even Line Con I've got great memories of. You just.... had to be there, really. In general, the anime and convention climate was so, so different than it is now. Cons now are nothing like they were in the mid 2000's, or even going in to the 2010's.
Yay! I saw myself in the panning crowd shot of Bad Anime Bad! Thank you so much for making this. I went to that first Anime Boston, but didn't know it was literally the first one at the time. I was in a special reserve room to see Tiffany Grant first and it's one of my most memorable con going experience. I remember how everyone was buzzing about the Gundam boys panel, which I didn't know was such a unique thing until now.
incredible video! my group of friends and i dedicate our entire year to anime boston prep and excitement, it’s like a second home to us. the community and history has always stood out to me as unique and this video is an incredible spotlight into the history and the people involved. and i spotted me and my girlfriend in one of the video clips! great stuff as usual!
It's so fun to see older con footage! And a great insight into the scale of American cons for me lol, one of the smallest most casual cons here in NL usually gets 1000-6000 visitors 😅
When referencing PAC in your tangent, you mentioned that you wanted to see a convention like it. I would certainly point you to check out Sangawa Project in Pittsburgh. It is a 18+ adult-oriented convention in PAC's vein run by the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society that was started in 2010 and has been going on-and-off for 9 years, with the 10th year coming up in February 2024. Give it a look.
Been a big fan of your nerd culture stuff for years and really appreciate the intense level of research you do. It's so cool to see you covering something I've had a ton of direct involvement with! The "small con feel" is always how I'm pitching AB to people to get them to attend
The thing about PAC was such a bummer. It was a neat idea for a convention and could have been something really special. I hope someone tries it again down the line. I know similar things have been tried in smaller scale, like the Yoko Kanno jazz bar one year at Anime Boston.
I used to spend so much time on the AnimeonDVD forum. I lived in GA at the time but it was THE place to go to learn more about new releases, plus there was direct access to the anime companies releasing them which you really couldn’t find elsewhere.
What great memories! I attended AB 2003 through 2014 and 2022. I was also one of the few to attend PAC. It was all thanks to seeing a flyer in Tokyo Kid did I learn about the con. Many of my best memories are from Anime Boston. Two memories being of me going on the masquerade stage solo doing a Para Para dance and running my panel 'Swordsmanship from Around the World' for five years and being able to get the largest panel room the last two years. I was so surprised they had to cut the line and turn people away after reaching capacity. Thank you for making this video!
Been going since 2006. Remember linecon 2008. Lines for lines for lines for lines for lines for lines. Like whole rooms for lines. Like the big rooms on the first floor that now are the dealer rooms, where rooms for just lines. Lines in the halls wrapping all around and stuff. I do not remember 10hrs, but I remember going in the morning to pick up badge, but waiting till like maybe noon before getting my badge IIRC. Fun times. Seems like there is always a capacity issue throughout the years. Even this year there was a issue. Always compare it back to 2008, and thus far even with issues its never as bad as 2008.
0:15 Oh my lord its been 20yrs already?? I remember the first ones! Oh Glob I'm old as heck! 😂😂 I think it was the first or second one I volunteered at the first aid area.
I'm from the UK, but have been watching the Death Battle and Cosplay chess events since I first got on TH-cam. Maybe some day I'll manage to get over there. Maybe someday...
My god, what I wouldn't give to see Versailles perform at a con here in the states! I think the only time that happened was at A-kon 2009, which I couldn't make it to because I live on the opposite side of the country. But yes, this was a great video, and now I'm considering doing a similar thing for my hometown con, Anime Central
Oh man, this is how I find out Tokyo Kid is gone? RIP, I used to stop by it and a lot of other stores in the Garage whenever I was visiting my grandparents in the Harvard square type area.
AB 08 was my first ever con, so I thought a 5 hour line was the norm. I still had a great time. I was kinda hoping the reason why AB no longer has an informal dance would be discussed, but that could probably be its own video tbh. Also, I learned that the location of Mikkakan was about a minute's drive from my work. The hotel's gone and been replaced by apartments.
As a comparison, a lot of the cons (cons, not expos) in the Seattle area started from trying to get another Worldcon in the area. I wish I was kidding. Norwescon came about because Westercon is a traveling con for the west coast states, and the only time that Seattle had held a worldcon before was 1961. For comparison, the next Worldcon after that for the entire Puget Sound region will be 2025. which will be two weekends shy of the NASFiC convention Cascadiacon's 20th. The only reason that the worldcon got displaced is a little expo that normally takes place on Labor Day weekend called PAX West. But yes, We got the regional SF Con, Norwescon, just to get experience at holding larger cons. The first con to spin off from it was in the mid 80s with Dragonflight. Dragonflight is the "local" Gaming con and while for the first 20 years that included video games. Thanks to PAX, that's no longer the case. Dragonflight is still the regional tabletop gaming con and had it's 44th in 2024. Then came the smaller, more family friednly SF con, Rustycon. The name comes from the joke that Fans in the PNW don't age, we rust. It started off as a con in January, but in the 2010s it moved back to October. In the 90s, a new con came into being due to a recent climb in popularity for Anime. This would the one that most of you would have heard about, Sakuracon. The original plan for thge con was it to be held two weeks after Easter Weekend. Why Easter Weekend? Because that's when Norwescon takes place. It made sense at the time that there would be overlap between memberships for the two cons, as at the time Anime was just as niche as speculative fiction, if not more so. and up until 2006 it was held at the SeaTac hotels but quickly moved to the State Convention Center in Downtown Seattle. Four years later, it would decide that members would have to choose between the two cons and moved up to the same weekend as Norwes.
I was an officer of the anime club at UMF during my time there. I worked on one of the mini-cons, then we did a con with all the geek clubs on campus. I think it is still going on! It is so nice to see a call out to my alma mater so randomly!
I survived LineCon. Luckily I only waited like an hour and a half to pickup my badge, but one of my friends was in line for, not kidding, 11 hours. All day. We came to visit her throughout the day and brought her lunch. Ah memories. Then there was that year when there was no water or crowd control and several people passed out at the parties. That might have been the same year someone was handcuffed and wheeled out to an ambulance? Don't remember. I stopped going around that time. Wasn't passing the vibe check.
Love your bootleg panels! I always catch you at AB when I can 😄 EDIT: Finished the video, also agree 100% with that very last statement there. What the hell were they thinking?!
This is so amazing, this kind of stuff is usually what people take for granted, and I really appreciate you taking steps to document it. Will you be doing a history deep-dive on other cons? I know Anime Boston was more personal to you. Either way, it's really appreciated!
ah yes, my home con...still have that "was here first" tshirt and everything! ahhh, so many oldtaku snaps! So much memories LOL I am in this video and its hilarious to see my friend "lose" me for a second
This was such a well done and researched video, ab is my first con and it's so nice to see how much of a loving weeb community it has. Thank you for putting this together! I was also so excited to see I'm in one of the shots in my Miku cosplay at 30:57! 🖤
I attended 08-14, 17, and 19. AB is a shadow of what it used to be. 1. The rave. A legendary two room rave, culminating in dancers from all of New England BBoy battling to happy hardcore. Gone since 2012. 2. Metal detectors. You can blame the Boston bombing, but needing to wait in a TSA line every time I need to walk through a door? Absolute shit. 3. Boston is hostile. Hartford, Baltimore, the National Harbor, Sandusky, LA, nearly every other city welcomes business. I can assure you, Bostonians are looking at you all with contempt because you’re causing traffic. The guest are decent, dealer’s room is big, but I’ve never felt more bored spending 2k to go to a convention.
My sole memory of the con was attending Anime Boston 2013 as a freshman with my high school anime club and having my stepdad chaperone, as I was one of only two male club members. I remember spending all my money in artist's alley and then going hungry while waiting in our hotel room, since I didn't want to wait in line for whatever panel they had going on in the evening.
I went to college in Boston in the early 2000s and volunteered a couple days at the first con in 2003. The main thing I remember from my time volunteering is being asked to go stand at the end of the registration line one day, just to tell people that the line was cut off at that point, per order of the fire marshall. It really was that packed in there. The only other thing I remember was one of my college professors walking into the con and recognizing me, and me thinking it was funny that one of my random professors was also a NERD.
I watched alot of your videos over 2 years ago and recently rediscovered your channel. I'm so happy your videos are still done in the same style/format! Cause it's such a great format!
Love these con retrospectives, especially for cons like Anime Boston that I don't have a history with (mostly stay local to the DC area)! Also lol the Fata Morgana OST during their drive home from Otakon around 5 min in 😅
Thank you for this video! AB is my home con, and I've been going since 2005. I learned about in 2002/2003 thru the anime magazine Animerica. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince my family to let me go in 2003 and 2004. But in senior year, I organized a group from my anime club to go. Haven't stopped going since. Lived thru line con. The one year I forgot to pre reg. 😆 I've met many friends at this con and have plenty of fun memories. AB in the early days was also the con where I learned about new shows coming out from Japan due to cosplayers or something catching my eye in the dealers room or artist Alley. Also have to mention how much I miss Tokyo Kid in Boston. RIP Tokyo Kid. 2005 and 2006, you did notice the extra space. Which was great for photoshoots and being away from the crowds. OMG I miss the raze 😆 And Greg is just part of AB. Also, I wasn't expecting to see myself walking right across the camera at 1:03:13 😂😂 and totally agree with your musical quest choice!
Just started going only recently to anime Boston but this was awesome ! Love the grassroots organizing of Anime fans all those years ago. Especially love how you brought attention to the passionate fans who made it happen
Algorithmic punch! Great Video, amazing pursuit and use of primary sources, and I personally appreciated the context it gave me as I had been only 13 and 14 when I attended in 2003/04 and had no real context for the in depth perspective you gave. Also helped explain what everyone was talking about with the kiosk errors in '08 since I only attended Sunday that year, and was unsure why every one seemed so tense. The information of PAC was also interesting and well conveyed, but I was surprised you did not seem to comment on the 1 year (?) Nautti con in Province Town MA, but I suppose the video was long enough. Thanks for all the hard work, and for the video.
My first Anime Boston was 2007. Some of the con footage shown here was a real blast from the past. Remembering each and every year's Big Cosplayed characters, thinking about just how long Final Fantasy VII was a Big Deal. Line Con. The old mascot art. Recognizing people in the footage (looking for any of me and kind of dreading seeing a younger me in my earlier cosplay attempts). Remembering being in various cosplay events and having blast. That time there was a feud with Pax East (I haven't finished the video; I don't know if this gets mentioned). Being a volunteer formal dance host. The Drama about JRock guests some people wanted. I just got to the Gundam Wing discussion. People who weren't there for it have NO idea how big Gundam Wing was. Gundam Wing was a juggernaut. My DAD was buying Gundam Wing magazines and model kits (and trying to fight me for mine)
Anime Boston was my first con back in 2013! It’s still my favorite con and I couldn’t imagine it anywhere other than the Hynes. I love looking at cons from the early 2000s especially how cosplay has changed.
Excited asf to watch this video! First went to anime Boston back in 2006 & 2007 when I was 11-12 years old 😅 gone a few times since then before Covid but I look forward to it more than anything else in the year!! Lol
I love early cons. I used to go to nan desu con back in the early 2000s. It was so much more campy n dorky. Nowadays cons r still fun. Just not the same lol
Ah, memories. I went to AB from the first one up to '08 when The Pillows performed. By the time it started I had already been to a couple of Otakons so the "by fans for fans" nature of the con (especially the first couple of years) was a real trip. The whole thing felt like it started in someone's garage and got out of hand. I'll always remember laughing at the morose graffiti/scrawlings on the tape for the reg queue. Seeing lamentations like "I've been here for 12 hours" was wild. Also some Something Awful goon snapped an unflattering picture of me in all my hefty glory standing underneath a sign that said "FOOD". Good times.
UPDATE: ANIME BOSTON JUST ANNOUNCED THAT HIZAKI (THE GUITARIST FOR VERSAILLES) IS GONNA BE AT THE CON IN 2024 LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!! THANK YOU ANIME BOSTON
😂 I was just going to leave u a message on this video to go look at ab24 guest announcements lol
😂 I just re-watched your video and seeing this update is absolutely amazing!
I am making the pog face
I was sold on Queen Bee concert honestly (flying from California). I'm doing interviews with guests and content creators. Are you interested in chatting (can be just verbally recorded) if you're interested
As an avid weeb con attender, I cannot express how much an hour and a half about a weeb con that I’ve never been to is relevant to my interests
Lmao same
@@lotusthemermaid😮😮😊
I've watched anime "in the closet" since I stumbled upon Inuyasha on adult swim in 2004. Still haven't been to a con due to crippling social anxiety, and high school memories of how badly the anime kids got made fun of. Now I'm afraid of being "too casual" as I don't watch most new shows. Ah well. Maybe someday...
I still struggle with confidence, but I wish I had the confidence I do today, 20 years ago. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just nerdy.
@@PsRohrbaughlol 2004 wasn't that long agooooOMG I'm old...
I was one of the 60 people at TOTEMCon in Natick, MA back in 2002. I was 13 years old, with my mom, and we all got to hang out with Scott Mcneil and Brian Drumond for a bunch of hours. Basically, an early 2000s kids dream come true. I remember we sprinted to a nearby Hot Topic to buy Dragon Ball T-shirts for the two VAs to sign. I'm now 35 years old, never remembered what the con was called, and am incredibly grateful to you for connecting this childhood memory.
This vid was such a nostalgia hit. Fun fact, I designed the "Signature Boston" logo that appears all over the Hynes as a wee graphic design intern years ago. This video is how I discovered they apparently own this venue too, I thought it was just the BCEC haha
Nobody cares
@@turtleboy1188 you cared enough to reply lol
*i* care, that’s super cool !!
I also care, that’s super neat!
@@turtleboy1188ratio’d
Anime bostons artist alley was insane til they switched to lottery. It was RUTHLESS and they didnt always post when the sign ups would go live. I remember refreshing the page for hours because we didnt know when it would go live and artists were comparing the minutes and seconds on their time stamps when it finally did go up
I have a friend that has been in artist Alley every year since 2009? And the stories she has told about trying to get a table.
You know someone's the old guard of anime fans when they pronounce it "Ah-nime" instead of "An-ime".
Which is correct?
@@bluebaron6858the word anime comes from animation which is an English word, so I’d say An-ime, and not using the Japanese A sound at the front.
@@bluebaron6858 Both, technically. An-ime goes back to Animation, which is the loanword that anime comes from. Ah-nime is just pronouncing it the way a Japanese speaker would with the language's phonetics アニメ
That did catch me off guard. I completely forgot people used to pronounce it that way in the US. But the dude was over pronouncing each syllable or something.
Truthfully in Japanese a sounds like ah so it’s not wrong
It makes me so happy to see old, physical photos, with that old grain and flash, of cosplay! It fills my heart with joy.
Hearing about anime cons Of Old is absolutely fascinating as somebody who was one year old in 2003. The vibe just seems completely different
Nice pfp
I was a junior in high school during 2003 - 2004. The "anime kids" at my school got made fun of HARD. I learned about anime during that time by stumbling upon Inuyasha on adult swim, and watched it "in the closet". It wasn't until 2010 or so that I even had the confidence to tell another person I liked watching anime. I still haven't been to a con.
.
I wrote my comment because going to a con was totally different 20 years ago. If you were "normal" you wouldn't want to get caught dead at an anime con. Being into anime was a defining part of your personality, and many people weren't willing to make that jump. I wasn't. I liked watching Inuyasha, but I wasn't about to become an "anime kid". I wonder where I'd be if I did...
As someone who first went to one around this time, I've got a message for you to spread.
Support your local anime scene. Buy from mom and pop stores, attend cons, and attend get togethers in your area with ANY like minded individuals. The corporatism of the modern era his stripped a lot of that magic from the whole experience, but it's not completely gone.
I was literally born in 03
Seeing the wakaba cosplayer in the beginning was so njce to see, older cosplays have such a charm to them
As an old school weeb and New England native, I always WANTED to be nostalgic for Anime Boston, but it started a year after I joined the Marine Corps, so I've never actually been. Thanks for letting me experience that vicariously!
So the bit about the fire Marshal stirred a memory, and one of the biggest reasons fire marshals were so involved was because two months prior to the first AnimeBoston, the Station nightclub fire happened in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Event capacity was high key in everyone's mind at that point, it feels like nothing to us now, but that fire really put it back in perspective.
Great video btw!
The Fire Safety Course I took to be AB Con Security cited that Nightclub Fire and even included a few brief interviews. This was a few years ago, mind you... 2016 or 17.
as someone who loves anime cons but who will likely only attend cons based in ireland and the uk, i love the second hand nostalgia i get hearing people talk about conventions from back in the day
Great video! I've been going to Anime Boston since 2005, and was on their staff from 2010-2018. I was actually responsible for the new logo and rebranding in 2010. Thank you for putting a lot of work and research into a comprehensive history of the con!
As someone who’s been going to AB for 10+ years and literally met the man I’m about to marry there, I can’t can not tell you how warm this makes my heart. Thank you so much for putting together such a great video and doing amazing research!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Congratulations on your wedding.
Rewatching this after going to Anime Boston 2024. What a gem of a con!
I'm a volunteer for Anime Boston who's been attending since that first year in 2003 and providing art for publications and merch since 2007 (I did the 2007 Program Guide cover, and it turns out I drew A-chan's kimono folded improperly, right over left, which is a funeral arrangement! Did this set the wheels of bad luck into motion that caused the Line Con disaster of 2008?!) I was absolutely charmed by this retrospective and surprised by the new things I learned about its first year, when I was but a wee college student at my first anime convention ever. I'll never forget that first year's excitement and energy, in spite of the space restrictions! I just wanna thank you for doing such a thoughtful, informative look at a con that means so much to me that really captures how much care and passion goes into its operation. There are so many memories in here, and it makes me proud to be a part of the team that makes them possible, for over 15 years. It's great to see you'll be at AB2024 as a guest, and I'm looking forward to attending a panel of yours.
Okay seeing my first cosplay from Mikkakan was not what I was expecting.
As someone who hasn't been to a con since AX 2000, I find this all simultaneously fascinating and overwhelming 😃
My first experience with Bad Anime Bad was indeed a lamb to the slaughter my first Anime Boston as a young high schooler brought there by friends. I was SO excited when I moved and attended my first Katsucon and saw it on the schedule. I excitedly dragged my husband to this panel HYPED. I was borderline devastated that the format had changed and instead of a hilarious clip show you'd almost pee your pants watching.. it was just watching nearly the entirety of Food Fight.
Thanks for the history. Great look back and AB’s history and telling some of our story. I’ve been on staff since ‘03 and would never dream of stopping. AB is “home” to so many people and we strive to deserve that place in their lives more than many can understand.
48:22 Holy shit! As one of the people who works for OMG!Con in Kentucky Greg has been here yearly since it's conception as well and even helped the con out in it's early days when we had some logistical problems.
As a Mass native and serial PAX East attendee, this was a fascinating look at the history of "The Other Con." I've been toying with going to AB for a few years now, maybe 2024 is when I make the jump.
"smexy bishie"
**takes drag of cigarette** now that is a phrase I've not heard in a long time
God the footage you have sourced for this is like a series of ancient relics being uncovered.
Man, as a NH native, it is SO WEIRD hearing all these towns and cities coming from TH-camrs. It’s so rare that I can say “I know that place!” But this is ALL that!
Literally same! Never been to a con because most of the more well-known ones are so far away! Good to know NH has had a few pop up here and there!
As a long-time staffer (since '16) and having attended the con since '09 (and I've heard stories about the early days) - AB holds a special place in my heart. We have our ups and downs, as other conventions do, but it's the other staffers, exec staff, and the people that make the con for what it is. I find that AB treats people more like people. I have a few friends that I've kept in contact with (only if I see them once a year) and the friendships I've made have lasted the test of time. As an attendee, I enjoyed the atmosphere. The "small con feel" despite it sold me. It's the one con I do whatever I can to go back to, to work, and make other people how I feel. It's three days, but it's your home away from home.
Also! Glad to have seen you as a guest this year! Come back soon! ^^/
Damn, I can't believe I spent like 3 hours watching youtube documentaries about conventions I will never go to. Very interesting stuff! Great job.
It's a shame we'll never see this kind of video for FFXIV's recent FanFest in Vegas that was such a nightmare.
Got any recommendations? I’m trying to be this far deep into it 😂
I’m a Mass native, and a con-goer, (who loves learning about early anime fandom) so this video is absolutely perfect for me and my niche interests. It’s so cool but also a little surreal seeing people mention locations I’ve been to many times. Like I had no idea that the Anime Zakka in Harvard Square (which is closed now sadly) used to be a totally different anime store. That alone is so fascinating.
Anime Zakka exists on Newbury St ... they kept moving it like 3 diff times, but i promise it is there
@@lonerChiseYeah I’ve been to the Newbury Street one! Just think it’s crazy how it used to be in Harvard Square
@@sillygooseygirl oooh yeah, even back when it was in the Garage it moved like 3 times!
i went once in 2015 on a whim kind of trip to boston. i frequented chicago cons big and small and was **floored** by the badge "lines" because there WASN'T any lines. i went with 2 friends. i pre-reg'd and had an email ready, my friend lost their email but pre-reg'd, and my friend forgot to pre-reg. we went to 3 different registration booths and got our badges at the *exact* same time. the artist alley was beautiful. security staff were amazing, filing people into the con area in a breeze. the food options and areas to just *breathe* also were so great because at ACen usually those areas were in the hot summer sun outside and probably on the ground rather than a bench. i didn't even have a hotel at the con and had an amazing time. the longest line i stood in was to meet yoko shimomura which still was only an hour.
i fell in love with anime boston and have wanted to go back ever since. idk if any of the staff will see this, but thank you.
I’ve only gone to California conventions my whole life. I’ve been to ANYC and went to Anime Boston for the first time this year for work. I keep telling my friends that Anime Boston was such a nice convention and the area was amazing! I definitely want to go again as a regular attendee one day.
1:12:18 - Hey speak for yourself! I had a great time when I attended the Bad Anime Bad panel in 2013
For real though I was completely unaware that Anime Boston had so much interesting history behind it. Was definitely cool to get to learn a fair bit more about my local con tonight.
I live in Australia, but when I was in high school I religiously watched AB’s Cosplay Masquerade and Cosplay Chess. I love learning more about it
Having staffed for a small anime con for several years and attending AB for the past two, I can definitely agree with the "small con feel" idea. I've never waited for more than 2 hours before an event and have only been turned away from 1 event due to a full room.
Man, my first AB was 2005 and having stayed at the Park Plaza before, I can't even imagine holding an anime con there TWICE. The AMV contest was always the highlight of my experience.
I was a painfully shy teen- I always wanted to go to a con, but could never get over nerves. I hope to make up for lost time one day. Thank you for all the work you put into your videos- seems like a ton of research and it absolutely pays off
either 2007 or 2008, I don't remember which, was my first anime boston convention (and first con overall!) and I went with my high school anime club, None of us had pre-registered and I remember us being in line for three and a half hours, the line snaking throughout the entire building on saturday. we learned our lesson and in future years and made sure that we did everything in our power to have as short a line wait as possible.
also in 2009 anime boston was the same weekend as my schools prom! and I went to a fancy boarding school. like hair stylists were hired to do hair in the girls dorm lounge, so imagine the dichotomy of several dozen girls sitting around with curling irons, glitter, and silky dresses to me and my small gaggle friends in cosplay and colorful wigs ready to fill in a school shuttle bus for an hour drive to boston
Staffing Anime Boston was a big part of my life. For 10 years! Unfortunately, my division had some.....shenanigan like restructuring happen, and my entire team got pushed out of our Department. It was a sad day. The volunteer staff team for AB is fantastic, 99% of the time. We just got burned by the 1%. Unlucky!
I've been to every anime boston. This video really brought me back with unbridled nostalgia. I have friends just starting their fandom, and now I have something to help educate them. Thank you SO MUCH for covering a cornerstone of my fandom ❤️
Your longest video yet! I remember seeing the Providence Anime Conference section at a panel of yours as a teaser for this video, and it's nice to finally watch the whole thing. Great video!
My brother and I have run the gambit with Anime Boston since 2008 (Our actual first convention ever as seniors in high school) from attendees, to Press, to Panelists and it has definitely been a staple in my con circuit. Now, AB has unfortunately fallen out of my circuit currently as an artist, with AB being so incredibly competitive to get into. If it finally moved to the BCEC, they could fill the space with as many AA table and vendors as they wanted, cutting out the worry of having too much space, giving the left overs from the Hynes application competition a fighting chance of making it! I've vended in the BCEC space for FanExpo Boston for a couple years now and the idea actually sounds more and more appealing if anything were to ever happen to the Hynes. Hopefully I'll make it back to AB one of these years, but the new business certainly comes first, however AB will forever remain close to my heart being my first convention ever and having an amazing time despite 2008 being an infamous year. Top memories for AB have included seeing Orega perform Ghost in the Shell live, filling a panel room with nearly 1000 people, and seeing Roadie rise from nothing and becoming a staple after being a last minute replacement for the Masq. Great Video, Great research! Defintiely makes me miss it even more!
Rip dijit/roadie
Fun vid, got spooked by Tim Buckley as a guest at 2005.
It's weird to remember how popular CAD was back then.
I used to skim through anime Boston videos just to see if I popped up in the background of one
love that ive never been to anime boston but ive been so invested in the cons history that im pointing excitingly knowing this video is the specific niche ill love
this is such a cool video, thank u for making it !! u should know that the boston lolita fashion comm has already shared this video amongst themselves and praised it for being such an interesting and informative look at the convention (and also freaking out bc some of our comm members are featured in the photos lol).
i’ve only been able to go to anime boston once, in 2022 (my first year was supposed to be 2020, but,, y’know), and i already consider it to be My Convention, my favorite one that i’ll always go to when i’m able, so it’s really cool to get to know the history behind it that i wasn’t able to experience for myself.
edit: i’d completely forgotten this, but i had heard a rumor that linecon was caused (or claimed to be caused) by one poor software programmer who was roped into creating the registration system by his girlfriend when he had zero experience making that kind of thing shfbebdbbf
Incredibly fantastic video, I love the story of a con starting and the people behind it. I was surprised by how there was limited cons in the area given the population there.
Thanks for making a very unique video I would love to visit Boston some day.
AB!! I started attending AB around 2013 when i started college in Boston, and have been going ever since, I’m excited to see you go through the early years!
YES, 1 hour and 25 minutes of RED BARD, just what i needed RIGHT NOW!
It's so surreal hearing that Anime Boston only ever had one Line Con when every big convention that I've ever been to in my home state of California has a Line Con every year, even for pre-registration.
Im glad I was an artist alley person during Line Con...also the whole 21 and up con in RI...I went to a different one and yup as a vendor it SUCKED but as a DRINKER IT WAS FUN
46:08 Hey! It's the event I'm now the coordinator of! I will say getting Pat D for this video was so necessary. He was everywhere in the early 00's for cons and basically knows the New England scene like the back of his hand.
Coordinator of the best event that goes strong every year. Cosplay Human Chess is a quintessential event for AB Sunday.
@@AshyGirl Thank you very much. Getting to run Chess has been a privilege and honor
I’ve been listening to Katie Hunt’s Convention Confessionals podcast for a few years now and it was super wholesome to see some of the folks I’ve only heard on the podcast! Patrick’s voice is so distinct that I recognized it immediately 😊 Awesome vid and history finding, thank you! Anime cons have been a part of my life since 2007 and I doubt I’ll ever get tired of listening or learning about them. 🥰
I always love videos like this as someone who has volunteered at and have worked as pretty much a staff member at another convention for... Five years now.
**coughs up dust**
And have been going to anime cons since about the 2010's I am always curious about the history of various anime conventions.
Damn. My childhood nostalgia ey? I was at the first Anime Bostons. My Dad is awesome and always supported my obscure interests so he brought middle schooler me the first few years until I was old enough to take the train in on my own with friends. Cosplayed as Aya from Weiss Kreuz in 03 and 04. Attended annually until 2010. It was so hype getting into Toonami and Adult Swim then finding out there was gonna be a whole convention focused on this newfound hobby of mine. I think I might still have the 2 lanyards from the Park Plaza years.
Lmao I remember being at the first Chibi Project panels in a tiny room. God this is awesome hahaha
Aw man seeing the interview with Greg brings a huge smile to my face. I remember, must've been around 2007, being huge into the band KMFDM at the time. Anyway I showed up to the meet and greet with him and we were both in KMFDM t-shirts we were like, "aw hell yeah dude" I asked him to play some at the rave.
I honestly think that a 21+ Anime Con that's not just... Hentai and Alcohol would be really fun in the year of our lord 2023. Like Imagine a panel talking about old con horror stories? It could be a celebration of how far conventions have come since the early 2000s!
PAC 2008! I was there! Thanks for that tangent, brought back some fun memories. Only thing I can clearly recall is how Rhode Island sized it felt, which I guess was both a positive and negative. Still glad I went!
Ah yes. “The Great Wait of ‘08”and “The Long Line of ‘09”. I still have flashbacks. I was there when the “free hugs” were nigh unavoidable, when dozens were lost to the Glomp Pits.
I was there…and the cringe never leaves you when you were *there*
2005 was my first year, and I look back on it fondly. Even Line Con I've got great memories of. You just.... had to be there, really. In general, the anime and convention climate was so, so different than it is now. Cons now are nothing like they were in the mid 2000's, or even going in to the 2010's.
Yay! I saw myself in the panning crowd shot of Bad Anime Bad!
Thank you so much for making this. I went to that first Anime Boston, but didn't know it was literally the first one at the time. I was in a special reserve room to see Tiffany Grant first and it's one of my most memorable con going experience. I remember how everyone was buzzing about the Gundam boys panel, which I didn't know was such a unique thing until now.
incredible video! my group of friends and i dedicate our entire year to anime boston prep and excitement, it’s like a second home to us. the community and history has always stood out to me as unique and this video is an incredible spotlight into the history and the people involved. and i spotted me and my girlfriend in one of the video clips! great stuff as usual!
My first con was AB '09, and I attended for the next 9 years. It's truly an incredible convention.
It's so fun to see older con footage! And a great insight into the scale of American cons for me lol, one of the smallest most casual cons here in NL usually gets 1000-6000 visitors 😅
When referencing PAC in your tangent, you mentioned that you wanted to see a convention like it. I would certainly point you to check out Sangawa Project in Pittsburgh. It is a 18+ adult-oriented convention in PAC's vein run by the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society that was started in 2010 and has been going on-and-off for 9 years, with the 10th year coming up in February 2024. Give it a look.
Just got back from AB24 & been going since 2006! Great vid on AB & line con was ridiculous.
Been a big fan of your nerd culture stuff for years and really appreciate the intense level of research you do. It's so cool to see you covering something I've had a ton of direct involvement with! The "small con feel" is always how I'm pitching AB to people to get them to attend
The thing about PAC was such a bummer. It was a neat idea for a convention and could have been something really special. I hope someone tries it again down the line. I know similar things have been tried in smaller scale, like the Yoko Kanno jazz bar one year at Anime Boston.
I used to spend so much time on the AnimeonDVD forum. I lived in GA at the time but it was THE place to go to learn more about new releases, plus there was direct access to the anime companies releasing them which you really couldn’t find elsewhere.
What great memories! I attended AB 2003 through 2014 and 2022. I was also one of the few to attend PAC. It was all thanks to seeing a flyer in Tokyo Kid did I learn about the con.
Many of my best memories are from Anime Boston. Two memories being of me going on the masquerade stage solo doing a Para Para dance and running my panel 'Swordsmanship from Around the World' for five years and being able to get the largest panel room the last two years. I was so surprised they had to cut the line and turn people away after reaching capacity. Thank you for making this video!
Been going since 2006. Remember linecon 2008. Lines for lines for lines for lines for lines for lines. Like whole rooms for lines. Like the big rooms on the first floor that now are the dealer rooms, where rooms for just lines. Lines in the halls wrapping all around and stuff. I do not remember 10hrs, but I remember going in the morning to pick up badge, but waiting till like maybe noon before getting my badge IIRC. Fun times.
Seems like there is always a capacity issue throughout the years. Even this year there was a issue. Always compare it back to 2008, and thus far even with issues its never as bad as 2008.
This year was because of a flood! Absolutely insane, but sort of an act of god situation instead of a logistical choice
This year wasn't the best con, but it was my 10th year going and I'm looking forward to next year!
0:15 Oh my lord its been 20yrs already?? I remember the first ones! Oh Glob I'm old as heck! 😂😂 I think it was the first or second one I volunteered at the first aid area.
I've been attending Anime Boston for over a decade - so happy to learn more about the history
I'd definitely love to see you cover Katsucon sometime down the line! I've been there a few times, so I'd be able to tell you what it was like!
Katsucon was my first con and that hotel is gorgeous
My first was in 2020 ironically enough, and I dropped my jaw when I first entered the place.
Finally made it to my first AB in 2022! I live in Houston, Texas.
I'm from the UK, but have been watching the Death Battle and Cosplay chess events since I first got on TH-cam. Maybe some day I'll manage to get over there. Maybe someday...
My god, what I wouldn't give to see Versailles perform at a con here in the states! I think the only time that happened was at A-kon 2009, which I couldn't make it to because I live on the opposite side of the country.
But yes, this was a great video, and now I'm considering doing a similar thing for my hometown con, Anime Central
Oh man, this is how I find out Tokyo Kid is gone? RIP, I used to stop by it and a lot of other stores in the Garage whenever I was visiting my grandparents in the Harvard square type area.
AB 08 was my first ever con, so I thought a 5 hour line was the norm. I still had a great time. I was kinda hoping the reason why AB no longer has an informal dance would be discussed, but that could probably be its own video tbh. Also, I learned that the location of Mikkakan was about a minute's drive from my work. The hotel's gone and been replaced by apartments.
As a comparison, a lot of the cons (cons, not expos) in the Seattle area started from trying to get another Worldcon in the area. I wish I was kidding. Norwescon came about because Westercon is a traveling con for the west coast states, and the only time that Seattle had held a worldcon before was 1961. For comparison, the next Worldcon after that for the entire Puget Sound region will be 2025. which will be two weekends shy of the NASFiC convention Cascadiacon's 20th. The only reason that the worldcon got displaced is a little expo that normally takes place on Labor Day weekend called PAX West. But yes, We got the regional SF Con, Norwescon, just to get experience at holding larger cons.
The first con to spin off from it was in the mid 80s with Dragonflight. Dragonflight is the "local" Gaming con and while for the first 20 years that included video games. Thanks to PAX, that's no longer the case. Dragonflight is still the regional tabletop gaming con and had it's 44th in 2024.
Then came the smaller, more family friednly SF con, Rustycon. The name comes from the joke that Fans in the PNW don't age, we rust. It started off as a con in January, but in the 2010s it moved back to October.
In the 90s, a new con came into being due to a recent climb in popularity for Anime. This would the one that most of you would have heard about, Sakuracon. The original plan for thge con was it to be held two weeks after Easter Weekend. Why Easter Weekend? Because that's when Norwescon takes place. It made sense at the time that there would be overlap between memberships for the two cons, as at the time Anime was just as niche as speculative fiction, if not more so. and up until 2006 it was held at the SeaTac hotels but quickly moved to the State Convention Center in Downtown Seattle. Four years later, it would decide that members would have to choose between the two cons and moved up to the same weekend as Norwes.
I was an officer of the anime club at UMF during my time there. I worked on one of the mini-cons, then we did a con with all the geek clubs on campus. I think it is still going on! It is so nice to see a call out to my alma mater so randomly!
Also Port Con had some people associated with Mini Con setting that one up (I was a volunteer for that one too!)
Ah this video makes me feel old lol
Man those screenshots of old websites are sending me for a loop lol
Oh boy. I remember linecon. It was the first and last time I went to AnimeBoston. How lucky for me lol
I survived LineCon. Luckily I only waited like an hour and a half to pickup my badge, but one of my friends was in line for, not kidding, 11 hours. All day. We came to visit her throughout the day and brought her lunch. Ah memories. Then there was that year when there was no water or crowd control and several people passed out at the parties. That might have been the same year someone was handcuffed and wheeled out to an ambulance? Don't remember. I stopped going around that time. Wasn't passing the vibe check.
Yeah I think those were 2 years back to back, maybe 07 and 09? I stopped going after those as well.
Love your bootleg panels! I always catch you at AB when I can 😄
EDIT: Finished the video, also agree 100% with that very last statement there. What the hell were they thinking?!
This is so amazing, this kind of stuff is usually what people take for granted, and I really appreciate you taking steps to document it. Will you be doing a history deep-dive on other cons? I know Anime Boston was more personal to you. Either way, it's really appreciated!
ah yes, my home con...still have that "was here first" tshirt and everything!
ahhh, so many oldtaku snaps! So much memories
LOL I am in this video and its hilarious to see my friend "lose" me for a second
This was such a well done and researched video, ab is my first con and it's so nice to see how much of a loving weeb community it has. Thank you for putting this together!
I was also so excited to see I'm in one of the shots in my Miku cosplay at 30:57! 🖤
I attended 08-14, 17, and 19. AB is a shadow of what it used to be.
1. The rave. A legendary two room rave, culminating in dancers from all of New England BBoy battling to happy hardcore. Gone since 2012.
2. Metal detectors. You can blame the Boston bombing, but needing to wait in a TSA line every time I need to walk through a door? Absolute shit.
3. Boston is hostile. Hartford, Baltimore, the National Harbor, Sandusky, LA, nearly every other city welcomes business. I can assure you, Bostonians are looking at you all with contempt because you’re causing traffic.
The guest are decent, dealer’s room is big, but I’ve never felt more bored spending 2k to go to a convention.
My sole memory of the con was attending Anime Boston 2013 as a freshman with my high school anime club and having my stepdad chaperone, as I was one of only two male club members. I remember spending all my money in artist's alley and then going hungry while waiting in our hotel room, since I didn't want to wait in line for whatever panel they had going on in the evening.
I went to college in Boston in the early 2000s and volunteered a couple days at the first con in 2003. The main thing I remember from my time volunteering is being asked to go stand at the end of the registration line one day, just to tell people that the line was cut off at that point, per order of the fire marshall. It really was that packed in there.
The only other thing I remember was one of my college professors walking into the con and recognizing me, and me thinking it was funny that one of my random professors was also a NERD.
I watched alot of your videos over 2 years ago and recently rediscovered your channel. I'm so happy your videos are still done in the same style/format! Cause it's such a great format!
Love these con retrospectives, especially for cons like Anime Boston that I don't have a history with (mostly stay local to the DC area)!
Also lol the Fata Morgana OST during their drive home from Otakon around 5 min in 😅
Greg has also gone to Winnipeg's Ai-kon for every year I've been going, and that is since 2008. Hes just a real good dude.
Thank you for this video! AB is my home con, and I've been going since 2005. I learned about in 2002/2003 thru the anime magazine Animerica. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince my family to let me go in 2003 and 2004. But in senior year, I organized a group from my anime club to go. Haven't stopped going since. Lived thru line con. The one year I forgot to pre reg. 😆 I've met many friends at this con and have plenty of fun memories. AB in the early days was also the con where I learned about new shows coming out from Japan due to cosplayers or something catching my eye in the dealers room or artist Alley. Also have to mention how much I miss Tokyo Kid in Boston. RIP Tokyo Kid. 2005 and 2006, you did notice the extra space. Which was great for photoshoots and being away from the crowds. OMG I miss the raze 😆 And Greg is just part of AB.
Also, I wasn't expecting to see myself walking right across the camera at 1:03:13 😂😂 and totally agree with your musical quest choice!
Just started going only recently to anime Boston but this was awesome !
Love the grassroots organizing of Anime fans all those years ago.
Especially love how you brought attention to the passionate fans who made it happen
Algorithmic punch!
Great Video, amazing pursuit and use of primary sources, and I personally appreciated the context it gave me as I had been only 13 and 14 when I attended in 2003/04 and had no real context for the in depth perspective you gave. Also helped explain what everyone was talking about with the kiosk errors in '08 since I only attended Sunday that year, and was unsure why every one seemed so tense. The information of PAC was also interesting and well conveyed, but I was surprised you did not seem to comment on the 1 year (?) Nautti con in Province Town MA, but I suppose the video was long enough.
Thanks for all the hard work, and for the video.
My first Anime Boston was 2007. Some of the con footage shown here was a real blast from the past. Remembering each and every year's Big Cosplayed characters, thinking about just how long Final Fantasy VII was a Big Deal. Line Con. The old mascot art. Recognizing people in the footage (looking for any of me and kind of dreading seeing a younger me in my earlier cosplay attempts). Remembering being in various cosplay events and having blast. That time there was a feud with Pax East (I haven't finished the video; I don't know if this gets mentioned). Being a volunteer formal dance host. The Drama about JRock guests some people wanted.
I just got to the Gundam Wing discussion. People who weren't there for it have NO idea how big Gundam Wing was. Gundam Wing was a juggernaut. My DAD was buying Gundam Wing magazines and model kits (and trying to fight me for mine)
Anime Boston was my first con back in 2013! It’s still my favorite con and I couldn’t imagine it anywhere other than the Hynes. I love looking at cons from the early 2000s especially how cosplay has changed.
Excited asf to watch this video! First went to anime Boston back in 2006 & 2007 when I was 11-12 years old 😅 gone a few times since then before Covid but I look forward to it more than anything else in the year!! Lol
I love early cons. I used to go to nan desu con back in the early 2000s. It was so much more campy n dorky. Nowadays cons r still fun. Just not the same lol
Ah, memories. I went to AB from the first one up to '08 when The Pillows performed. By the time it started I had already been to a couple of Otakons so the "by fans for fans" nature of the con (especially the first couple of years) was a real trip. The whole thing felt like it started in someone's garage and got out of hand.
I'll always remember laughing at the morose graffiti/scrawlings on the tape for the reg queue. Seeing lamentations like "I've been here for 12 hours" was wild. Also some Something Awful goon snapped an unflattering picture of me in all my hefty glory standing underneath a sign that said "FOOD". Good times.