Anime Boston 2016 Adds Security, Confusion
Anime Boston was one of the very first new cons I attended in my early convention life, way back in 2012. It was my first time in the Boston area and as a newbie I found the con enjoyable since I was with friends and got a thrill out of the cosplays I saw. It does seem to attract a younger crowd than some of the cons I attend as a lot of high schoolers and early year college students seemed like they made up most of the attendees.
However over the years I started doing other cons and after 2013 I never went back to AB due to loss of interest, until this past weekend. Now after doing so many bigger cons how was my return to a con I haven’t been to in three years?… meh.
Honestly the con has changed a lot since my first time going. But even back in 2013 it had its problems, such as the rave issue of 2012 which caused AB to lose their rave in 2013 onward. But this year Anime Boston itself had changed too much.
The elephant in the room that any attendee this past weekend will tell you about is that the lines were insane. At one point the line at the Boylston Street entrance was outside the door and around the Hynes, making cosplayers wait out in the cold while raining, which was causing people to get sick, ruining their costumes, and honestly freezing. These lines were horrendous and could have and should have been handled much better. The lines were mainly due to the extra thorough security check that all attendees had to deal with. Metal detectors and bag checks from actual hired security guards. This led to lines being held up taking some attendees anywhere from a half an hour to a full hour to get into the con from the Prudential center entrance — the primary one used by the massive group of attendees staying at the attached Sheraton of the Hilton across the street.
I understand this was due to the bombing that happened a few years ago and reportedly due to guns being brought in to another event very recently. So it’s understandable why this was done but it could have been handled much better. And the amount of props confiscated was ludicrous. I can understand maybe live steel swords being taken but toy lightsabers from kids is way too much. If it’s made out of foam, Worbla, or wood the prop should be okay as stated in many con guidelines. But I saw a lot of foam, Worbla, and wooden props in the bins. I even had a few friends almost have issues with their much smaller props.
Overall the con itself is pretty decent for local cosplayers and convention goers. It is not something you would want to travel up to attend. The Dealers Room and Artist Alley were very impressive and much bigger than I thought they would be for the con. Also, there was a handful of decent panels and a pretty awesome cosplay masquerade. Overall it’s passable for local congers. I can’t say I would attend the con again myself because I feel it is more for locals than people coming out of state. Not to mention cons like Katsucon are PAX East are in my opinion obvious better choices.
So if you are looking for an anime con in the New England area I highly suggest going for this one. However it’s not worth the four-hour travel it took me to get there nor does it merit its price point, which was $65 for the weekend and the only single-day choice was $25 for Sunday.
(Feature photo by Crash: The Photos)
I actually approached the President and VP at the Panel about this problem, and gave a different light on the situation. The problem was not necessarily the Security measures that had been put in place by MCCA and BPD due to both elevated Security as well as new Laws enacted by the City’s governing body. For the most part these are necessary in a world that is becoming ever more dangerous in violent extremism. No, the true problem lay in the design and terrible operation of the Security itself.
Mind you now we are not referring to the Security Staff of Anime Boston; but moreso to the Contracted Security the Hynes Convention Center forces upon AB (as well as all other Events). To place a line through the Hynes and into the Common area was bad enough, as they should have utilized the Rotundra at the Hyne’s Entrance better as they did in 2015 (which worked wonders). They then placed 5 Checkpoints (Consisting of a Bag Check/Metal Detector/Random Pat-Dowm or Wanding) together and a Weapons check afterwards. This not only caused massive congestion in the Main Lobby in terms of processing Convention Attendees, but stifled the flow of people into the center period. This, of course, is not to mention the inconsistencies that were seen at other Checkpoints where people soon learned that such measures were not being taken.
I simply pointed out to the Pres/VP that utilizing the Rotundra would greatly increase the capabilities of processing Visitors, and allow for smoother flow of traffic. Plus I suggested that the Security from AB should do the Weapons checks, not the Contracted LE Officers who confiscate every little thing.