After the crowd from Kanako Itou left, and those waiting in line for the second act were seated, the room buzzed with excitement. The queen of Akihabara was in Boston, and she was going to be giving her best for the thousands in attendance! The crowd began chanting in unison, making cries of "Hey!" as Momoi marched onto the stage in a short pink dress.

The cheers grew louder, and glowsticks began waving about furiously, as she greeted the fans and began singing Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru, opener to Nurse Witch Komugi. Without skipping a beat, she continued into Kujibiki Unbalance.

In contrast to Ito's concert, Momoi maintained a high-energy show, belting out a mix of hits like Romantic Summer and Wonder Momo-i, as well as covers of fan-favorite anime songs like Give a Reason from Slayers Next and God Knows from Haruhi. Even slower songs, like Yurumates theme Loosey Goosey had a bouncy, peppy feel to them as Momoi swayed and danced to the beats.

Through the concert, Momoi not only defended, but flaunted her reputation as an entertainer as she worked the room at every possible chance. Her infectious energy spread through the room, as she bounded across the stage giving calls out to the audience and pausing at the perfect moment for cameras to snap a clear shot. The crowd was happy to oblige, as they bounced, shouted, and waved glowsticks with reckless abandon. Every song received a huge pop from the crowd, and every plea to the audience was met with excited shouts.

Even as she took her bow and left the stage, the crowd buzzed with excitement, discussing their favorite songs and sharing their reactions to what they had just experienced. It was an experience that they would talk about for some time to come.

It's difficult to name a highlight to the event, though if forced to narrow things down, this writer would nominate Give a Reason or Wonder Momo-i. Since they were both higher-energy pieces, they really allowed Momoi to work within her element. Her impeccable showmanship and ability to work a room came out in these particular songs, as she encouraged and called to the crowd between verses, and managed to get even the most jaded viewer onto his feet and yelling out to her calls.

What kind of convention doesn’t have cosplayers? While my time was a bit limited this year, I was able to snap a decent number of photographs, nonetheless. As always, many thanks to those who allowed pictures!

Anime Boston 2012 - Concert Footage

This year, I was fortunate to be able to take some video footage of the two concerts. I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the convention staff and NitroPlus for granting permission.

Kanako Itou Concert - Hacking to the Gate

Kanako Itou Concert - Lost Control

Kanako Itou Concert - Rise on Green Wings

Kanako Itou Concert - Shoes of Glass

Haruko Momoi Concert - Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru

Haruko Momoi Concert - 21 Seiki

For the past ten years, Patrick D, Jekka, and (sometimes) Liz hosted an hour of mayhem, destruction, and cheesy humor. The Chibi Project has become somewhat of a Friday Night ritual for many, as they file in to see just what toys get trashed, and how. Whether they take a circular saw to Pikachu, sanding down Love Hina figures, or nailing a Derek Jeter figure with a baseball bat, Patrick and Jekka always leave attendees guessing until they get down to business.

This year, Liz made it to the convention, which turned the normally destructive duo into a trio looking to maim innocent toys. They opened this year’s panel with a brief skit involving Portal’s GladOS and a Chibi Moon cosplayer as a way to unveil their new theme music. After going through the requisite introductions, the three got down to business. In past years, Patrick and Jekka had fantastic luck with all manner of destruction, save one. Every time a blender was involved, the two were soundly defeated. Whether it was with a Mega Man figure in 2005 or Ken-Ohki in 2009, the toy always managed to evade destruction at the hands of the swirling blades.

This year, no expense was spared to get revenge on the toys that eluded this particular fate. To ensure that this went right, Patrick D brought the big guns into play with a BlendTec blender (the same brand used in the “Will It Blend?” videos). The victim of this year’s experiment was a Misty (from Pokemon) figure. Upon initial insertion into the blender, it seemed like this may have been a repeat of the previous experiments. The figure bounced and bobbed in the plastic chamber for nearly one minute before it began breaking into pieces. Once the first arm was removed though, the toy was easily dismembered and shattered. By the end of the test, all that remained of the toy was a smattering of body parts and plastic dust.

This wasn’t the end, though. As a bonus, Liz produced a Ryo-Ohki doll from behind the table, and proceeded to select a number of volunteers from the audience. The toy would meet the most cruel of fates: ripped to pieces by the mob of volunteers. The doll went down with little struggle, as pieces flew off and stuffing scattered across the floor. One of the volunteers, a small girl clad in a Team Rocket costume, proved to be particularly entertaining in this, as she elicited several evil laughs and screamed for blood numerous times, as she hurried to grab fallen body parts and stuffing.

Afterwards, the floor was opened to a few questions. No destructible gifts were given this year, though Patrick D did confirm that they still had the hugging pillow from last year’s panel, and that they were planning a fitting punishment for it.

This year, the FUNimation panel could be defined by two simple words: “Fan appreciation.” Basically, in addition to the normal flow of release date announcements and new title reveals, the FUNimation crew unveiled what was, without a doubt, the most unusual and unsettling ways of creating brand attachment in a public forum.

Fan Appreciation segments were divided into two parts. The first was “live stories,” in which the reps chose members from the audience to rise to the podium and tell their stories about how FUNimation changed their lives. The second, mail-in entries involved either Adam or Justin reading stories from anecdotes from fans, which were previously submitted via FUNimation’s web site. In both cases, the story’s owner would receive a prize of sorts, be it a DVD or some merchandise.

If this were done properly, it would have been a fantastic move on a business level. Attaching the company’s brand name to positive experiences and good times would be a brilliant way of creating brand attachment in the marketplace. People would be able to recall the company name, and associate it with these experiences, thus creating a greater desire to purchase from (and therefore fund) FUNimation in particular going forward. It’s a technique that’s known as “Emotional Brand Attachment” in marketing circles. In English, this means that people generally make relationships with corporate brands similarly to the way they form relationships with other people. And with these relationships come the same factors of trust, loyalty, and commitment that would stem from human interactions. Some companies managed to do this well in the past: Apple computers is a prime example of Emotional Brand Attachment gone right.

Unfortunately, what went on at the front of Hall A this year was far from an Apple experience. Through each Fan Appreciation segment, it was clear that the reps were trying too hard, as they read stories that sounded like terrible LiveJournal posts and tried to keep the crowd engaged somehow.

While these segments were somewhat offset by revelations of the company’s shiny new titles and information on the upcoming Mass Effect and Dragon Age “anime” features. the sheer surreal nature of the Fan Appreciation moments make them stand out as surreal highlights of an otherwise run-of-the-mill industry event.

Note: This isn’t a commentary on FUNimation reps Justin Rojas and Adam Sheehan – they’re fantastic people that genuinely love what they do, and will go above and beyond to make people happy. This is a commentary on the panel proper.

Many that take up anime as a hobby do so with a bright-eyed naivete. They see shows like Cowboy Bebop, Bleach, or One Piece and follow recommendations from friends, which leads to the impression that the medium can do no wrong. For the past ten years, Brian Price has been dispelling this myth in Bad Anime, Bad!, where the worst of the worst anime is placed on display for all to see.

This year's panel began with the first episode of Garzey's Wing, brainchild of Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. For the uninitiated, this is a title that was so horrible, so absurdly idiotic in its execution that it's become the focus of numerous jokes and jeers. It's a title that is so bad that the show's Wikipedia page states that it "remains as an example to all directors of how a project can have some good ideas, yet fall apart in production." Of course, this wouldn't be the complete experience unless Central Park's hilariously bad dub was shown. And, thankfully, Price didn't disappoint.

After Garzey's Wings, he switched over to Protectors of Universe: a Korean studio's attempt at creating an "anime" title. The title is a regular apperance in Wal-Mart bargain bins that shamelessly steals character and mechanical designs from other shows, like Gundam, Mazinger, and Voltron. The story makes no sense, the English dub is shrill and off-pitch, and the sound effects seem to have a five-dollar budget, as they use recordings of bottle rockets and other household items. The plot made little sense, and the hero for the forces of good was Mazinger 7, which is a combination of Mazinger Z's body and a Gundam-like face. Which makes this robot truly hilarious, though, is the fact that Mazinger 7 docks with an intergalactic train that is usually filled with children by spreading its legs and taking the train into its ass.

Midway into Protectors, Price switched to segments from a pair of adaptations of western works. The first, Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned is an adaptation of Marvel Comics's Tomb of Dracula by Toei Animation (Remember that partnership from my Sentai vs. Superheroes articles? Thank that partnership for this film!). The title was acquired by Harmony Gold and dubbed into English in 1983, and focuses on a rag-tag group of vampire hunters (and their eye-gleaming dog), as they hunt for Dracula. In this adaptation, the plot meanders with little regard for continuity, the main characters show little regard for logic, and Dracula is shown as both a sympathetic individual, a remorseless murderer, and somewhat of a goof.

After Dracula, the final anime title began: Toei's adaptation of Frankenstein. In particular, he showed the climactic finale, where the villagers and the good Doctor close in upon the monster. Of course, the only real horror to be had was the terrible dub, and the low-budget animation. Even the supposedly dramatic scene where the monster plummets to his death, and Dr. Frankenstein turns his own shotgun on himself was somehow hilarious.

While simply viewing these features would be enough to inspire peals of laughter in an audience, Price made the experience truly priceless. Through each feature, he is easily visible as he face-palms, groans, and takes the occasional a drink of his (non-alcoholic) beverages. He regularly pauses and rewinds, in order to insert his own commentary, or highlight particularly hilarious segments, be it Chris talking to himself about training naked, in Garzey's Wing, or pointing out that one of the primary antagonists in Protectors of Universe was named Blackman (and that, at one point, his superior cries "Jump, Blackman, JUMP!" with great enthusiasm). His impeccable timing and razor-sharp wit propel the panel to a truly divine level. By the end of the event, laughter roared through the auditorium, and discussions on just how bad Garzey's Wing and Protectors of Universe could get could be heard as people made their way toward the exits. For a tenth year running, the panel was a hit, and fans looking for a laugh got more than they could ever bargain for.

The Superheroes panel returned for a second straight year. Since Ken Haley was sick with the flu, a few changes needed to be made to the panelist lineup for the event. Colin Jansen filled in for the role of Ken. and brought his own expertise to the discussion.

Much like last year, we traced the history of Japanese Sentai shows and western superhero comics, from the pre-war days to the present. With a year under our belts, we had comments and criticisms to work from as well as a good understanding of how the content was supposed to flow, and what needed to be tuned up. We went above and beyond, looking for new facts and topics to add, from Astro Boy predecessor Tank Takuro to Go Nagai's non-mecha contributions to anime.

And then there's the bad jokes. Lots of very, very bad jokes. Still, the panel as a whole was a far tighter experience than what we presented in our inaugural year. The topics were placed more logically, our overall content covered a wider range, and we managed to prevent the once-prevalent problem of dead air.

Anyway, I hope that you do enjoy this year's presentation. It was a ton of fun to work with Sam again, and to present with Colin. It certainly was a pleasure, and I do hope that the panel runs again next year.

This year, as part of the convention's tenth-year anniversary, the set aside a room in the Sheraton to host a museum exhibit. Countless artifacts adorned the walls and tables, which ranged from staff T-shirts to A-chan's costumes, to even the infamous autograph bat, which holds the signatures of all five Gundam Wing actors. Each display was accompanied by a small card, which explained the item's significance.

While the room was small, the memories within were priceless reminders of the good times that the event has seen across the years.

Anime Boston's tenth year is finally behind us, and all that can really be said is "wow." Ten years of memories were closed off with dozens of articles, hundreds of photographs,and hours of video footage taken across sleepless nights. Each year seemed to be an ordeal, with this writer cursing under his breath every Saturday as he rushes from panel to panel.

This year proved to be no different.

As I scrambled between panels and interviews, I often found myself short of time and high on stress. A few four-letter words escaped under my breath as I moved through the crowded halls and time grew tight. Destinations seemed to be almost tauntingly out of reach, though deviation from the schedule was far from an option. Article transcriptions in the Prudential center ran until four in the morning, and sleep was but a fleeting luxury that would offer but a few hours of relief. My shoulders were sore from lugging prizes about, and little disasters seemed to continue to fall upon the gig as key pieces of equipment failed, and batteries seemed to die all too quickly.

Still, I'd have it no other way.

The stress, the insanity, even the frustrations that come with convention weekends are something I look forward to. I love being able to chronicle the events that come every single year. I love writing about the many people this event touches, as I adore capturing the smiling faces of the many who attend. Each panel presents a new story to tell, just as every interview is a chance to look into another side of the industry we all celebrate. It's heartening to see the many that are touched by anime, and the thousands that revel in the fellowship that's grown around it.

So, for the tenth year, I want to thank far, far too many people. As with every year, there are simply far too many to list, though the short list can be summed up as follows:

• Jamison Chew, who has been a huge help over the many years we've worked together. You've always done your best to ensure that the press has the best possible experience. You've answered our crazy questions, arranged interviews, and done absolutely everything to ensure that we can do our jobs to the very best of our abilities. As always, I owe you a drink... or three.
• The Anime Boston staff: Your dedication to the event and professional behavior ensure that everybody has a great convention year over year.
• Haruko Momoi for a fantastic show, as well as an incredible interview. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to speak with us. I wish you the best.
• Caitlin Glass, for a great interview and a truly interesting conversation. Best of luck in your career!
• Jason Sackel from the One Piece Podcast, for a great co-interview with Ms. Glass. It was great to meet you, and to share an interview session.
• The Anime Boston leadership for the chance to peer into the inner workings of the convention, even if it was for only an hour.
• Patrick D and Jekka from The Chibi Project (chibiproject.com), for ten years of hilarious torture to horrible toys.
• Sam Kusek and Colin Jansen, being excellent panel co-hosts, and just being awesome. Thanks again for the opportunity to share a spot on the panel with the both of you. It was great fun, and I hope we can return for a third year at Anime Boston 2013!
• The hundreds of cosplayers that go above and beyond to deliver their best year after year.
• The many winners of this year's contest. I hope you all enjoy your prizes!
• You, dear reader, for reading this year's feature.

Anime Boston 2013 is already scheduled, and will be held from May 24-26. You can count on me being there once again, ready and willing to devote countless hours toward delivering the finest content possible. Until next time, this is Mike Ferreira, signing off.