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Anime Boston Author's Notes Notes electronically scribbled at Logan Airport while waiting for an Easter morning flight home: Fans who traveled to the Park Plaza hotel in Boston on Saturday afternoon were greeted by something never seen at a North American anime convention: a "sold out" sign. The inaugural Anime Boston wasn't halfway over and the convention had run out of room. People walking into the hotel were greeted by a convention volunteer who informed them that if they hadn't registered in advance, they wouldn't be able to get in and would have to come back on Sunday. There was talk that hundreds of people had to be turned away on the convention's busiest day. No one could have imagined that New England anime fans would respond to the region's first substantial convention in such numbers. People around the convention said they had expected to get around 500 people for their event. Surprise followed when 1,300 fans registered in advance, and amazement set in on Anime Boston's first day when around 2,000 people packed the hotel. The best estimates on Saturday were that around 4,000 people had jammed into the hotel. Anime Boston probably was the year's largest anime event up to that point (of course, larger events followed in a few weeks). Consider how fast the anime convention phenomenon has grown: of the six conventions attended by this site in 2003, the oldest event was Katsucon, which started in 1995. Second oldest was Sakura Con, which began as Baka! Con in 1998, the year that saw the launch of four or five conventions and marked the beginning of the anime con boom. There have been three Ohayocons as of this writing and two Ushicons. Tekkoshocon and Anime Boston were brand new for 2003, and there were plans for another eight first-time conventions during the year. Anime Boston was one of the biggest first-time anime conventions ever, drawing more people than three 2002 inaugural conventions combined (Ushicon, AnimeNEXT and C-Kon). Earlier, there had been some small New England anime getogethers and a Mikkakan in New Hampshire in 2001, but nothing in the region like Anime Boston. The first Anime Central in 1998 had been the previous startup attendance pace-setter with around 1,200, but Anime Boston more than tripled those numbers. Only 2002's Anime Expo New York exceeded Anime Boston's totals - and you could argue that AXNY wasn't a first-time event because of the previous year's Big Apple Anime Fest. The expectation of short attendance for Anime Boston probably came because the convention was on the Easter weekend when many families stay home. Instead, fans left their homes and packed into the hotel just down the street from Cosplay Square - oops, Copley Square. "Packed" is more than a cliché for the Boston crowd on the Patriot's Day weekend. The Park Plaza had its liveliest and largest crowd since the days of the Kennedy political rallies, and every inch of the hotel's meeting areas was filled. The hotel, a restored relic from 1927 that had all of the charm and shortcomings of a Depression-era building, had dozens of meeting rooms on three floors and a ballroom that could have come from a Fred Astaire film. But it didn't have the open spaces that anime conventions need for the hanging out that is a big part of these events. The result was the most crowded conditions this author has seen, other than the crowd trying to get out of the grandstands after the Indianapolis 500. On the mezzanine level, where most events took place, the dealers' room line mixed with the registration line and fans trying to get to panel discussions and video rooms. Usually, there's a gap at an anime convention where fans can stop for a moment to look over the scene, take a breath, chat with a friend and decide what to do next. At Anime Boston, you had to go outside to change your mind, it was so crowded - and that was the reason that fans were turned away on Saturday. The crowded conditions led to an entertaining mix of cultures in the hotel's lobby. Costumed fans were eyed by amazed middle aged travelers, while slim runners slipped through the crowd, headed out to warm up for the Boston Marathon. Into the middle of this jumble of personalities wandered a wedding party of tuxedoed men, bridesmaids in bright red dresses and the wedding couple - who must have been amazed to find that they were the least elaborately dressed group of the weekend. At one point, the author spotted a group of pink-clad costumers in baseball uniforms. They had made themselves into the complete nine-member baseball team from Princess Nine. The group was no more than 15 feet from the author, but he could not get to them for a picture. Later, the group went to the ADV Films panel; the author tried to squeeze in, but the room was more than overstuffed. Despite the crowd, the convention ran well. Events started nearly on time, with the exception of a one-hour delay in starting the often-disorganized Saturday night masquerade. The organizers must have figured they were having a bad night when the audience started yelling pronunciation corrections to the master of ceremonies (who also was the convention chairman, a person who had to be frazzled at best after a long weekend of running the show). The crowding is going to be eased in 2004 when the dealers' room moves to a neighboring building (say a prayer for dry weather), but eventually Anime Boston is going to have to look for a larger facility, which probably will mean more expenses for everyone involved. Until then, don't be surprised if the 2004 convention has an attendance limit. Maybe there would have been fewer people at the convention if the organizers had not managed to get all five of the Vancouver-based Gundam Wing pilot voice actors. However, minus that group, the convention would have been a lot less fun. The Gundam Wing quintet drew more attention and cheers - mostly female - than any other convention guests in 2003. After their individual panel appearances, each actor was swarmed by loving fans who wanted autographs and hugs in equal numbers. And the performers good-naturedly accepted the weekend's yaoi jokes. Brad Swaile was especially amazed at the audience for their Saturday joint appearance, noting that fans had insisted that two of them switch seats because they were sitting in the wrong order - and cheered when they moved into the "right" order. The popularity of Gundam Wing might confound those who look mostly to conventions for product announcements from anime importers. New Mobile Report Gundam Wing was released in Japan in 1997, and took another couple of years to get to the U.S., so it was "old" when it got to cable TV - but no one at the convention was unhappy with that. And no one at Anime Boston complained about any of the changes that were made to Gundam Wing for the U.S. cablecast or criticized the dub; the fans were overjoyed to see the faces behind the English-language voices. Gundam Wing's popularity at the convention showed the power of the Cartoon Network to attract new fans to anime, and demonstrated that a strong story generates devoted fans, no matter what. Panels Pictures