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The Comiku Girls'
Anime Boston 2004 Convention Report

AB 2004 was a different con experience for us--we were not working at an art table. Every con after our first, we've been working in the art room, and been focused on that aspect of the convention. This time, after having been told the art room was full, we found ourselves in the masquerade show, and thus Anime Boston became about our costuming.

Precon

As she did last year, Li worked with her comic book shop the night before the convention while I got to town. She was able to pick up her pre-registration badge, and then we had the joy of finishing costume details and trying to record our dialog for the masquerade. However, there was a lot of static using my laptop, so we decided to see if we could record with the masquerade sound guy instead; but we still went to bed much later than we should have. Neither of us slept all that well, and so we took a somewhat slow time in the morning (as compared to when we get ready for Otakon).

Friday

Li lives (lived? Since she has moved now) in Boston, and so that made another difference in our Con experience as well; we had to get to the Park Plaza hotel walking and using public transportation. In our costumes. With red eyes and pointy ears. It was a very interesting experience taking the T in partial costume. Boy, the looks we got!

Before we even got to the T though, we started off with a slight problem--we needed to find a way to unstick the top on the container of spirit gum that we use to attach our pointy ears. This led us to a nearby Brookes Pharmacy where we got a multi-purpose wrench tool thingy. Still, we had no luck and eventually broke the cap off. So that led us to buy a small container to keep the glue in. Immediately after we resolved this problem, we had another when we found that one of Akiko's earrings was missing. We found the chain part, but not the hoop that went in her ear. We made do with a bit of thin wire instead. (ouch).

At the con, we split as Akiko registered and Li went to help her comic store set up in the dealers room. The registration line was practically non-existent so Akiko was finished very quickly, so Akiko found the art room (out of habit and also to see about getting some resolution from last year-- we sold a piece in the art show but didn't receive payment). She found that there had been some cancellations and there were now tables available. Unable to get a hold of Li (Lirin costumes do not have pockets in which to keep ones cell phone at hand), she went to find our friends at the Connecticon table (recurring theme number 1). We ultimately decided not to get an art table, as we felt we didn't have that much time with our preparations for the masquerade and the room was very small and out of the way.

Eventually Akiko made her way to the dealer's room and joined Li for the finale last-minute dash to complete the set-up before the door opened. When the door did open, we left for our next mission--costume/masquerade registration. The very quick and painless process assigned us as group #19 for the rest of the weekend and gave us nifty backstage passes for the masquerade. Then of course, we realized we left Akiko's spear back at Li's apartment. (this is recurring theme #2).

Because judging for the costume craftsmanship was that day, we decided to duck out, get some lunch, and grab the spear. We chatted with CTcon some more, left our con bag with them, and traveled the T in full costume. It was very interesting making our way through the ballgame crowds with elf ears, red contacts, and strange pants.

Back at the con, fed, and spear in hand, we hung out more with CTcon until it was time for our costume judging. As for our craftsmanship judging, we appeared before a council of 4 regal high elves, and we were but their bastard low-born distant relations. Still, they seemed to like some of the details of our costumes.

Then it we hung out with CTcon a bit more before we met up with the very kind sound guy Chris, who recorded our dialogue with us (for us). We finished just in time to get at the very end of the line for the "Who's Line is it Anime?" The actors were amusing, and seemed to be having fun, and the boys certainly made the rabid yaoi fangirls ecstatic. (Li, who admits to being a DROOLING yaoi fangirl, was actually frightened by a particularly RABBID yaoi fangirl. There is quite a difference between drooling and rabbid fangirls, Li explains. Drooling fangirls are silly and should be laughed at. Rabbid fangirls are frightening and should be put down).

We got to move a bit closer to the front for the AMVs. There were a couple of very, very good ones, and all were of good quality. Akiko's favorite was the Wolfwood Glory one, which unfortunately didn't win any awards, while Li favored the YMCA which one both best comedy and best of show. The creator of the amv won for the same categories last year with his Hello Kitty Mortal Combat video, that neither Akiko or Li liked as much.

Saturday

We got to the con just as our friend Mookie's panel began. It was standing-room only! Afterwards (or really during), we realized we left the spear again. So we left our bag with CTcon (again) and went back to Li's apartment for food and the spear (again). At the con (again) we spent the whole afternoon with CTcon (again). Then we all went up to Mookie's Dominic Deegan panel, which was just about as successful as his first one (and we learned why Mookie smells of cherries). We ducked out a bit early for the masquerade setup.

For this con, we didn't have a wheelchair to grant us special access to the masquerade, but we did have a magic badge. The magic badge was much better. Inside, the masquerade organizers got the groups in order and seated up in the balcony. This proved a smart move, as it got us seated out of the way to allow more con goers seats at the event, allowed for smoother movement of us all, and allowed us to lean over the balcony, entertaining the masses before the event started. Our balcony was the crazy one. Li joined Shuichi-chan and a black-neko Sakura in dancing, cheering, and generally acting silly. Shuichi-chan signed autographs for the crowd (tossed them over the balcony, more accurately), but it was Vash who ultimately brought down the house, just before the organizers decided more civilized entertainment was in order, and started playing amvs from last years Anime Boston.

When the masquerade actually began, the participants were slowly filed to the backstage area. We confirmed that a sturdy chair would be put on stage for us (the poor stage hand had to do it amid chants of chair chair chair... we're thankful he didn't kill us afterwards). and then before we quite knew it, we were onstage, reciting prerecorded bastardized Shakespeare. As quickly as we were onstage, we were off again, walking back up to the balcony (with pieces of Akikos spear, which had been kicked and broken that afternoon, and did not withstand the feats onstage intact).

Then of course was the awarding of prizes for the AMV competition, which, as we said, Akikos favorite did not win, though the videos that did were ones we liked and voted for in other categories for the most part. Afterwards, we were among the select groups tapped and returned to the backstage area. Looking around, we wondered what we had all be gathered there for, but our intuition was, we must have all won something. Unfortunately, being backstage, we could not hear what was going on, and so until we read the con-newspaper the next morning, we did not know what anyone else had won, although our friend from Connecticon, a gorgeous Beldandy was with us. We managed to impress one of the Judges with our bastardized Shakespeare, and walked off with a Judges Award for presentation, which consisted of a trophy and a goody bag filled with DVDs and posters.

Tired and excited, we made our way back to the apartment to get out of costume and sleep.

Sunday

We slept late. We packed the car (as Li was moving). We went out for a nice breakfast. We did NOT get into costume, and made our way back to the convention to check out the Dealers room, and the Anime Trivial Pursuit game (which Li, the anime/manga addict found quite challenging). Then as casually as we arrived, we left, waving good bye to our friends from Connecticon. And so ended Anime Boston.