Anime Boston: Of Might, Magic and Mischief

Every year in Boston, there's a special gathering that occurs. It's known as Anime Boston, and much like Comic-Con, it encompasses all of pop culture. Fans of various shows, video games, books and more from all around New England come and attend panels and watch shows. There are also games and special events that involve people dressed as their favorite characters, known as cosplayers, participating in a theme of their choice. This year's theme had to deal with all sorts of magic whether it be Japanese or Medieval and the sort of mischief that it can cause.

The main theme is best shown during what is known as "The Cosplot" which is played out in different events. The main events are Cosplay Deathmatch, The Masquerade, and Cosplay Chess (which is the final brawl, involving all sorts of magical characters from different media who are looking for a bad guy who they just can't find).

This year's convention, while packed, wasn't nearly as packed as last year, which had a line that stretched a good deal outside the hall. They still had strict bag checks and badge checks (possibly due to an incident at the Penny Arcade Expo from a while back) and they still haven't brought back the rave due to past incidents. However, that doesn't mean that the staff were any less fun, some even posed for pictures.

While there were still the usual panels, there were more panels this year that focused on magic, including special decorations laid out for the convention like art work and wood cut outs on the second floor. There were even banners that hung near one of the entrances. It's even said that some of the concerts got in on the theme.