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    The Best of the 2009 Anime Boston AMVs!

    posted @ 6/06/2009 06:52:00 PM by King Baby Duck
    This year saw a wide range of great Anime Music Videos showcased at Anime Boston. Let's take a look at some that shined brighter than most.

    Let's first look at this year's best in show: ForeverZeroo's "Dragonball Z - The Silent Movie"



    Although some may claim that this is a bit of a knockoff of TeamFourStar's "Dragonball Z Abridged" series, you have to admit the concept of the video is original. The usage of both the "Chibi Moon Piano Suite" from "Sailor Moon" and the transformation of a colorful show into a sepia added more to the feel of a 1920s silent flick, and the usage of that era's vernacular with a mix of our current one gave off a wonderful sense of humor for fans new and old of the Dragonball series to enjoy.

    The next one we'll look at is Dianafuse's "Soul Eater - Evil Walks."



    First off what a perfect song for "Soul Eater": Brian Johnson's vocals and Angus Young's trademark guitar riffs mixing with images of Medusa and Arachne will run chills down anyone's spine. (The image of Medusa behind the blood-dripping moon while Brian screams "Evil walks behind you!" fit so good it's almost scary.) The second verse of the song sounds as if it was written specifically for the Arachne character. Granted the editing isn't picture perfect, but having lyrics that piece together so well with the imagery it makes up for that in such a big way.

    Number three on our list is sideswipe147's "Modern Major Clusterfuck."



    Maybe it's because I just saw "The Pirates of Penzance," but this was my personal favorite of the night. Gilbert & Sullivan probably never intended for their showstopping number to be synched with Roy Mustang, but it didn't stop the AMVer for proving that it could be. This wasn't even in competition, and many of those around this Duck thought this was Best in Show; and I had to agree. It's silly, catchy and possibly one of the best AMVs I've seen in the longest time.

    The Final one on our lists is DaiKun Productions' "Stranger Than Death Note."



    This was the Best Comedy winner, and there's good reason for that. Casting Light Yagami as Emma Thompson as Karen Eiffel and Spike Spiegel as Will Ferrell as Harold Crick were picture perfect. However I spoke with some of my colleagues, and they felt that this wasn't a Comedy AMV (even though its concept was humorous). I guess the people who thought it was a comedy outranked the ones that thought it wasn't.

    To close off this article I would like to present to you the best skit from Anime Boston 2009's Masquerade: Celebrity Jeopardy!




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    King Baby Duck Presents: The 2009 "Things I'll Never Look At the Same Way Again Thanks to Anime Boston's Hentai Dubbings"

    posted @ 5/30/2009 05:09:00 PM by King Baby Duck
    The following post may offend, and is quite possibly unsuitable for peoples under the age of 18. Wait...scratch that. It's definitely not suitable for the perverted youth.

    Yes, folks, it's that time of the year again. Bigger and badder at this year's Anime Boston was the ecchi-filled hilarity that we've all come to know as the Hentai Dubbings. For those that are unfamiliar with this event, Hentai Dubbings involve people coming up on stage and redubbing a scene from an anime that has people [censored] while they [censored] the [censored] and then sticking their [censored] in the [censored] [censored]. And then there's cake.

    Now that I've gone and explained the technique to everyone, let's take a look at the things from this year's event that I will never see the same way again!

    1. Deodorant - Hentai Dubbings host Dick Tripwire has created a brand-new deodorant spray made specifically to rid the stank from any gal's--

    Okay, I think that was a little bit unnecessary. Let's move on!
    2. Parker Posey - You've seen her in "Dazed and Confused" and "Scream 3," and now you can hear her with a techno background talking about her doing the nasty!
    3. Bill Cosby - The Cos + Hentai Readings = The most disgusting Jello Pudding Pops ever!
    4. Christopher Walken - We already know that Mr. Walken is a weird mofo, but nothing can prepare you for his interpretation of Tentacled Hellbeast Yaoi Hentai. Remember: it's not gay if you're killing them!
    5. Pikachu: No, this has nothing to do with Pikachu seiyuu Ikue Ōtani doing the hentai "Cool Devices." (Look it up. It's 100% true, and will scar your inner-child). A woman came up onstage dressed as Pikachu and proceeded to ad lib a lesbian scene. The bestiality line has begun to fade ever so disturbingly.
    6. Chewbacca - The Internet is for porn, and porn is for Wookies. Stealing the title from last year's king Chiyo-chan's father, everyone's favorite furry partner performed with another man onstage and spoke in ways that make legends bow to his presence.
    7. Ewoks - We all hate these furry bastards, so it's nice to see these hairy beasts were put in their place by Chewie.
    8. Light Sabers - PHALLUS SYMBOL!!!
    9. Death Star - What would be the equivalent for the term "phallus symbol" when it comes to the testicle area?
    10. Harrison Ford - Take a cue from Chewie's bitch, and do it like Han Solo!
    11. Mexicans - Not the Dirty Sanchez, but close enough.
    12. Jack Bauer - You know by the time he saves the world he'll still have another 12 hours to spare when he uses Cialis. I'm just saying...
    13. Candy - Last year Snickers and Necco Wafers were not to be seen the same way again. This year, every other candy ever made can no longer be looked at in the same light.
    14. Final Fantasy - Do you know why Cloud's sword is so huge? Send your hate mail my way!
    15. America's Funniest Home Videos - I wonder if the new and more awesome Bob Saget would be willing to do a XXX-rated version of his hit TV show. My guess is a firm "Hell yeah!"
    16. George Clooney - Maybe this one really doesn't count, since Clooney was seen building a sex machine in the hilarious "Burn After Reading." Nevertheless his reputation will never be looked in the same light after one of the dubbers came onstage and proceeded to do the "Full Tilt Boogie" with his costar.
    17. Giraffes - If you really want to make the mood ever so special, make the sound of a dying Giraffa camelopardalis. Yes, I used Latin. Yay I'm smart!

    That does it for this year. Now get your mind out of the gutter, and back into reality. On second thought: reality is being cruel right now. BACK TO THE GUTTER!!!


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    Why is the Anime Gone?!: An Anime Shortage at Anime Boston

    posted @ 5/28/2009 08:00:00 AM by Pandalicious
    I don't know why it is gone, but I want it back! KThnx!

    Once a year, I, Pandalicious, become enamored with the hint of anime in the air. It calls me, pulls me with the strength of a lover's embrace. I fall in love all over again with anime. It is a three-day fest of rekindled passion...however this year something seemed amiss. There was an unforeseen distance in anime’s eye. Had it met someone else...had it fallen out of love with me?! Was I...falling out of love with it?

    I would say that...the reason for all this stems from a struggling economy. Not that I’m saying that relationships are stable only when there is money mind you. What I'm saying is from the standpoint of a convention...it costs money to make costumes; it costs money to get a hotel room. You need money to eat and money to buy. Essentially you need money to burn, and there was a fire...but no burning....

    Convention day grew nearer and nearer and the warmth I’d felt previous felt diminished somehow...as if to warn me of some subtle disenchantment.

    Unfortunately, this year I didn't arrive to Anime Boston until Saturday. Which to most is the day that the big events take place. The crowd-getter events are never held on Friday or "first" days because most are standing in lines, checking into hotel rooms, and primarily just scoping out the layout, dealer’s room, artist’s alley and the various colors of cosplay. Unfortunately this year, that alluring pull of zany antics did not seem to hold. Anime Boston was still fun and entertaining; it had just...lost some of that flair, some of its energy even.

    Also as an aside, there was no "top dog" in anime this year. Of all my times at this convention, there was always one anime that won the attention of the fandom... I speculated that this year it was going to be Soul Eater. I was wrong. [Which is often the case]

    Granted this year did bring out some heavy hitters that needed our attention. But I was saddened by the lack of a "sea of whomever" [Insert Naurto, Sora, Rikus or Bleach characters].

    The surprising factor that I cannot neglect is the stronger presence of games at this year's event. There were more people cosplaying as game characters than anime characters. This is undoubtedly linked to the release of some popular game titles like: Halo Wars, Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur 4 and Pokemon Platinum.

    This isn't to say that gaming was left untarnished. Attendance was impacted too.
    It is a sign of the times I guess...

    However there were many smiles, laughs and good times had this year. There will be many more to come! As long as the life of the convention comes back….I WANT IT BACK! ☺






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    Fire Emblem Interactive!

    posted @ 5/27/2009 07:22:00 AM by Pandalicious
    The experience has been had...and the results are in.

    Hello Everyone! Pandalicious here! Talking to you about the interactive experience found at this years Anime Boston 2009! Needless to say, the dealers room [where all the purchases of the merchandise take place] allowed for maximum traffic. Sadly, there was a certain "buzz" missing from this place. However, the darker the cloud, the shinier the silver lining, and this year's silver lining for the dealers room was the emergence of an interactive area dead set in the middle! This area was designated to the promotion of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the Nintendo DS/DSi

    I know before I left for my "animeventure", that I touched briefly on the game and their reasons for coming to this convention. The premise still stands that they were there to promote this game. It could have been as simple as showing highlights of the game, and having some models walking around as some of the characters of the game. [Yes this was done, who can blame them, it works!] However they went ahead and fully enticed walkers by to in fact stop walking, and start watching!

    They hosted head to head simulation battles while explaining the core fundamentals of the game. [Remember this is a battle tactics game, so strategy is KEY] Since this is a tactics game the objective is to defeat the opposing side [usually for portables this is a fairly decent AI, however through the power of wireless, we as gamers no longer have to out think a computer, we have to out think another person!]

    These head to head simulations were not just a demonstration, these guys really rallied the crowd to cheer on their favorite side, and some were even rewarded with helpful accessories for say....a Nintendo DS/DSi [It never hurts to entice the gamer base with free merchandise]

    Once the battle was over,a victor was named. You'd think that the crowd would just go back to their world of anime goodness. Now some of them did this but, the majority of the group stuck around in the footprint! There were attendants who had versions of the game and even stations set up so that people w/o a Nintendo DS/DSi could get a hands on feel for it.

    I have it on good authority that this was the hot spot in the dealer's room this year and they even got talked to about their noise levels. In my opinion, their buzz and noise was definitely needed. It brought some life back to this hall! Now I could have just waltzed right over to them, slinging my press badge like some magical trinket, however, I decided to just stand and be cloaked by the crowd.[Like a ninja....with cat ears on...] All the attendants were upbeat, peppy and informative! For the most part they were FUN...that is what made this interesting, it was F-U-N!

    As of Saturday, when a very stealthy Pandalicious cat girl slipped into the crowd, the attendant who spotted her was asked about their traffic and their feelings about their exposure at this convention. They were very pleased with their outcome. Especially on Saturday, which in this person's POV (Point of view) is the "Make it or Break it Day"

    So if all of this wasn't enough to make people stop by and say "Hey!" This interactive booth was also holding a raffle. It was one you could enter everyday of the three days, and the prize was a copy of the game Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and a life size replica of the legendary sword Falchion. [ Which the main character of this game wields, it was very cool!!!]

    All in all I was very impressed by the overall set up, arrangement, and execution of this interactive area. I would love to see more attractions like this at Anime Boston. It is certainly an experience I shall not forget!

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    King Baby Duck's Live Review: Kalafina at Anime Boston 2009

    posted @ 5/26/2009 07:40:00 PM by King Baby Duck

    Making their American debut at the Hynes Convention Center this past Saturday (during Anime Boston 2009), the female vocal trio that makes up Kalafina performed a 60-minute set that included beautiful visuals and a wonderful light show backing the women. However, the use of pre-recorded music instead of a live backing band showed that this new group still was nowhere near flawless.

    Founded in 2007 by composer Yuki Kajiura (one-half of the popular duo See-Saw), Kalafina consisted of vocalists Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru; who seemed very happy to be performing for the American crowd. Throughout the show the trio sang and danced to their hearts’ content, though at times when they weren’t singing they stood idly waiting for their time to perform. Think of how a puppeteer would use many of his wooden friends during a show, but can only use two at a time; so one would sit motionless until their lines are given. In some moments it was very reminiscent of that.

    That’s not to say that Kalafina is a bad group; far from it. These ladies of the Orient had wonderful voices that shined even better than what can be heard on their debut album “Seventh Heaven.” Their opening song “oblivious” (their first hit single in Japan) was the ideal choice to introduce Kalafina to those unfamiliar with the group as it showcased the multiple vocal ranges of the three ladies. Songs such as “love come down” and “Mata Kaze ga Tsuyokunatta” (translated as “The Wind Becomes Strong Again”) rely heavily on loud techno thumps and ear-piercing guitar solos. Even though the crowd got into it, the fact that there wasn’t anything backing Kalafina besides the visuals made it difficult at times to feel any sort of a true live experience. The only time they were backed by an instrument was during the encore, when Kajiura came out to play the keyboard while the ladies sang “Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku” (You Turn It Into Light”) and “gloria”, two soft songs that helped close the concert on a beautiful note. Having said that, the show lacked a bit of appeal.

    If only Kalafina had enlisted the help of Boston’s Video Game Orchestra, the opening band, they could have compensated their inactivity with an electrifying backing band. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and because of that Kalafina showed that they still need help when it comes to fully entertaining a crowd.

    This is King Baby Duck: Ain't born to lose, baby, I'm born to win! I'm so Goddamn slick, baby, it's a sin!

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    While the Cat's Away...

    posted @ 5/25/2009 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    With Pandalicious on assignment at Anime Boston and Ninjasistah off on some kind of ninja mission Evermore is left to his own devices which only means one thing: CLIP SHOW!

    This one doesn't disappoint. The cutting room floor is part of our secret stash. It contains a lot of content that we end up cutting out of shows due to running our mouths too long, getting caught saying things we shouldn't, and tangents that just don't make a freaking bit of sense. Evermore has collected a few of his more favorite sound bytes from the cutting room floor content and put it together in a very entertaining episode. Featuring former show co-host MagicMysticGrl, Xenocore from Ultimate Quest and the sistahs' I urge you to kick back and enjoyEpisode 147: The Sistahs From the Cutting Room Floor.

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    Nintendo at AnimeBoston 2009?!

    posted @ 5/22/2009 06:44:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Well what do we have here.....

    It is safe to say that I, [Pandalicious] was taken aback over the realization that I was given press access to this years Anime Boston, after I had reigned myself to the conclusion I would not attend this year. The interesting this about this year, at least to me, was that as of late slivers of the gaming industry has been making itself more and more pronounced that this convention. Now do not get me wrong when I say this. It delights me to know end that an event that is solely supposed to be geared to the demographic of "super special awesome" anime fans is extending its hand to the pocket gamer too!

    Case in point: This year Nintendo makes an appearance at Anime Boston 2009 to promote their game, Fire Emblem :Shadow Dragon. Now sadly, dear readers of ESH, as much as I'd love to review this game for you, I have yet to acquire one for my gaming pleasure. I have just recently received a Nintendo DSi![I will be surfing Pico Chat this weekend for your con goers who bring their DS' too!] Do not let this bother you in anyway, because A review will be coming!

    Now I am sure you are wondering about what Nintendo has in store for us con goers. Well they are constructed a large interactive space for our enjoyment! We will get an idea of the universe that this role-playing tactics game thrives in.[From the pictures I've seen of it, I'm very excited to immerse myself into it! Don't worry I'll share the pictures!]

    I have thought long and hard as to why Nintendo would think about gracing us with their appearance this year. Speculation is simply that speculation, I fully plan to ask them that exact question when I surprise them with my visit! [It isn't really a surprise, they know I am coming! :)] However if I had to guess it would be that a lot of anime fans often have portables with them to amuse themselves. [With the lines at these kinds of events, hand-held entertainment is a MUST, if one wants to retain at least SOME sanity!] Nintendo's DS line has always been popular. [Not that the PSP hasn't been....] Whenever I've casually [and by casually, I do mean charging head first into someones person space bubble] asked them what they were playing on their DS. It was often a game I had never heard of, this also stemmed from the fact that it was Japanese import. So it makes complete sense that Nintendo would have a tie in with the anime community! [Good on your Nintendo!]

    So for you Con goers at Anime Boston 2009, if you are interested in role playing tactics games and have never thought of playing Fire Emblem, I suggest that you find Nintendo's booths at this years con. I doubt you will be disappointed. [I'm psyched and I haven't even left yet!] I am looking forward to playing with Nintendo, and you should be too!.
    See you at the Con! ^^

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    ANIME BOSTON 2K9 or BUST

    posted @ 5/21/2009 10:49:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Little did Pandalicious realize that fate was fucking with her.

    Hello Lovers of ESH. Pandalicious reporting from the inner workings of her mind. Originally, I wasn't going to even mention that this weekend May 22-24 was Anime Boston. Why? you might ask. This is simple. You see... [Flashback to early February] Pandalicious decided to launch a preemptive attack of press passes for Anime Boston. Knowing that their requirements had changed for access. She punched in the appropiate keys on her laptop and sent the application into the series of tubes known as the internet. Weeks and weeks went by, and Pandalicious....felt the cold hand of REJECTION. With this is mind and in heart she prepared (or prepared to not prepare for a venture into Boston)

    However on the 20th of May, just two days before the fated event, Pandalicious felt like addressing the issue of not even getting a proper denial of access to Anime Boston. The "very polite" email was sent and reply came steadily. So....ladies and gentlemen of ESH. Pandalicious will be venturing to Anime Boston 2K9 this year. Fate was playing a trick on our little panda..

    Usually Panda would already know what to expect from her favorite convention, but this year she is a lost in the dark. Does she fear this? No! In fact she welcomes it.
    So...If you are attending this year...and you want to say hey...contact me here at Pandalicious@electricsistahood.com. I'd love to have as much photo ops as humanly possible!

    See you at the con! ~^

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    Pirates VS Ninjas: The Music Battle

    posted @ 12/19/2008 02:42:00 PM by King Baby Duck
    A few months ago I came across an album that could only be described as "Pirate Hip-Hop."

    No, I do not mean "illegal hip-hop" like 2 Live Crew, I'm talking about honest-to-God-Shiver-Me-Timbers Pirate Hip-Hop! Their name is Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew, and their album "Rimes of the Hip Hop Mariners" shows how to do a gimmick right. (Check out the song "It's All About the Booty" on iTunes to hear how brilliant it is.)

    Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew - "Yo Ho Ho"


    After hearing this album I remembered a pop punk band by the name of Random Ninjas. I dropped a line to them to have them send their album to our radio station (WMWM Salem). They sent it down, and I took a listen. Again I liked what I heard.

    Random Ninjas - "Oi" (Live at Anime Expo 2006)


    As soon as I heard Random Ninjas, a thought popped in my head: the Ultimate Showdown between Pirates & Ninjas! We will have Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew take on Random Ninjas in a music battle to settle this long-going battle once and for all; and I can think of no better arena than at Anime Boston 2009!

    I call on both parties, as well as Anime Boston, to let this event happen. We will have each band play a 9-song set (whoever goes first will be decided in a coin toss), and then -- if necessary -- have a member of each band take each other on in an old-school battle! The winning group will be picked by the audience.

    Let's settle the score!

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    Pandalicious' Playlist [Anime Boston2K8 Style]

    posted @ 5/29/2008 12:00:00 PM by Pandalicious
    When television isn't enough..youtube makes it all better!

    Pandalicious in the hizzie fo rizzie! Have you ever been on your couch flipping through channels wishing the most random things would come on? [You aren't the only one let me tell you] Well I am aiming to remedy this desire for randomness. Over the next few weeks I will be searching the infinite series of tubes to bring forth the most random [BUT INTERESTING] Youtube videos. They will be very random, and will not always fall under the realms of my geek chic forte of anime and manga. I thought to start this whole thing off with a little trip down memory lane. The wonder lane of Anime Boston 2K8

    The first one is the best in show of this years convention.
    Sadly it wasn't the one I voted for personally. If there is anything people love it's CG and then KH so apparently CG+KH= Best in Show. Enjoy!


    Next comes another CG favorite. It got best concept if my memory doesn't fail me. [after seeing it I could definately see why!]


    Now here is one of my personal favorites, it was a finalist but it did not take home one of the spots of the "Bests"


    This Video got Best Editing. [FOR GOOD REASON] It's so bubbly..and makes me wanna bounce, all day long...


    This one was my choice for best comedy....did it win? You tell me?

    The last one I think I'll share will be for the ladies...It is too cute to pass up!


    At the end of all of this, I can only say that the talents that have been showcased here are uncanny. I only wish I had a fourth of it. I can only imagine how good next years AMVS will be.

    So? Did you like these videos? Have a favorite you wanna share with me? Send it to me here at the site! If its UBERLY SHIBBY who knows I might link it and give you props. [Oh Of course I'll give you props... I ain't no thief Geebuz]

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    New Podcast Day: Episode 93

    posted @ 4/14/2008 12:27:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Another Monday bears forth another new episode of the ESH podcast, and this one is as entertaining as all the rest.

    Today, Pandalicious takes you through the anime series Bus Gamer based on the short series manga of the same name while NinJaSistah [slow on the update, admittedly] talks about her new Portal/OrangeBox experience. Even though MagicMystic was MIA for this recording, the girls were still able to find a way to off on some interesting tangents.

    Don't believe me? Here are the rejected episode titles:
    • Sitting In The Ooze, Waiting To Respawn
    • The Office Was Empty, But It Wasn't The Weekend
    • My Companion Cube Was Alone On Valentines Day
    • Nobody Ate Anybody In Staying Alive Either
    • Somebody Ought To Put That Morality Chip Into Dick Chaney
    • That Dude In Portal? He's A Chick
    • Dat Cube Gotta Go!
    • Hot Man Candy Has A Gooey Center
    • Walk Softly and Carry A Big Lead Pipe
    • Muppets Singin About Killing Me Scares Me
    • I'm Not Comfortable With A Man Having A Baby
    • It's An Animated World, And I'm An Animated Girl
    • The World Wildlife Fund Has Nothing On Them
    • and
    • I'd Tell You About The Third Episode, But I've Slept Since Then


    So grab another cup o' joe and take a listen to ESH podcast episode 93: You Can't Have Your Cake And Cheat It Too!

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    King Baby Duck Presents: Things I'll Never Look At the Same Way Again Thanks to Hentai Dubbings

    posted @ 4/12/2008 08:04:00 PM by FreeLoader
    I think the title says it all, but just in case. Do not read on if you are too goody-two shoed!

    This year's Anime Boston Hentai Dubbings '08 was filled to the brim with dirty humor, shocking video footage, and just plain ole nastiness from start to finish. For this first timer I was quite, um, at awe at some of the things I heard, which leads us to the following list. I will never look at the following things the same way again because of hentai dubbings:

    1. Queen - The guys played "Fat Bottomed Girls" before the event began; but I would've rather seen them screen the music video for "Bicycle Race." Nothing makes a good mix like anime porn and naked girls riding bikes ^_^.
    2. System of a Down - The guys also played "Violent Pornography" before it began, and we all stood on our seats and sang along. All that was missing was the whimsical bouncing ball!
    3. PoKeMoN - Hentai Dubbing host Dick Tripwire said he was an expect at hentai and PoKeMoN; which begs the question: what's the difference?
    4. Ham and Cheese Sub Sandwiches - Can you say "phallus symbol?"
    5. Tuna Casserole - The video Tripwire showed us had a woman making sex sounds using this delicious treat. Does anyone else here who went get kind of randy eating casserole now?
    6. Cottage Cheese - Same as #5, only worse -_-;.
    7. Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts - Now I am friends with many Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts, and they are quite nice creatures. They like ice cream and listening to jazz music; and many of them have wonderful families. I fear that if too many people look at these Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts in the wrong light, this species might be considered a danger; when, in fact, they really aren't. I'm just saying...
    8. Green Rooms - And I thought just the Green Door was bad enough.
    9. Masquerade Hosts - This year's Masquerade host went up onstage and said some C-words that I don't think the Sistas would like me to print.
    10. Puppies - From now on "puppies" will be referred to mean "going toilet." Let's practice: "Would you excuse me for a moment? I have to let the puppies out of the kennel." Try it at your next dinner party.
    11. Kittens - SURPRISEBUTTSEX!
    12. Snickers Candy - They call it "Snickers" 'cause it laughs at your tiny penis.
    13. Hard Candy - You can insert your own joke here.
    14. Necco Wafers - I don't know what they are, but when I do I'll surely remember this night!
    15. Arnold Schwarzenegger - This just in: Schwarzenegger started out as a porn director! I was also going to put what he was filming, but some of you are probably eating right now.
    16. Chiyo-chan’s Father from “Azumanga Daioh” - You oughta be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Chiyo-chan's Dad!!!!!
    Oh, how can I stay mad at that cute face?
    17. Yeah Dudes! - Now whenever we see these human creatures at the bar, we can all laugh and say, "They're gettin' ready for some tazing!" And speaking of that...
    18. The “Don’t Taze Me, Bro!” guy - Now whenever we take part in the mating ritual, we can forever call it "Tazing."
    19. Anime Boston Pre-Registration - Although we will never forget the Great Wait of '08, those two gals doing the yuri hentai scene will make us never forget all the "groaning" and "moaning" of having to wait in any sort of line.
    20. Flowers - They say some flowers look like a woman's ladyparts. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

    21. Doctors - Nobody really likes going to the doctors, especially those that like to stick their finger in, well, I should probably stop myself here.
    22. The people that I do anime screenings with; a couple, of which, are also ESH members!!! - We are naughty, and we're proud of it!

    But these dubbings are a lot of fun, and they allow even the most pure of people to be just a wee bit perverted. It’s all in the spirit of fun, so don’t take it too seriously.

    This is King Baby Duck saying "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"

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    Here is a Panda Present for all her favorite People

    posted @ 4/12/2008 07:42:00 AM by Pandalicious
    Surprise Present!

    The one thing that was brought to our attention at this year's Anime Boston 2K8 was that talent has reached OVER 9000! [But no seriously] Not only were the costumes insane and the energy is off the hook but animation took place but that is not all. Music has been written and that is not all...They were put together and this is what it made...Enjoy [As a disclaimer this awesomeness isn't something that I myself made. [[I WISH I HAD HALF THIS TALENT]] However I figured all facets of the geekdom would love this!
    Brought from the interwebs of cyberspace....from the hot new band...L33tStr33t Boys!! "YURI THE ONLY ONE FOR ME!"


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    New Podcast Day: Episode 92

    posted @ 4/06/2008 12:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday rears it's ugly face area again and so the ESH Crew gives you a new episode of the podcast to hide behind.

    In this episode of the podcast, the regular trio is back at it to talk about the anime series Paranoia Agent the manga Dazzle and the disconnect with animes optioned from manga with a smattering of Fushigi Yugi and a few other things.

    To give you an idea of the places we go, here are the titles we didn't use for this episode:

    • Dance Moves To Die For
    • Then Anime Boston Turned Into The Shining
    • No One Told Me About the NinJa Rape
    • It's Like The Lion King, Without The Lions
    • The Old Lady Pulled a Geraldo
    • It's Not Like We've Ever Shied Away From Spoilers Before
    • Twisted, Dark and Perverse - That's Entertainment!
    • They Don't Sell Kool-Aid At Suicide.com
    • We Haven't Talk About Incest In a Long Time
    • They Should Have Called Him HeckBoy
    • Bitch! Listen To Bruce Willis!
    • Coming Next Week: Whatever NinJa Wanted to Talk About
    • and
    • Inside Joke of The Week: You Just Lost The Game


    Yeah, it's going to be that kind of episode. So sit back, relax and enjoy podcast Episode 92: Anime, It's Not Me, It's You!

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    Dealers' Room Follies [Anime Boston2008]

    posted @ 4/01/2008 07:34:00 PM by Pandalicious
    From the creators of As the school bus turns and The Real World Outland comes....

    For all those who are new to the convention world I have one piece of advice for you. MAKE LOTS OF MONEY! I do not say this because you need money for food and your hotel room and your registration. I say this with one place in mind, and that [ladies and gentlemen] is the dealers room.

    This room is LARGE and IN CHARGE. It is glittered in rows of merchants selling anime, manga, memorabilia, collectables and things that may relate to the japanese culture but not exactly on anime tip [if you know what I mean] However as excited as Pandalicious was to throw herself into the massive human ocean that was the Dealers Room, she was overcome with confusion and fear. Why? you might ask yourself would our beloved Panda would be confused about and for once... Panda sought out order.

    This year the Dealers' room had no real structure to it. Anime DvDs were being sold next to some Catgirl Loli costume table that was paralell to a hentai table. In all honesty [not that i'm never honest about all things anime related] DvD sellers should be with DvD sellers, Manga sellers w/ Manga sellers...Costumes with Costumes and etc [you get the idea] This uncontrolled room made me feel as a buyer that I would walk out with barely anything. [I did buy a cat tail, ears, bell collar and the anime Paranoia Agent [which i will review in the next coming show!]

    Maybe next time Anime Boston will better organize the room that avid anime loves through away money on product. We shall see.

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    I Just Lost 'The Game'

    posted @ 3/25/2008 04:24:00 PM by MagicMystic
    As Panda noted, the lines at AB were made of Epic Fail this year. On the plus side, when you get 10,000 people sitting around in a corridor for 7-9 hours they come up with interesting ways to amuse themselves.

    Corridor antics included such things as 'The Game'. The rules of TG aren't unfamiliar to me, but I've never seen it played on such a scale before. TG is one part Pink Elephants one part Fight Club. Playing TG is simple, breaking into the game, not so much. When you hear people hollering down the corridors or across the Artists Alley "I lost The Game!" your first instinct is to ask "What game?" In that moment they have you and they have won. The first rule of TG, don't talk about TG. This leads to many, many people asking what it is and very few people willing to explain it. The second rule is don't think about TG. The moment you think about TG you've lost TG and have to shout out your loss. As an element of mind control, once you mention TG everyone in hearing distance will automatically start thinking about it and will also lose and have to shout out that they lost as well. It's quite a bit like giant radioactive brain spam-mail that automatically forwards itself to everyone in your contacts list.

    As always there was lots and lots of bad singing in the hallways as well. The common favorites were Still Alive from Portal and I Know a Song (That Gets on Everybody's Nerves) because they were both included in the AMV finalists this year. A confused few forgot the song that gets on everybody's nerves and instead sang the song that never ends. Other serenades included, Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (started by yours truly), various theme songs and the ever popular PIRATE! NINJA! and MARCO! POLO! chants.

    Every time a P/N chant would flare up I'd calmly bide my time until everything had settled down a bit and then would holler SHINIGAMI! at the top of my lungs. It's very important to me that I always have the last word. Other random 'hall'erings included SO I HEER U LIEK MUDKIPS! and OVER NINE THOUSAND!

    So despite the lines having OVER NINE THOUSAND! people in them, AB2K8 reaffirmed my belief that if you get that many (it was actually over 9 thousand) dorks, geeks, nerds and socially unacceptable misfits together you're gonna have fun. Even if you're just waiting in line.


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    The Great Wait 2008 [Anime Boston Style]

    posted @ 3/23/2008 07:32:00 AM by Pandalicious
    At the beginning there was a convention line....

    Howdy from Anime Boston 2008 and first let me just say that this year even though like always the crew enjoyed the festivities that some of us [and by us I mean me] turned off the overly excited fangirl perception and really wanted to look at it from the eyes of a professional.

    This year...even though as members of the press MagicMystic and I do get the priviledge to jump lines so we can cover a plethora of things for out audiences' pleasure. However for those who cannot do this, they are subjected to the line. Now I know what you all are thinking.. "So What?" or "There are lines at all conventions what makes this any different?" Well I will tell you. For all the years I've attended AB...the lines were not nearly this long. Each line had a designated ETBP [Estimated Time for Badge Pickup] as I walked around a notice that the normal excited buzz that usually befalls the halls of the Hynes Convention Center. What I did see was...misery...despair...and a lot of people who were probably cursing their shoe choice....[poor things]

    On Friday the registration lines opened at 7am and closed at 10pm. The average wait time in the line for preregistration was approximately 4 to 5 hours. So say roughly if a person traveling cross states arrived at the Hynes at 5pm on the nose had a slim chance to get their badge [and thats only if they prereged!] Unlike those of us who are in the habit of buying our place at any AB early enough to save up for the allotment that follows [getting hotel room, buying parts to a last minute costume, having money not only to buy things in the ever awaited dealers room, but to also eat. for the weekend..there are those "One dayers" who come for one day and desire to register that day be in and be out....

    [FAT CHANCE THIS YEAR KIDDOS!]

    The ETBP for that was sever to eight hours! [You know what that means!] A person who didn't register online who have to have gotten there extremely early to have gotten their badges. If that wasn't enough to sour the first day...the fact that the new system that registration was on was faulty...printers stopped working..it was complete utter madness. Madness did befall the con goers this year.

    I have never run a convention before, and I would never actually want to because I know for the fact that I'm a charasmatic leader and people can and do follow me at times doesn't mean that I know how to effectively do it?! But the consensus thought of some suggestions to make things run smoother next year.

    A) Send out printed badges to the congoers as soon as they register! [If it is lost they can notifiy the right con official and have another one resent.
    OR
    B) Have the badges printed already and have stations with people kind of like an index [adhering to the handle the con goers wants to go by] This would give the con goer a little more responsibility.

    The fun stuff about the line stuff was still the same... many of us made line friends and even a little bit more than that. However the newest saving grace to the line was the Tape Line Quotes. [Yes that is what I said!] In the actual room where you could see the registration tables they marked the floor with tape [this is common] However due to the massive...MASSIVE prolonged wait...people did what they do best...MARK SHIT UP [namely the tape previously mentioned] Things that were most common were statements like "That nice man just tickled me" or "The cake is a lie" Some took the liberty of jotting down the time it was at each corner. There was even some pluggage for fellow site owners [ESH.MOBI and ELECTRICSISTAHOOD.COM made their appearances there...and YES I wrote them] Which I'm sure raises the question of...WHY THE FUCK DID YOU STAND IN THE LINE!

    My answer is this...
    Even if I'm now press...I am first and foremost a con goer. The Line Wait is a rite of passage and I enjoy that. That is why!

    The sad thing about this whole slip up is many people missed out on the big event of the evening which was the Cerulean Ball.[Which started at 5:30pm] From the buzz at the line at roughly 6pm the Ball was at capacity already so there was no point in worrying then. If I was to guesstimate the percentage of people who didn't get their badges was probably 50%

    Saturdays lines were a lot more controlled and organized but that doesn't excuse the miss of the first day. Many would agree to that so I'm sticking with it!

    SHOUT OUT TO THE HARDCORE ANIME LOVERS WHO MADE IT THROUGH THE GREAT WAIT 08!
    lets hope that next year isn't "THE NEVERENDING LINE 09' -_-

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    New Podcast Day: Heading to Anime Boston

    posted @ 3/17/2008 12:02:00 PM by evermore
    With Anime Boston coming up this weekend, the Sistahs are excited as they can be. And that excitement shows in this week's episode of the podcast.

    In addition to a preview of Anime Boston, the Sistahs discuss all facets of gaming. NinjaSistah talks about EA trying to take over Take Two, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series. And Pandalicious goes on and on about dating sim games -- particularly focusing on the question, "why aren't girls the protagonist in these games?"

    In any case, it's well worth your hour and seven minutes to listen in. And in case you were wondering, here are the titles they rejected for this week's episode:

    EA's So Rich, Their Cash Is Brown

    ET Listens to This Podcast

    EA Shows Take Two Who's the Bully

    That Sound Emanating From Ninja's Guitar: Shake, Rattle and Roll

    Was That Terriers or Derriers?

    Boston Winos Will Be Heading for Rehab This Week

    A MILF Would Bring a Whole New Dimension to Paperboy

    The Discussion Degenerated to Talk About the Roughness of Sticks

    The Only Come-On Line a Girl Needs Is "Hi"


    So there you go. Let us know what you think about Episode 90: The Best Little Whorehouse On the PS3.


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    Anime Ball-Belated

    posted @ 5/17/2007 06:51:00 PM by Pandalicious
    Cherry Blossom Ball Bang? or Bust

    Ladies and Gentledorks Pandalicious here to bring you coverage from the first ever Cherry Blossom Ball. Anime Boston decided to try something a little more upscale to appease the burning desire in half of the lady attendees. Imagine if you will classic anime series like Sailor Moon, Utena, or even from a more recent anime Ouran High School Host Club, they all had episodes where there was an overly lavish banquet ballroom dance. Women and in some cases men wearing gorgeous gowns, performing an elegant waltz until something unexpected occurred. [Like a dress malfunction, or Queen Beryl invading the moon kingdom, or Haurhi getting her first lesbian kiss.] I think this was their intention when they decided to do that specialized event.

    As an attendee I was thrilled at the idea. However several things did in fact cause some strain. Firstly they were extremely strict in terms of attire. Now, it is understood that for formal events people should be dressed formally, but one bad fabric choice would prohibit entry. Also, they had one panel to teach people how to act at this ball. This panel also taught people how to dance ballroom style dances like, foxtrot, waltz and the very sassy tango. Problem was there was only one panel and NOT NEARLY enough time to learn it properly. [Yours truly was too busy to learn these dances.]

    The ball began promptly at 8:30pm and would end two hours later. Granted with my press pass I could gain entry w/o having to stand in lines, however for personal reasons I decided to see how long it would be for a regular convention go-er to get in. It took an hour to get in, which would leave a normal person only and hour to enjoy themselves. Then on top of that if that person didn't attend the panel would have no clue as to how to waltz, foxfrot or tango.[In all honesty no one knew how to do it so it was like watching a one legged man in an ass kicking contest + laughing]

    At one point people were just dancing with cameras flashing every few seconds. I enjoyed the hour I spent there. I got to play dress up [I cosplayed as a lower scale Haurhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haurhi Suzumiya anime] and danced around like a fairy princess. I even tried to tango. [Emphasis on TRIED]

    Some pictures were taken, and I thank those who allowed me to photograph them!!

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    In My Day Chess Pieces Were Black and White

    posted @ 5/09/2007 01:56:00 AM by MagicMystic
    My favorite event all weekend, and the one I look forward to most is the Anime Cosplay Chess Game. The only thing I get more excited about is the AMV Contest, but that's not really a single event as there are multiple times to view and vote on the videos.


    This years Cosplay Chess game didn't disappoint. The theme was Angst vs. Sugar, but the choices for pieces was a little off. Many of the characters chosen for each team didn't really fit my image of Angsty or Sugary, but I wasn't in charge so there was nothing I could do. I also didn't really like the way that each royal court (the King and Queen with their pawns) were all from the same anime. Instead of Angst vs. Sugar this game was more FMA vs Ouran.

    *Team Sugar*'s captain and chess player was Sailor Moon, and #Team Angst# was headed by Sephiroth himself. I decided that rather than reporting a list of every move anyone made, I simplified my blow by blow and will only be telling you about the interesting parts.. and it got interesting before it even started.

    So here are our teams:



    Due to the ban on Pirate hunting at AB Cap'n Jack was not eligible to play in the Anime Cosplay Chess Game, that and the fact that he isn't an anime character. So, Sasuke volunteered to take his place. This is an especially eyebrow raising thing, because it would make Sasuke one of the members of Sugar rather than Angst. Just last year he also volunteered to switch from Team Shounen to Team Shoujo. Methinks perhaps Sasuke has something to tell the rest of the class, 'course first he has to admit it to himself. Remember kids "It's OK to be gay", in all meanings of the term. It seems that Sasuke is both a happy little fucker under that emo guise and apparently also just one of the girls. "YAY! WAY TO BE GAY, SASUKE!" I love rhyming. (^__^)



    Poor Aerith didn't have a chance and Kadaj killed her off first thing. Apparently those Jenova boys really have a problem with her flower growing sugary ways. A newly depressed Cloud came and took her body off the board. ::SIGH:: and he'd just gotten over her first death.

    Yuna promptly gets sugary revenge by teaming up with Rikku and Paine to take out Winry.

    Now the chess game got a little sidetracked here as Renji, Urihara and Ichigo started running up and down the aisles fighting hollows that only those of us with spiritual powers could see.. Yeah, I totally saw the hollows, they weren't swinging wildly at thin air or anything.

    The game progressed as Sano killed Chii and Count D killed Sango. Sango's death was particularly poignant as Kohaku came running out and dealt the death blow by decapitation before D got to it. That's sibling love right there folks, but don't worry he'll regret it later when he regains his memory.. again.

    Greed and Envy burst onto the scene disrupting the game once again. Angst King Mustang and his Pawn Ed were ready to take them on, but the Chimera waved them aside declaring that they had come only for Angst Queen Hawkeye. Pain ensued and Hawkeye thoroughly whipped the Chimera boys. Pistol whipped.. OUCH!

    Meanwhile Tifa poisoned Count D's tea with sweet and low. The poor sugar addict hit the ground writhing in pain, and probably withdrawal. Sugar Bishop Hughes took out Neji with one whack of the photo album upside the head, his Byakugan didn't see that one coming, and Mugen took down Hughes and ripped up his pictures of Alicia. Angst King Mustang faced off with Yuna. Unfortunately for him , Mustang was under strict orders not to use his fire powers as they violated the Hynes Convention Center's fire code. So instead he summoned Scar to blow up Yuna's head. Paine and Rikku had to drag Yuna back to the ship as they'd forgotten to stock up on phoenix downs before the game. Rather than leaving the stage, Scar decided to stick around and play Emcee for a while.



    Having apparently learned some of Orochimaru's darker skills, Sasuke summoned Al's dead body to attack Ed, and the alchemist went down without much fight, unable to fight back against his brother. A deeply saddened Hohenheim of Light came and brought the boys back home to rest with their mother.

    Pawn Kadaj created a commotion as he reached the far side of the board and tried to evolve himself into Sephiroth. Cloud supplied the other players with ammunition of Pocky with which they pelted Sephiroth off the stage. Instead Kadaj had to settle for being Queened. All Hail Angst Queen Kadaj! (still not as funny as Rose Bride Sasuke.)At this point Aizen-taicho had gotten sick of listening to Scar emcee and he took over the mic. Just at the perfect time too, because who could better narrate a fight between Rukia and Yoruichi. Rukia, unable to defeat former captain Yoruichi on her own called for backup from Ichigo. Without even drawing Zangetsu, Ichigo decked Yoruichi and took her down.

    In an immediate turn of fate, Angst Queen Hawkeye summoned her newly whipped chimera Greed and Envy to take Rukia down. However, as Rukia so elequently states "You can't kill me, nobody dies in Bleach." So, instead, she is escorted off of the board.

    Kauru calls upon Kenshin to kill Presea, K (the official chess emcee) manages to bribe Aizen-taicho to give up the mic in exchange for a brand new Wii and Sano kills Sora. Misa Misa calls upon Light to kill Kadaj with his Deathnote, but it causes a bit of trouble when Watari and L show up to investigate.

    When Kyouya attacks Tifa, Reno shows up to rescue her, but they are both taken down by the elite Ootori private army. Beware the rich kids and their personal armies. The Ouran action hour continues as Nekozawa kills Haruhi. Sugar King Tamaki desperately tries to save her, but he is restrained by his own teammates and the rules, so he sits and cries forlornly on his square instead. Tamaki is further distressed when Riku kills Hunny and Hawkeye kills Kyouya. With the whole Host Club consecutively defeated Tamaki calls out Sephiroth to duel, but can do nothing but cry on his square when he is ignored.

    Misa Misa defeats Ni Jianyi and is then taken down by Angst Queen Hawkeye. Misa Misa desperately calls for Light's help, but he just shrugs and leaves her to her fate. Hawkeye then goes on to kill Sakura, despite the summoning of the "Clow Card Meowth"... don't ask. There's something cruel about a military sharp shooter taking down a teen idol and a 4th grader.

    Riku, Mustang, Renji and Hawkeye all have a part in checkmating Tamaki, and the game proceeds to the Quick Fire Elimination Round.. or excuse me the Quick WATER Elimination Round, forgot about the fire code thing.



    Everything goes quickly as Riku beats Nekozawa, Lacus beats Riku with her singing.. Sasuke beats Lacus, Mugen gets Sasuke, Renji defeats Mugen, Sano defeats Renji, Kenshin beats Sano for Kauru and Mustang and Hawkeye defeat Kenshin. ##ANGST WINS##

    But wait... King Tamaki comes back and seduces Hawkeye, causing Mustang to take off the skirt part of his uniform and wield it like a whip, Sephiroth kills Usagi and then Tamaki invites Mustang to be a Host and tempts him with all the women on the Sugar team. Mustang immediately surrenders and in a surprise turn around **SUGAR WINS**


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    Never Say Never

    posted @ 5/07/2007 09:57:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    You won't guess what happened? I finally got some picks from Anime Boston in from the gals that went to the damn thing, and I thought I'd share a few with you as I've been HOUNDED by ya'll for them. [Which in turn made me dog the gal to get them to me, and they did!]

    Well, to be honest Panda gave me a couple of pics while Magic came through big time with a plethora of cosplay goodness. I got so many in fact that I'm having to break them up into three categories: Naruto, Bleach, & Miscellaneous. The Bleach and Misc. groups aren't up yet, but I figured that Naruto would be a good place to start. So hit the link and enjoy bitches!

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    New Podcast Day

    posted @ 4/29/2007 11:20:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Do I even need to tell you it's new podcast episode day? I didn't think so, but I did it anyways, because that's the way I roll here at the sistahood. This weeks episode just happens to be titled, "Episode 48: I French Fried When I Should Have Pizza'd" and is ready for a listen.

    In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious tackles the tricky subject of Jesus in anime as discussed by a panel she went to at AB2k7 while MagicMysticGrl shares some cosplay "Do's & Don'ts" with you lovely folks in hopes of making your con experiences [and ours] better. And bringing up the rear as always is NinjaSistah with her take on the Wii game SSX Blur by EA Big. The conversation is deep at times, and for the other sixty minutes it's the usual laugh riot that you're used to.

    All in all it's just another funMONday here in the hood, so grab your morning cup o' joe and enjoy the show.

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    Livin' La Vida Press

    posted @ 4/27/2007 03:31:00 PM by Pandalicious
    The sights unseen by unpress eyes...

    This year Magic Mystic and I were able to walk Anime Boston not just as obsessive fangirls but as fangirls on a mission. We got to walk AB07 as members of the press. We were indeed the rookies this year. [We had no frickin' clue what to do.] So I did what I do best, looked for hot people or REALLY COOL costumes and hounded the person for a photo, while plugging the site.

    Magic and I also didn't fully understand the power that press holds and learned one very important concept...outside of murder and drug use, on convention grounds we are SUPER ELITE PEOPLE, VIP BABY!!!!!!!!!!!]

    We both attended opening ceremonies which for me was the first time I've managed to a.) wake up on time b.) get to the convention on time c.) get my pass on time to make it to opening ceremonies. Upon arriving there prompt we proceeded to sit in the first two seats first row. [ZOMG!] At the opening ceremonies they pretty much introduce all the guests that will be there, so we all get some exposure to them. As usual, many of the attendees cooed and hollered when Greg Ayres came on stage. [I'll admit I did it too -_-;] The voice actor who [in my opinion] got the most applause was Travis Willingham [for those who don't know, he did the voice of Roy Mustang from FMA] The reason being was they showed the clip from FMA where Mustang is all pumped up about SHORT MINI SKIRTS [in that scene he is standing like a Greek muscle man statue] and then Travis the actual guy comes out and does the same thing, followed by Luci Christian, Greg Ayres and some others to fawn all over him ^^.

    Another thing that they do at opening ceremonies is throw free t-shirts out into the crowd causing a MASSIVE MOSH PIT OF PAIN! Yours truly was donkey kicked in the left hand as a mosher passing by reached for a t-shirt. [BAKA!] He didn't even apologize, but Magic told me to get over it and grow up. [Which is funny since I'm several years older than she is. ^^]

    FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!

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    AB: Pirate/Ninja/Shinigami/Alchemist Ro-Sham-Bo

    posted @ 4/25/2007 06:33:00 PM by MagicMystic
    Hello adoring fans. Sorry this AB (Anime Boston) info has taken so long to get to you, but there was no wireless in my hotel and I've been sleeping off the weekend ever since I got home.


    So this weekend I had delirious amounts of fun, going to panels, watching AMVs and actually cosplaying for the first time ever. I took 13 pages of notes, so please forgive me if I get a bit too long winded.

    The weekend started out on a high note. Panda and I were eligible for press passes due to our phenomenal efforts as ESH members. We were allowed to pass by the whole reg/pre-reg line and get our passes almost immediately. On a sad side note, at AB our press passes didn't get us all kinds of cool extra swag the way Ninja's did at E3. We got the typical schedule and program of events, just like everyone else. This swag bag was actually where we got our WoW demo disks last year... and you all know how that turned out.

    Our first event was the Opening Ceremonies. I'd never bothered to go before, expecting to be totally bored outta my skull, but it wasn't half bad. They introduced the guests and declared the theme of the convention. The theme was officially Japanese Festivals, but I will always remember it for the Pirate/Ninja drama. So, Panda and I traded on our press passes and got ourselves front row center seating without waiting in line, and when they were tossing free t-shirts at the crowd, I caught 2, one for each of us. All in all, it was a good start to the weekend.

    Now, I didn't go to the Anime Dating Game where everything started but I caught the other segments of the whole Pirate/Ninja episode. Apparently something happened during the dating game that caused the need for a Pirate/Ninja truce, complete with peace treaty. So, on Saturday night during the Masquerade, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Akatsuki members got together to ratify the treaty, witnessed by Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Colonel Roy Mustang. However, when the Captain signed his name, the treacherous ninja revealed that it wasn't a peace treaty at all, but that all the pirate signees had just sworn themselves over as ninja.

    So, since all the pirates were now officially ninja, AB official Hawkeye declared that pirates were an endangered species and it was hereby outlawed that they be attacked by ninja. The warloving ninja weren't happy with this development and demanded that they be allowed to fight someone. Mustang volunteered the alchemists for the position of official rivals of the ninja. Unfortunately, the ninja far outnumber the alchemists and remaining pirates. So, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed the Ouran Host Club volunteered to hire private bodyguards for everyone to protect against ninja attacks. Everyone went home thinking that the matter was settled, but it was to be continued the next day at the Anime Chess Game.

    At the chess game, Soifon, Captain of the second squad in the Gotei 13 and Commander of the special forces and Executive Militia within Seireitei stepped forward with a complaint that the alchemists were the ninjas new rivals. Shinigami, she argued, were far better suited to the position due to their numbers and organization. Alchemists couldn't fight ninja head on because they didn't wield weapons, but every Shinigami is equipped with a zanpakuto and additionally it was within Soul Society's power to set up spirit shields to minimize the damages caused to the real world during battle. Alchemists on the other hand must deconstruct their surroundings in order to fight, causing unnecessary damage.

    Before Captain Soifon and Colonel Mustang could start a battle right then and there, it was decided that since several shinigami and alchemists were participating in the chess game, the audience would be allowed to vote on who would become the next rival to the ninja based on perforamance in the game. The winners would become rivals with the ninja and the losers would have to declare their rivalry with the Ouran High School Host Club. Needless to say, we shinigami won and are now officially the rivals of the ninja. I say we because I was cosplaying as 10th Squad Vice Captain Matsumoto Rangiku. Of course this official announcement caused a problem between myself and one of my best friends who was cosplaying as Sexy no Jitsu Naruto. Luckily I'm only a part time shinigami and she's only a part time ninja, so our relationship hasn't suffered. I do however pity Panda who's boyfriend is a pirate and sister is a ninja.

    Along with the developing news at the main events, there was also a secret competition going on behind the scenes for the pirate/ninja/shinigami/alchemist cosplayers. Those of you who went to AB2K6 might remember the ninja barrel that was being passed around, well this year there were 4 of them, one for each faction. Any cosplayer belonging to one of the factions had the right to challenge the holder of the barrel to a game of Ro-Sham-Bo (Rock-Paper-Scissors) and the winner then got to carry the barrel, until they loose it to another challenger. People were walking around the halls with the barrels and would be mobbed by members of the opposing factions. In the end the results were clear, the shinigami really were the best choice of opponents for the ninja. The Barrel capture results were Pirates (27), Alchemists (127), Shinigami (311) and Ninja (323). I'm proud to say that 2 of the Shinigami wins were mine, but ashamed to admit that 5 of the Ninja wins were my friend kicking my arse.

    This whole gang war took place all weekend. There were photo shoots scheduled for all the major cosplaying favorites, but unfortunately the Bleach and Naruto shoots were scheduled at the same time on different floors. Basically the Naruto fans were at the bottom of the escalator and the Bleach fans were at the top. The big mistake here was that they were in full view of each other, so as a cohesive mob the Bleach fans decided to crash the Naruto photo shoot. Seeing as I was wearing a Bleach costume it was impossible for me to remain an impartial spectator, but I feared for my life for a few minutes as this real life West Side Story played out right in front of me (and behind me and to both sides, it was kinda scary..) Luckily, it was nowhere as bad as being at UMass Amherst when the Red Sox won the World Series. Although fascinating to watch it was also damn scary to be in the middle of it all. However, anime fans aren't nearly as rabid as Red Sox fans, so although post traumatic stress scared the crap outta me, I was never in any danger.

    I must declare as a veteran of these things that the occasional riot is exhilarating and refreshing. It really gets the heart pumping and circulates large amounts of adrenaline for a great rush without the need of drugs. So, next time your friends ask you to go out on Friday night and have a friendly riot with them, say yes, it will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.

    On another note I actually went to some panels this year. Last year I managed to spend all weekend in artists alley and the dealer's room. I went to the "Creating Your First Webcomic" and "Inside Manga" panels on Friday and "Character Creation" on Saturday. Although the Baby's First Webcomic panel had some great advice and it was really interesting to hear about how Bettina Kurkoski works behind the scenes, my favorite of the three was Character Creation. I mean how could you not love a panel where you spend the whole time talking about your example characters Raven McAngst and Twinkle McFancyPants. It was basically a panel where we discussed what works and what doesn't with each character, and how it's OK to work with stereotypes as long as you try to do something new with them.

    Your basic character stereotypes are:
    The Master - The old hermit on the mountain who knows the answer to life, the universe and everything (it's not actually 42) and is the guy who sends the main characters on their quest/sets their task.

    The Student - Still learning, full of questions and is a master in training. As the reader, the questions they ask usually end up helping you to understand the world your characters are living in. The student drives exposition.

    The Hero/Heroine - Your main character, they are the most well thought out and have the most depth

    The Sidekick
    - Always hanging around to help the hero, surprisingly enough they have the most potential of all the stereotypes

    The Villain - This is the character who's actions most move the storyline, most heroes can only react to the actions of the villain

    Villain's Lackey - Nameless red shirted characters who exist only to be brutally defeated by the main character, or in the case of Star Wars, brutally defeated by Darth Vader in desperate need of anger management classes, or at least someone needs to get him a rubber band he can snap on his wrist.

    Villain's Minions - Unlike a lackey a minion is irreplaceable to the villain. They are often the only one the villain trusts, and are responsible for how smoothly things run behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the villain, minions are in the perfect place to screw the villain over.

    In order to create an interesting character it's important to mix stereotypes, give all the characters depth and to make sure they have flaws. NO ONE likes a Mary Sue who can do everything perfectly and has no problems at all, it's just too unrealistic. Another important point that was made is that an Anti Hero has a purpose, while random angst is pointless. Along with this vital information there was an incredible amount of geeking out and referencing characters and titles that many a part-time otaku/comicbook dork wouldn't get. We even spent some time discussing why Superman wasn't a Mary Sue.

    I'll be writing up details of the Masquerade, Anime Human Chess Game, Cherry Blossom Ball and AMV Contest within the next few days.


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