True Story: Despite living in New Jersey for my entire life, the first anime convention I ever attended was actually Anime Boston, and since attending in 2005 or so, I have never been back to the large con. This year, however, is different.
I’m heading up from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with the school’s Science-Fiction Association, which is organizing a trip to the con. While up in Boston, I will be blogging about the convention’s myriad panels and events and maybe grabbing an interview or two with the guests. Plus, I will co-presenting with Daryl Surat of Anime World Order on his “Remembering Satoshi Kon” panel. (I ran a similar one at Genericon, and I hope to bring my own insights to what is already looking to be a great panel about the late director’s life and work.)
As usual, I’ve included my tentative schedule — complete with overlaps that I will reconcile on the fly at the con — after the break. Note the number of Charles Dunbar panels; after Ink’s great write-up and my own repeated failure to attend his panels, I’m going to make a real effort to see them this time.
Are you going to the con? What events are you looking forward to?
EDIT 1: Modified my list a little after realizing that I missed a few panels.
Friday
| When | What | Where |
| 10–11 am | Who Was Carl Macek? | Panel 309 |
| 11 am-12 pm | Oda Nobunaga: Evil Sorceror or Space Alien? | Panel A |
| 1–2:45 pm | The Tokyo “Nonexistant Youth” Bill and How It Affects You | Panel 309 |
| 3–4 pm | Castles, Forests and Bath Houses: The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki | Panel A |
| 3:30–4:30 pm | Future of the Fullmetal Fandom: Is It Really Over!? | Panel 306 |
| 4–5 pm | Anime Intro & Ending Themes | Panel 302/304 |
| 6–7:30 pm | Experts of Fan Controversy | Panel 107 |
| 6–7 pm | Dubs That Time Forgot | Panel 202 |
| 7–8:30 pm | Totally Subversive Toons | Panel 309 |
| 8:30–9:30 pm | Villains and Virgins: The Madonna-Heathen Complex in Anime | Panel 107 |
| 8:30–9:30 pm | I <3 the 90’s | Panel 306 |
| 9:30–11:30 pm | Anime’s Craziest Deaths | Panel 306 |
Saturday
| When | What | Where |
| 10–11 am | The Family That Geeks Together, Keeps Together | Panel 107 |
| 11 am–12 pm | Tezuka 101 | Panel 206 |
| 12–1 pm | It’s a Rumic World | Panel 309 |
| 1–2 pm | State of the Industry | Panel 306 |
| 2–3 pm | Sentai Filmworks | Panel 306 |
| 3:30–4:30 pm | Remembering Satoshi Kon (1963-2010) | Panel 202 |
| 5–6 pm | Notable Directors of Anime That Aren’t Hayao Miyazaki | Panel 309 |
| 6–7 pm | “What is Super-Flat”: Where Anime fits in Post-Modern Culture | Panel 206 |
| 7–8 pm | Omoide In My Head: A Brief Guide to Japanese Indie Rock | Panel 202 |
| 7–9 pm | Bad Anime, Bad!! | Panel A |
| 8–9 pm | Dead Like Us: Shinigami, Death Lore and Japanese Media | Panel 107 |
| 8–9 pm | Animating Music in Anime About Music | Panel 206 |
| 11 pm–12 am | STEREOPONY Concert | Auditorium |
Sunday
| When | What | Where |
| 10–11 am | The Visions of Akira Kurosawa | Panel 202 |
| 12–1 pm | Spirits, Wheel and Borrowed Gods: Religion in Japan | Panel 202 |
| 12–1 pm | Satoshi Kon RIP (this is NOT Daryl’s panel) | Panel 302/304 |
| 12–1 pm | From East to West: the Superheroes of Japan & America | Panel A |
| 1–2:30 pm | An International Game of Telephone: The Japanese Culture Exchange | Panel 107 |
