Anime Boston 2017: My Secret Shame (Dealer's Room)

Readers, it’s that time again. I stand before you to admit that I have a problem.

Anime cons bring out a fairly odd part of me. Generally, I’m a frugal person by nature. I shop for groceries at Aldi, I buy clothes at TJ Maxx and Target, and I generally try to avoid spending money when I can. At a convention, though, a completely different side of me awakens.

Every year, I go in with a pledge to not over-spend. I tell myself that I’ll behave, buy the essentials, and stick to the budget. And, with that in mind, maybe (just maybe!) I’ll leave Boston with more than five bucks in my pocket. And every single year, I realize that just isn’t going to happen. I find myself dropping far too much on Blu-Rays, DVD, and toys that will undoubtedly sit on a shelf for a good few weeks before getting a single glance.

I often joke that cocaine is a cheaper investment – after all, I’d really clear that editing schedule quickly! Joking aside, I do have a fondness for the dealer’s room. It’s a place where I can fill those niggling holes in my collection, pick up a few “Bad Anime Night” candidates, and satisfy my latent fanboyish desires, all at the same time. The deals seem pretty much endless, and I find myself wandering from booth to booth as I try to find those items that have been eluding my grasp for far too long.

Overall, though, wallets weep, and common sense dies by the curb. Come Sunday morning, there’s that brief twinge of remorse upon realization of the horrors I’ve unleashed upon my wallet.

This year proved to be no different, as I dropped into the old habits and indulged a bit too much over the weekend.

This time around, the total title count is a bit smaller, as I wound up splurging on a Megahouse Sakura Taisen Variable Action Koubu figure. In my case, Sakura Wars trumps all. No exceptions.