On April 18, 2003, anime fans from across New England flocked to Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel to partake in a celebration of all things anime. Anime Boston 2003, the first major anime convention to hit the area since 2001’s Mikkakan, proudly invited its attendees to “Be a part of history.”
The tagline proved to be more than just bluster, Anime Boston saw literal thousands of eager attendees crammed into every nook, cranny, and panel. Impromptu Yu-Gi-Oh! games broke out in random hallways, and the Dealer’s Room was filled to bursting from open to close. That’s to say nothing of the grand lobby, which saw no shortage of excited con-goers chatting it up with one another as confused hotel guests tried to make sense of what was unfolding before them.
It was a special event, and everybody who was through the halls knew that they were partaking in an experience that would never be repeated. And, if they didn’t, they certainly figured it out once the fire marshal capped attendance that Saturday.
A staggering 4,110 people would ultimately partake in the festivities, making Anime Boston 2003 the largest first-year convention in history, and the seventh biggest in North America for the year. Even so, when wandering the halls all those years ago, it was hard to not appreciate the sheer energy that seemed to crackle through the crowds. There was an infectious optimism that seemed to permeate every inch of the show and a real hope that things would be back the next year, bigger and better than ever.
It’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago, now.
As the commuter rail pulled into Back Bay Station on April 6, I found myself retracing those familiar steps toward the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Each hurried footstep conjured memories of conventions past.
Anime Boston’s first year at the Hynes in 2005.
Nobuo Uematsu enchanting a packed auditorium with One Winged Angel in 2010.
JAM Project burning down the house in 2014.
The con’s triumphant return after two years of COVID cancellations in 2022.
But, most of all, it felt like a homecoming. Every year since 2003, Anime Boston has been a place of comfort and warmth, where more than 20,000 people can gather, celebrate and commiserate like a gigantic family.
As I wandered through the empty halls of the Hynes, new badge in hand, I couldn’t help but smile as widely as I had in 2003. Though the venue had changed, and the world is vastly different, it’s hard to deny that warmth and comfort that comes from coming home, year after year.
