Anime Boston 2018 Spotlight: Your Waifu is (Not) Trash

By Aperture.ISOIt is hard to believe that another Anime Boston has come and gone. As mentioned in my 2017 write-up of the convention, Anime Boston is without a doubt one of my top favorite conventions to attend, and Anime Boston 2018 did not disappoint.My favorite part of any convention is the cosplay. There is a level of work and dedication that goes into every one. From the simple “causal” cosplays, to the over the top giant builds, the fandom clearly shows their love, and respect, for the source material. Talking to someone at the convention, they described it as “being surrounded with living, breathing artwork” and I could not agree more.Being married to a fellow writer here at The Geekly Grind, I came into this year with at least a minimal knowledge of all the hottest anime, unlike previous years where I felt about as lost as the tourists who happened to walk by the convention center. It was really amazing what the fans have created in such a short amount of time, as some of these shows only started a few months ago!Characters from The Ancient Magus Bride and My Hero Academia seemed to be very popular this year. The feisty girls of Pop Team Epic (my personal favorite of the winter season) also made an appearance. The classics also still held a place in everyone’s hearts. I saw plenty of Pokemon trainers and Sailor Scouts. As in previous years, the cosplay was not limited to just anime. Disney characters fit right in amongst the Mario Brothers and the cast of Firefly.But the biggest cosplay this year…otaku and cosplay memes. Plenty of people were dressed as signs telling me that my waifu is trash. Another biggie were dinosaurs in costumes (which seems to be the new “Deadpool cosplaying as X”). There were also various parodies of popular characters. Con culture seems to have evolved to the point where there are con specific memes, and that just further deepens the connection the attendees have to the convention.If you have not attended Anime Boston before, do yourself the favor and attend in 2019. Between the people, the panels, and the entire atmosphere, you are destined to have an amazing time.