Introduction
It’d be robust for Rhode Island Anime Con (RIAC) to have worse timing than it did final yr. In a choice that was both extremely daring or extremely silly, their inaugural occasion was held throughout the identical weekend as Otakon—one of many greatest anime conventions in North America, which takes place within the far-but-not-too-far-from-New-England Washington DC. That is all to say that one would assume RIAC has discovered a factor or two concerning the significance of fine timing within the yr since. But when such a lesson actually was discovered, then I’m undecided how deeply it sank in, as RI Anime Con made one other alternative that was both extremely daring or silly, and positioned their 2024 occasion throughout the identical weekend as Rhode Island Delight, Fan Expo Boston (FEB), and Father’s Day.
Now, in equity to RIAC, it’s attainable that they didn’t learn about FEB’s dates till it was too late; Fan Expo Boston had their 2024 dates on their web site properly earlier than RIAC had theirs, however I additionally don’t know when RIAC began making preparations with its venue, the Rhode Island Conference Heart. However Father’s Day and Rhode Island Delight are one other story. Rhode Island Delight all the time takes place in Windfall on the third Saturday of June, whereas Father’s Day all the time takes place the third Sunday in June, making a possible battle with these celebrations simply avoidable. Whether or not RIAC’s organizers, Altered Actuality Leisure, didn’t know, didn’t care, didn’t have a alternative, or didn’t assume that it could considerably impression their occasion, I don’t know.
Once I noticed that RIAC and FEB have been taking place the identical weekend this yr, I didn’t even have to consider it: clearly, FEB could be the one to be at. I’ve by no means been to both con earlier than, however I learn Samantha Ferreira’s con report of the prepare wreck that was final yr’s occasion. And, actually, it’s arduous to think about how one thing may very well be worse than RIAC if it was going to be something prefer it was final yr. Plus, even now I nonetheless can’t assist however side-eye them for his or her preposterous (and fortuitously, in the end unsuccessful) try at trademarking the generic time period “anime con” in 2022—a transfer that was at finest overtly and indescribably brainless, and demonstrates a outstanding lack of effort on Altered Actuality’s half. However within the worst case, this was a particularly scummy and underhanded try. Both method, it’s given me a sure degree of mistrust towards Altered Actuality Leisure that I nonetheless maintain, and don’t count on will totally go away by itself or any time quickly. In addition to, if FEB can afford to have names like Mads Mikkelson and Hugh Darcy on its visitor checklist, then absolutely it may possibly afford to placed on an honest occasion, proper?
…R-right?
A Few Phrases on Fan Expo Boston
Effectively, as luck(?) would have it, I wouldn’t have to decide on between these neighboring cons. Defying expectations, RIAC invited Ferreira again to as soon as once more cowl the con this yr. Even now, I’m uncertain if this was a transfer made out of confidence, desperation, or perhaps only a lack of analysis/record-keeping. Regardless of the case, Ferreira, in flip, kindly invited me to tag alongside to additionally work as press. Concurrently, a few of my associates have been interested by going to FEB for a day. And so, for the primary time in all my congoing years, I made plans to do two totally different cons in the identical weekend: Fan Expo Boston on Friday, and RI Anime Con on Saturday.
So with that being stated, the lengthy and in need of it’s that I feel FEB 2024 was a very run occasion the place poor administration choices have been continually on full show. I’ll chorus from giving an in depth con report within the curiosity of retaining this extra targeted on RIAC. Nonetheless, I do no less than need to take a while to speak about my greatest criticism of the con—a title that wasn’t simply received, seeing as how single-day badge holders couldn’t do a lot of something however stand within the hallway till 4 PM, quite a few visitors (presumably all of them?) didn’t appear to have a set schedule for autograph occasions, and the web site wasn’t all the time appropriate about how a lot autographs would value. Notably, my associates needed an autograph from Sarah Natochenny, whose autograph value was listed on-line at $40–60. However once we obtained to the entrance of the road, they have been advised that as a result of they needed Pokemon playing cards signed, it’d be a unique value based mostly on the rarity of the cardboard. The playing cards have been promo playing cards, however their value on TCGPlayer is round 5 {dollars} as of time of writing. Nonetheless, they have been advised it could really be about $100 per card, of which there have been two. None of this was listed on her autograph value information on the web site).
Within the vendor’s room, there was a sales space known as “Cool Zoo,” which marketed dwell animals—a sloth and a small, hand-sized monkey (most likely a marmoset)—that folks might play with proper then and there. My associates and I assumed they have been puppets at first look, however upon additional inspection—specifically, upon seeing the sloth transfer on a department by itself—it dawned on us that they have been actual. These have been actual animals that they have been actually letting individuals play with within the midst of a crowded exhibition corridor. And, as any con-goer will inform, that is arguably the loudest, most hectic room of any given conference.
I don’t know sufficient about animal/zoo legal guidelines to have the ability to let you know for certain whether or not or not that is unlawful in Massachusetts. Nonetheless, it no less than feels prefer it must be. If nothing else, I can confidently state that this is extremely unethical. A vendor’s room in a fan conference simply appears method too overstimulating of a spot for monkeys and a sloth. Cool Zoo must be ashamed of themselves, as ought to whoever gave them the inexperienced mild to arrange in FEB’s vendor’s room.
RI Anime Con: Issues Couldn’t Probably Be Worse… Can They?
I left FEB mentally bracing myself. In any case, if that’s what FEB was like, then it definitely felt just like the weekend’s conventions could be operating neck-and-neck in a race towards the underside, huh?
That is all to say that I didn’t enter RI Anime Con with the very best of hopes. That pessimism appeared all however confirmed once we entered the con and the venue appeared suspiciously empty for a Saturday (though sadly, Ferreira famous that it regarded to her like there have been extra individuals current than final yr). It was instantly clear that having individuals select between RIAC, Delight, Father’s Day, and FEB wasn’t figuring out within the conference’s favor, no less than not whereas we have been there. However whereas there’s nonetheless loads of room for enchancment at RIAC (very like there was nonetheless loads of room left within the venue), because the day went on, I used to be shocked to see that they’d seemingly acted on quite a few Ferreira’s criticisms from final yr (though whereas I wish to assume that they did, and I sincerely assume there’s a likelihood of it. Whether or not they did this no less than partially due to Ferreira’s protection particularly, although, I don’t know).
Upon coming into the Rhode Island Conference Heart, or extra particularly, upon coming into its essential corridor. The vendor’s room, Artist’s Alley, and autograph cubicles have been all smashed into the identical room, which seems like so much for one house—and doubtless could be at a bigger con. Nonetheless, as a result of lack of attendance, it nonetheless felt fairly spacious. Furthermore, it was instantly apparent the place the majority of the con’s modest attendance had gone: the autograph strains (pictured beneath). Constantly all through my and Ferreira’s time on the con, the autograph part was all the time essentially the most crowded space of the con, by far. That is hardly a shock, given the star-studded visitor checklist, however on the similar time, there wasn’t actually all that a lot else to do on the con.
There have been quite a few cool shows round this big room that seemingly 90% of the con passed off in. There was an enormous (perhaps life-sized?) Appa from Avatar the Final Airbender, and an anime-themed automotive show. Elsewhere all through the room, sprinkled between the service provider cubicles, one might see issues like an enormous Jack Skellington, and naturally, loads of improbable cosplays. Outdoors of this room, although, there was little else to do. Notably of notice was the panel schedule. Whereas larger than final yr’s, it was nonetheless pretty meager and lacked selection. However hey, no less than the panels have been in their very own separate room (with comfy-looking seats) this time.
However whereas RIAC had noticeably improved since final yr, the very fact stays that Ferreira and I nonetheless didn’t really feel motivated to remain for extraordinarily lengthy. We visited Tiffany Grant’s sales space, we went to a Sailor Moon panel (which Ferreira detailed in her con report), and we went by way of the seller’s corridor a number of occasions (and I purchased some Japanese snacks). However after just a few hours, there wasn’t something left to maintain us—hardcore anime followers who love the conference expertise—there, so with blended emotions, we left.
RIAC appeared to be making an effort into bettering itself, and if the con continued to do this, then it may very well be one thing actually thrilling in a number of extra years. Plus, they didn’t have a literal zoo of their vendor’s room, so it was no less than a greater occasion than FEB. However on the similar time, the con’s shortcomings have been obvious. And what’s extra, as I’d be taught after I left the con, there have been much more than I beforehand thought.
The Vendor Expertise
In a Tiktok made on the con, streamer Zeenigami primarily mentioned the cash misplaced from table-ing on the con. The way in which Zeenigami paints the vibe amongst the artists, it seems like a number of of them have been equally struggling, and usually sad with the occasion. This was corroborated in a con vlog by illustrator Espresso Vamp, who referred to RIAC as, “hands-down the worst conference that we’ve finished, and as somebody who’s been going to conventions since junior excessive, the worst conference I’ve ever seen in particular person.”
Realizing how a lot of this lightly-attended con’s site visitors was concentrated within the autograph space, to not point out how simple it’s to think about loads of different individuals leaving early on account of how little there was to do, I’ve little question that many artists and distributors (particularly those who traveled to be there) possible struggled to interrupt even—not to mention make a revenue—at RIAC. Compounding the problem, Zeenigami and Espresso Vamp went on to debate the con telling artists that they couldn’t promote 3D gadgets, which resulted in some artists abiding by this rule and solely bringing printed supplies, whereas others both didn’t know or selected to disregard it to seemingly no repercussions. Espresso Vamp additional notes that some circumvented this by paying additional for a vendor desk versus an artist desk—though within the absence of any enforcement of the rule, this extra buy would’ve been rendered nugatory.
One can see this absurd rule on the check-out web page for buying an artist sales space on the con:
“NOTE: **MUST BE A DRAWING,PAINTING AND OR SKETCHING ARTIST TO APPLY FOR THIS SPACE**…**NO SELLING OF PINS, MUGS, PILLOWS, BAGS, OR OTHER ITEMS IS ALLOWED IN COMIC ARTISTS ALLEY.”
It is a ridiculous rule which is tough to see some extent to. 3D gadgets like enamel pins, buttons, charms, baggage, and acrylic standees are highly regarded in artist alleys at actually each different (anime) con ever. There’s no fathomable purpose to not enable artists to promote them at RIAC, and it’s arduous to think about how a rule like this might’ve made it to the end line.
Sadly, this could hardly be the primary time that I’ve heard of a superfluous, nonsensical rule from RIAC. Final yr, the press was forbidden from speaking to any of the visitors (“a primary on this reporter’s twenty-one years of overlaying conventions as a member of the media.” Ferreira would say about this in her con report). We have been by no means given direct affirmation of this not being a rule this yr, however we did chat with Tiffany Grant at her sales space for a bit this yr, so one would presume which means this counterproductive rule not is. However as if to make up for that, this yr they “required” that press shops have no less than a mixed 50,000 followers on Fb, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
I put “required” in quotes as a result of there aren’t any anime-focused writing/journalism shops that may meet this frankly absurd standards outdoors of Anime Information Community and Crunchyroll. How RIAC landed on 50k being an excellent benchmark, particularly for a smaller con, I don’t know. Nonetheless, Ferreira and I have been in a position to do press on the occasion with out Anime Herald’s (sub-50k) follower rely even being talked about to us—not to mention changing into a problem.
Conclusion
Total, RIAC nonetheless has an extended highway forward of them in the event that they need to turn out to be a greater con. Because it at present stands, it lacks in issues to do, and there’s been an alarming variety of questionable organizational choices that’ve been very a lot to the deficit of not solely the con itself, but in addition the attendees, artists, distributors, and extra. However I truthfully didn’t count on the con to have a lot, if any, marked enchancment since final yr—not to mention being a greater con than its neighbor FEB was—and that’s price acknowledging.
RI Anime Con has methods to go, however they do appear to be taking no less than some steps in the appropriate course. I’d say their greatest points now (in no explicit order) are:
- Securing a greater weekend for the occasion
- Having a set of extra guidelines which are extra pretty written and persistently enforced
- Having extra to do on the con, itself
Cash doesn’t all the time essentially resolve all of a con’s issues (although it may possibly typically no less than significantly soften them), but when this con can afford to have such a large and starry visitor checklist, it could most likely go a great distance in the event that they diverted extra of their sources into addressing these issues in a method that’s significant.
To be clear: these issues aren’t essentially unique to RIAC. Actually, FEB equally appeared to rely closely on its visitor checklist, fairly than programming, to get it by way of the weekend. And even outdoors of those two cons, there are nonetheless different cons with large visitor lists, however little, if any, programming (Anime 405 was the identical method as properly. I left after solely two hours—most likely the least period of time I’ve ever spent at a con in all my years of con-going).
Whereas I hope this isn’t the case, I can’t assist however fear that we’re seeing the early emergence of a development of bland cons that really feel disconnected from the better anime fan tradition, and by extension of that, both unknowing or uncaring of what (anime) followers really need in a con. Therefore, why these cons are sometimes little greater than—as Anime Boston co-founder Patrick Delahanty as soon as known as in a dialog with me about Anime 405—petting zoos (which isn’t only a metaphor within the case of FEB).
If I needed to guess, although, I’d say that if we actually are seeing the genesis of this development, then it was possible born from a mixture of an total elevated curiosity in anime/fandom by most of the people (and by extension, conventions) and a false impression that operating (anime) conventions is no less than normally a worthwhile job/aspect hustle.
To be clear, although: it’s normally not.
At the same time as I kind this, quite a few bigger, pre-established cons are nonetheless having hassle bouncing again after the peak of the pandemic—financially, organizationally, each, or in any other case.
However to lastly get again on subject, I don’t know what the long run holds for RIAC. That stated, I do know that I’ll be actually curious to listen to (maybe see, who is aware of) how its 2025 occasion goes and the way a lot or little goodwill will probably be prolonged to them after an occasion that, whereas higher than final yr’s, nonetheless fell in need of the mark. As of the time of writing, RIAC 2025 is at present scheduled for June 7–8, 2025, which doesn’t have any instantly obvious main conflicts. It’s neither the identical weekend as Rhode Island Delight and Father’s Day, nor does it appear to be competing with some other main/close by conventions at an early look. However as for whether or not that’s foreshadowing for his or her first actually nice occasion, or a fake-out that’s really an ailing omen of what’s to return, we’ll simply have to attend and see.
