I recently went to my first anime convention, Anime Boston. While I enjoyed it thoroughly, took lots of pictures, saw friends, etc. The thing that bothered me most was the artist's alley. I started watching anime and reading manga due to the art style, and I enjoyed supporting budding new artists by buying their artwork, however, I feel cheated. Most of the anime artists I enjoy draw solely in digital form-- so their prints, while large, lack quality (I could print the same quality from my computer printer, or get better prints by going to a local one-hour photo place). Not only do they lack quality but they can be mass reproduced. There's no one stopping someone from having the same print as me. It doesn't feel original.

Like I said, I greatly enjoy supporting good art, which is why I shelled out money to the artist's alley. But I feel cheated at the same time. I'm sure most people out there have the mentality of "why pay for something when I can get it for free?" which they are right, and I can't really blame them. The one item I really loved from the artist's alley was a Death Note phone charm. It's not just paper wrapped up in plastic, which I like.