Steam rose off the city streets as we partook of a Takoyaki stand a few blocks away from Webster Hall. “It was a lot like Idolmaster ,” fellow anime journalist Omo noted, drawing a parallel to the infamous Japanese game . “Idolmaster cosplay,” I shot back. AKB48 , an Akihabara-based idol group, had their US debut at Webster Hall following the New York Anime Festival . While initial enthusiasm for their preview performance was great, the Sunday evening show time coupled with