I figured I could accomplish all those things one weekend in Toronto, Canada at Canada's premium anime convention, Anime North. I realize that this is a few weeks late, but I simply must share.
Anime has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I grew up watching super heroines like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, hoping (and honestly believing) that one day some wind of fate would pick me up from my obscurely flaccid world and transform me into a rainbow-coloured-wearing-pink-baton-twirling hero. My parents hoped I would grow out of it, but to their dismay, I continued this hobby right into Jr. High and High School. In Jr. High, I was at the peek of my obsession, ranting on about skewed plot twists, and getting flustered and annoyed about girls that didn't exist and men to perfectly flawed to be real or dateable. But alas, the real world caught up to me, and I was swallowed by a world of real problems, real friends, and real boys. For some time, I stopped watching all together, but in late high school the flame was re-kindled for some reason or another, and I picked up watching a show here and there. Although the number of shows I watched were low, they were obviously much better and mature, and would eventually become a frequent topic of discussion with my would-be-boyfriend, as did classic literature and video games (yawn, I know...).
Now, as a 20 year old university student, I have redeveloped a mature and unadulterated love for the genre, in a non-obsessive and much more controlled manner. When my boyfriend suggested that we head off to Toronto for a weekend to the convention that I had been secretly been dreaming of my whole life, there was no hesitation. This resulted in a "-[insert large sum here].00" appearing on my credit card the next day.
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but I'm afraid there's just so much to share!
Five hours on a Greyhound bus was just as expected, and so was the tedious trek through the lively and busy streets of Toronto to our hotel. The hour long daily commute to the airport region from downtown was just as lovely...but man, was it worth it.
Day One
We had no idea of the magnitude of the lines that formed as we approached the Toronto Congress Centre. No joke, there had to be thousands of people in the parking lot either wandering or in the line to get in. Jimmy and I were in line for at least a good two hours. Luckily, there were plenty of really amazing cosplayers to keep us entertained.
Gamecube Guy killed me...
Team Fortress was definitely one of the most popular cosplay themes (and well done overall!)
Jimmy and I were lucky to get in. Although somewhat organized, the number of people who were going to attend opening night was clearly underestimated. Organizers handed a couple hundred passes out by hand to people just outside the door and had to send everyone else home. The long wait in line caused us to miss the Friday Night Masquerade but we sure had a fantastic time looking around!
Scored some really cool merchandise from the Dealer's Room as well as a one-night-only garage sale-type event, where I got The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on DVD as well as the soundtrack, all for 20$!
J. MICHEAL TATUM: one of the most versatile, talented, and well-known voice actor and ADR directors of our time. His list includes: Ouran High School Host Club, Case Closed, Black Butler (extremely popular, started watching it after the convention...I can consider myself hip again), Summer Wars, Romeo x Juliet, Samurai7, I don't need to go on...
I almost peed myself, but I knew that we had to at least make it to his panel that night before I could do that.
Day Two
MORNING FOLKS!
After some much needed breakfast downtown at the Senator, which was an excellent diner right in the middle of Dundas Square, we trekked through the transit system once more to head towards the airport region.
We don't have a subway system back at home. :<
Jimmy and I were determined to buy as much merchandise as possible and to get our stuff signed by at least one of the three voice actors. However, to our dismay, the line was unbearably long and eventually cut off. However, by some godsent miracle, my boyfriend and I managed to get into Brina Palencia's line.
Totoro, you and I agree...
She was just as sweet and courteous as expected, contrasting against the quick-witted, rough-and-tough nature of the characters she played.
Although we got into Brina's line, security had tightened and we knew that there was absolutely no way to see J. Micheal. So, we did what any hardcore fan would do, and waited to try to spot where he'd be heading next.
He got up from his seat, and a large mob of fans attempted to track his movement. When he somehow seemed to disappear from behind closed doors, fans were left disappointed and continued on with their day.
Lo and behold, he was standing at a booth right behind us, plain in sight, talking to a few of the staff members. After subsequently picking our jaws off the floors, we approached him and he was kind enough to have a little chat about how his time at the convention was. In my nervousness, I had a sort of slip of the mind and asked him how he was enjoying Ottawa, which is actually my hometown definitely not where we were. He kindly chuckled as I attempted to pick up the pieces of whatever intelligence I had left, blabbing on while apologizing. He was kind enough to sign my copy of Ouran High School Host Club and take pictures with my boyfriend and I. What a swell fellow.The voice actors were not the only ones getting attention, however. We had seen many cosplayers stopped throughout the day for pictures.
I can't imagine how the photo's turned out but I'm glad even a few people liked my costume. I couldn't help but smile as children passed by and claimed, "Umbreon! My favourite Pokemon!"
Making our way through the crowded Artist's Alley and Dealer's Room was extremely difficult, though rewarding. After walking our way through the staff yelling, "BADGES UP!" and making out way through the awkward mob of people walking against us, an entire slew of really great fan art awaited us in Artist's Alley. Things from bookmarks to posters lined the convention space. One could find more "official" merchandise in the Dealer's Room, with things such as DVDs, plush dolls, posters and mugs. One of the funniest things we saw were dozens of mouse pads with female characters on them which had wrist pads where their breasts would be...err...
We went back to our hotel happily with our purchases.
Day 3
Jimmy and I made the last minute decision to come back to the last day after having so much unexpected fun for the first two days. We managed to get Monica Rial's signature. She was so sweet, bubbly and extremely talkative (no surprise!) and even did some impromptu impersonations of her character Rengae.
After some last minute grazing at the ever-crowded dealer's room, I managed to score some really good fan art and a Code Geass wall scroll (which I must admit I now have mixed feelings about...every time I wake up, a disgruntled Lelouch is staring at me).
It was a short day, as we had to head back downtown to pick up our baggage and head back home. With a bittersweet taste in our mouths, we left the convention with a smile. We actually attempted to leave more than once because my boyfriend and I like to linger a little too much. Here are some of the last photos we snatched.
Overall
My experience at Anime North was truly enjoyable. Although initially mismanaged and confusing, as the entrances lines wound endlessly throughout the parking with no beginning or end, the staff handled the large crowds as well as they could. Overcrowding issues were solved over the following days and everything ran smoothly. I understand that the autograph lines have to eventually be cut off, but to give previous warning that they were going to be cut off before the scheduled autograph line even begun would have been nice. The pricing of merchandise in the dealer's room was pretty good, especially the DVDs, which were considerably cheaper than the sets that I would buy in my hometown.
All the fans that were there were very friendly and exuded such positive energy, that even a non-anime fan could admire. Many of my friends are not anime fans; it was refreshing and re-assuring to know that other people felt just as passionate (in some cases, more) about this form of art and animation. It was a great chance to catch up and learn about shows that are increasing in popularity, as it appeared that my boyfriend and I were clearly behind in that aspect. My interest in the genre has definitely been re-invigorated, and it was also a great bonding experience with my boyfriend, who is also an avid fan.
If I had the chance, I would definitely go again.
Sorry this post was so long and late. I felt like I needed to take that awkward first step and I'm glad that I've finally finished my first post. I'm hoping to get back in to the swing of things and try posting weekly. I hope you've enjoyed reading!
-Natascha
