Anime North 2011

Ok, so I am back from a weekend of anime, manga, cosplay, free hugs, and other awesome. As usual, the con was amazing, and I had the time of my life.

Last week, when I said I would provide a summarry of Anime North, I had this kind of "journalism"-type mindset, where I would attend a bunch of events and panels, and summarize them. However, I quickly remembered that the fun of something like AN does not come from those things: it is the general atmosphere around you, and the fun times you have with friends that make it so awesome. Don't get me wrong, the events are awesome and alot of fun, and I really enjoy them, but they don't necessarilly make the con what it is. However, since I doubt you guys want to read a bunch of anecdotes about things I did with my friends, I will talk about some of the highlights of overall con that apply to everyone.


Cosplays this year were amazing, as usual. My personal favourite was a group that cosplayed as the guardians from Mummies Alive! Almost went into nostalgia overload there, and the costumes were really well done. I was also excited to see a very well done Tsukasa from .hack// sign, which is one of my favourite series, despite its relatively short length. There was also a windmill man from OOT, who was actually playing the Song of Storms, a Meowth balloon and many, many more (check my Facebook for pictures). Needless to say, the cosplay was enjoyable. This was also my first year cosplaying (unless you count my Vivi Halloween costume in Grade 8), which was alot of fun! If you've been to AN before, and haven't cosplayed yet, you should really give it a try, it is super fun!

Skit Competition: Despite the microphone going out for two skits, making them inaudible, this year's skit comp was quite entertaining. The highlight, for me, was "Kingdom Hearts Rhapsody", which was (obviously) a parody of Bohemian Rhapsody about Kingdom Heats. I think that's all you really need to know about that one. There was also a rather frightening skit that revolved entirely around 'pussy'cat puns. Before the skit comp, there was an improv show with the 404s, which was ok but had little to do with anime and didn't really fit the con. It was like an amateur version of Whose Line. Pretty fun,but once again should've been somewhat anime themed.

J-Pop dance: OK, I didn't actually go into the J-Pop dance, due to a series of circumstances including my friend's sore lolita feet, rain, a Shonen Jump bag and confusing conflicting plans (too long to explain). However, the line-up to get into the J-Pop dance was tons of fun. We could hear the music from the parking lot rave, everyone in the lineup was super excited, and there were gratuitous amounts of glowsticks being thrown around. So although I am not in a position to recommend the dance itself (although it looked like tons of fun, so I can give an unqualified recommendation), I would highly recommend going to the line-up before it starts with some friends: it is quite fun (once again, AN tends to be more about the atmosphere than the events themselves, and the J-pop dance had a very exciting atmosphere).


Parking Lot Rave- ended early twice this year due to rain, but before the rain, it was entertaining as usual. The best part is that there are no line ups, and it's a very casual event- due to being in the parking lot- so you don't really have to commit to it. Just go, dance for a few songs, then leave and maybe come back later.

As for shopping: the art this year was very impressive, with one or two tables blowing me away. I was disappointed that there were no ace attorney buttons (was going to buy one last year, but I didn't), but that's ok: overall the art was good. The Nominoichi was chock full of good deals as usual, and the dealer's room was pretty good. Overall, the con managed to suck 150 bucks out of me, so i'd say shopping was pretty good. I also ate at the TCC cafeteria for the first time this year (usually go to Jack Astor's), which was really good, however insanely expensive, so I'd only recommend it if you don't like your money or have no other option.

Anyway, I've talked your ear off enough. Overall, it was a great AN this year, and I had a great time (think it may have beaten out last year. Last year had better weather, but I think this one was better). Anybody who likes anime, manga or video games and has never been to AN should really consider going. It's pretty much the best weekend of my entire year, and if you see me in the next while, I will probably talk your ear off about my 5 million stories about fun things I did.

Anyway, peace until next time. And stay tuned for my discussion about Rachel Leigh Cook next week. Also, because this blog is at such an unfocused stage right now (popular culture is pretty much the least vague I can get it), I am taking suggestions for topics/ columns you would like to read based on my writing style and general knowledge.

Thanks as always for reading. I really appreciate it.