[Anime North]/A Tale of Two Cons

Alright, so it's only a couple of days since we've returned back to the Den of Debauchery and we're still recovering from an awesome weekend at Anime North. As the title states, this con has a bit of a multiple personality. On one hand you have the insanity that is the outdoor areas around the Toronto Congress Centre and then you have the more typical atmosphere inside the numerous hotels holding events. Not that this is a bad thing, it's just very different than a lot of conventions out there. While it's true that we maybe only saw 25-30% of the convention, it's really not that big of a surprise either. Anime North has events that take place mostly within the DoubleTree and Congress Centre, but there are also events (and even entire tracks) that take place in 4 other locations as well! For just the two of us? A daunting task. So, with that in mind we stuck to the two main locations.

Not only did this just make it easier on us due to it only being the two of us there, but it also saved our feet and legs a bit. From one end to other you're looking at close to a mile in distance to cover and that's just too much in all reality. It's even further if you're in one of the outlying official hotels as well, but hey...it's still better than being too far away, right?

Recommendation: I would say that if you have the time and money, definitely make the trip up for this one. Yes, it's a bit more expensive with travel and hotels (depending on where you stay) but tt's got a bit of everything for everyone and it has that in spades. Events run from as early as 9am and go until as late as 2-3am for the musical acts. It's this sheer amount of things to do and, if the weather is nice, the outside areas are just awesome for people watching that makes this one a must attend at least once in your life! Sure, there's a few problems and they could use some work on a couple of things, but they're not that major in the grand scheme of things. Don't wait too long though, this one sells out fast!

Looking for the rest of the coverage from Anime North? Just click here.

Disclaimer: We were invited as media to cover the convention as a whole and specific events that took place during it. This in no way reflects upon our opinions or thoughts on the convention as a whole.

Now, on with the overview of our time at Anime North!

That said, this trip was a bit of a first for both CK ( +Carrie H.C. ) and I. While, true, she had sort of been to Canada in the past (never venturing much past the falls), I hadn't been. Which meant another country to cross off my checklist of ones that I've visited! Always a good thing, right? Anyway, after a long 6 hour drive, a few hours of sleep and then a good 8 hours at Canada's Wonderland on Friday...we made our way down to the Toronto Congress Centre and the DoubleTree to pick up our badges.

Upon arriving, the chaos was already in full swing (pre-reg badge pick up did start on Thurs) and the crosswalk between the DoubleTree and Congress Centre was looking like some medieval field battle just waiting to break out. After some quick navigation we found some parking and then snaked our way through the crowds inside towards the basement to get our badges for the weekend. (Yeah, press in the basement...makes sense really.) Once we were set, we were ready to tackle the wonderful weird that Anime North is. A quick check of our bearings and the maps/schedule via the Guidebook app, we were set!

First stop, dealers room and artists alley.

After crossing the battlefield that was the Dixon Rd crosswalk, wandering through the parking lot of the Congress Centre and past the outside stage, we finally made it inside. First sight to behold? The massive holding pens that made up the line for registration and just beyond that some of the space held for other conventions to advertise along with a few other things like the Cards Against Humanity booth. Overall though? This huge space that one walks into first is pretty empty and devoid of much outside of those few things. Though, as one can see, the registration queue area did take up about half the space so not too surprising at all.

I will say one thing though, the Congress Centre seems less of a convention center and more akin to the smaller, regional expo-marts/centers that we have in the states. Unfinished floors, exposed ceilings and harsh lighting abound. It's a far cry from some of the other locations that we've been to but considering that it's only used for vendors/artists/registration it's not necessarily a bad thing and it does serve it's purpose well.

The the real reason to come here though was in the next room over, Artist Alley. So many artists, so much great talent. It really was hard to get through it all and make sure that you saw everything. The crowds were thick and there was just so much good stuff to see that it did take us quite a while to make our way through everything. Sadly though, nothing really jumped out at us this time around and that did kind of make us a little sad. Why? The prices for prints were right on target. Nothing really seemed overpriced, though a few of the artists did go a bit overboard with things. $100+ for small plushies? Yeah, no.

Now, one of the interesting things is that they had a designated entry and exit point for the vendors/dealers room. The entrance being a little bit of a rat maze before the badge check but there wasn't much of a line to be seen and people just kind of walked through with zero waiting. The fact that this was a bit later in the evening probably helped a bit too. Once past the badge check we found ourselves in another massive room. This time, filled with vendors selling all manner of goods. Booths from small to massive invited everyone to at least take a look at the wares being sold. Manga, figures, anime, cosplay, video games, posters and tons more. Right around 300 vendors were packed into this space and provided a wide array of goods for the established collector and aspiring otaku alike.

However, Carrie and I did see one problem, there was a lot of overlap and sadly a lot of vendors weren't just really up to snuff when compared to the conventions we've been to. Maybe it's the smaller numbers or just tighter control over the vetting process, I'm not sure. It just seemed like a lot of the vendors were haphazard outside of the larger more together operations. Sure, every convention gets a few oddballs that seem out of place but there were a lot of them here. The other thing that we saw was that a lot of vendors didn't take a card. Do they really expect that many people to carry cash on them? I understand artists not doing so, but so many vendors not taking cards seemed really strange. Is this just a way for them to avoid taxes or fees?

The thing is, we did see quite a few things that we would've bought for sure but we don't carry cash that often and this meant that they lost sales and we saw quite a few other people who were in the same boat. I mean, is it really that hard to get a PayPal or Square card swipe for a phone or tablet? The larger booths are very well established businesses, what's the deal? Seems like a cheap move when you look at it.

Other than that, prices were a bit high and while I get there's always a little premium at a convention, some of the vendors were a bit out there. I mean when I can buy from Amazon or eBay for less than them, including expedited shipping, there's a problem. Now, this isn't something that's exclusive to Anime North and I'm not knocking the convention, they don't have control over prices, but the vendors should take notice here. If you want to sell more product, don't jack the prices. Yes, you'll get a few suckers or those wanting instant gratification but you'll miss out on a ton more potential sales. Maybe this is just because the next closest convention is a good distance away and they have the market cornered or something else, I don't know. What I do know is that it meant a weekend of us not buying anything. Which is rare and with that many booths, disappointing.

Alright, so enough negativity and ranting, eh? The dealers room was really the only negative thing that we really saw and an area that could probably use some improvement. (Though, not sure how. Maybe just some better vetting out of who's selling? I don't know to be honest.)

The insane crowd outside of the Congress Centre

Upon exiting the Congress Centre, we were thrust back out into chaos that was the parking lot/outside stage area and into a whole new, wondrous world. Compared to the inside, this was like going through a portal to the world that's become our "normal". The cosplay, a sea of dancing bodies and music echoing into the night from the stage made for a surreal experience. Like I said, this is a tale of two cons and while you have the structured mayhem of the dealers/vendors room on one hand...this is is what awaits you outside once the sun begins to set.

The feeling was electric and it continued inside to the J-Rave where things were even more chaotic, at one point people were just getting up on stage and messing with the DJ's equipment. Now, that I know is not part of the norm. They were so out of hand that during Initial P's set someone tried to flip table the DJ rig and it caused the music to come to a screeching halt. I've been to a great many event and raves over the years, get some security in there. The energy is awesome and it's great to see folks having a good time, but that kinda thing has to stop. 

The Battle for Dixon Rd awaits...

On our way out, we saw another snag. Getting in and out of the Congress Centre parking lot was a bit of a nightmare. There's only way in and the crosswalk from the DoubleTree was always packed so only a few cars could get out at a time. Sure, traffic is traffic but maybe some better organization with the local police could have this situation sorted out some. We did see an officer directing traffic earlier in the day but around 1am, they were non-existent and the convention center had no one really directing traffic out of the parking lots onto the service road either. Not a huge deal, but something to think about and budget time for as it can take a while to get to the parking. The parking was free though, so hard to argue with a bit of a waiting.

Another thing that we really liked was that it was easy to get to the heart of things by car. We're by no means familiar or natives of Toronto and we found it super simple to get to the convention center and DoubleTree. Being right off of a couple major highways (the 400, 401 and 427) made things just super easy. We also really liked that there was plenty of food nearby too, of course we did get lost trying to get around some but that was on us and not having data on our phones while there. What was nearby? Places like Subway, Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, Tim Horton's and Perkins were all close by as well as a gas station and a few other restaurants within a short walk.  So, while there are a couple of kinks with the location, there are some really great benefits too. Just be prepared for some waiting as these locales are swamped a lot of the time, what else would you expect with that many people around, eh?

Day 2

And to think...this is a "small crossing" of attendees...

While we didn't get to a ton on Friday, that would definitely change on Saturday as we arrived on site early and made our way through the chaos once more. This time around the sun was out and the temps warmer. it seemed that the street fair feeling was still alive and well outside the Congress Centre and after parking we made our way towards the DoubleTree, snapping pictures of various cosplay and other madness. This was rather nice since we'd already done our trip through what the convention center offered and since we didn't see much in there of personal interest, we just skipped it entirely.

One of the really cool things was that not only did we somehow miraculously get a parking spot right next to the outside stage (again) but we were greeted by Taiko drumming which we did pause to stop for as well. Definitely one of the cooler entrances that we've been greeted to and seeing people with lawn chairs in front the stage just lent a really cool vibe to the whole setting.


So, anyway...after that, along with the mentioned cosplay pictures that we nabbed along our stroll to the DoubleTree, we managed to get inside and see the chaos there as well. Friday was a bit nutty, but Saturday was down right insane and while there are definitely some major bottleneck areas in the hotel, the crowds seem to move along in an orderly manner and without too much back up for the most part.

At this point though, we were a bit hungry and with all the food across the street (and not wanting to trek back out into the windy/cold) we were happy to see that the Japanese restaurant in the hotel was serving Japanese street food! Now, this is something that we didn't expect and really was a pleasant surprise.

They managed to have a decent variety of food and while it was all cold (to be expected) it still really hit the spot. The fact that they were cheap as well made this a definite on a lot of congoer's lists, for $10 we were able to get a few things along with a can of green tea. Not a bad deal at all if you ask me. Even with the long line that this little stop generated, they were in control and had things moving along at a good clip.

I should also mention that on the other side of the little atrium type area the hotel had set up a quick service as well for those looking for a more "Western style" snack. Needless to say, it wasn't anywhere close as busy as the spread put out by the folks from Ginko. Not really a surprise either...

The line to the left? Masquerade...at around 5pm, yes that early

After that we continued our wander through the halls and getting our bearings which was much easier (again thanks to the Guidebook app) and we quickly found where we were supposed to be to meet up with DJ Initial P once again, who was judging the Anime Idol competition for a second year in a row. We did manage to catch the tail end of the competition, but sadly we missed the actual singing.

However, we did catch some of the awards at the end and a quick little wait later, we were once again reunited with our "beer buddy". No beer yet though! We had to make a run for the JPop panel that was right around the corner on the second floor so he could go in and do a little promoting for his set later on that night. (It was met by squeals of delight no less) Now, beer? Yes, now beer. We had a little time to kill before the masquerade started, seemed like a good way to people watch and catch up a little.

So once again, we had a sit down and talked about all manner of strange things amongst the three of us. This one was completely off the record so no follow up interview (here's the original Tekko interview) for those who were curious. (Maybe at Atomic Lollipop, eh?) After a quick couple of beers, a near kidnapping by the morph suit dancing mob and a couple of smokes...Carrie and I were off to the masquerade. 5 minutes seemed like plenty of time, right? Well, turns out it was a lot more than 5 minutes.

Here you can see where they moved us back to (we did move up)

It would seem that the convention had given out a few too many wristbands for admittance to the Masquerade. How many is a few? Well, one staff member said it was 1500 and other said it was a 1000. While this may not seem like a problem to most...the fact that the hotel had only set up 750 chairs was a major problem. The solution? Moving us members of the media back a few rows and then doing floor seating right up front. The caveat to that was that no photography was allowed from those seats on the floor. Makes sense when you think about the angle they were at and the fact that they were in front of the judges table.

Now, the masquerade was set to start at 7pm. When did it actually start? Closer to 8:30pm and we didn't get done with everything there until nearly 11pm. Needless to say, this did make us miss a couple of panels that we had wanted to go to, but these thing happen. It's a live event and while some better management may have prevented this hiccup, it really wasn't that bad and overall the show wasn't that bad. Granted, I think a lot of us were wondering why it was so long but they had a mix of skits in there and some of them were quite long. Maybe in the future they should be cut down a little? I mean with 90+ contestants, giving each 3-4minutes is a bit crazy if you ask me. Maybe cutting this down a little would save some time? I dunno but it was a really long show and pretty much everyone in the media row either ran out of battery or storage capacity...a little embarrassing but there were a ton of great moments from it!

Initial P rockin the crowd outside Sat night!

After all that, we still were on schedule to check out Initial P's set on the outdoor stage at midnight! Now, unlike at Tekkoshocon back in April, we were able to get up on stage and get a ton of video and pictures of him while he was at the tables. The vibe during the set before him and all during his was completely out of control, in a good way. Toronto really knows how to party and they showed no signs of wanting to stop at any point during any of the performances.

At this point we were just tapped out, the crowd at the outdoor stage just vampire leeched our energy away or we just were having too much fun dancing and recording the insanity that we didn't realize how tired we were. So with that we decided to head out and much to our surprise, there wasn't a huge line of traffic on the access road to the Congress Centre! (Really, that road was a bit of a nightmare all weekend, so this really was a happy thing to see)

Day 3

Well, with Sunday's arrival and the Anime North's end quickly in sight, we decided that we'd check out the more "festival" atmosphere that was going on outside and just focus on that. The previous day we had done things mostly indoors with the only real outside bits the outdoor rave and walk back and forth to the car.

This was definitely the way to do things, we had no schedule and no real pressing need to be anywhere in particular. So, with that we just wandered the crowd and snapped up as many pictures as we could of the amazing cosplay. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea s we did and it was more like being in a very strange and bizarre park setting than a convention. People lounged about in the shade or on a patch of grass, some had their dogs with them and even one person brought their kitten (which caused everyone around to stop and Carrie to go "Someone call the internet, a cat has escaped!" much laughter after that one).

It was during this time of weaving in and out of the crowds, snapping pictures and just relaxing that we realized Anime North is really two conventions in one. You have the structured chaos that every other convention is and then you have this outside world that many other conventions just don't have. Whether it's because of their location or time of year, it just seems that many others don't offer this laid back feeling to mirror the hectic pace of concerts, panels, cosplay and talent competitions. The only other convention that I can think of which comes close is Colossalcon and that's easily one of our favorite con experiences out there.

So, while we were a bit more removed from the convention hotel wise, we did manage to make a connection and have decided that we'll definitely be going back for Anime North 2014. This time? We hope to be staying at the DoubleTree or Radisson if the hotel room gods are giving. We hope that being a bit closer and maybe with a slightly larger crew that we'll get to experience more of this amazing convention that we barely managed to the surface of.

With that...here's to that awesome crowd at the outdoor stage on Saturday night and we'll hopefully see you all again in 2014!


(Sorry it's so short...our longer one is apparently being...temperamental)