It couldn’t have been nicer for a weekend full of fun and colourful costumes at Anime North. The convention took over the International Plaza Hotel and the Toronto Congress Centre over the weekend where thousands of people came in from far and wide. A simple open of your Nintendo 3DS made it apparent just how far some people had come.
My Mii Plaza filled up to capacity nearly instantly all weekend and I had visitors on my handheld from New York state, Saskatchewan, Quebec and New Brunswick to name a few. People from all walks of life were at the convention, and you would be hard pressed to find a friendlier bunch of people taking in the sights.
A convention of this size and scale isn’t something that can be taken in all at once. In fact there is just so much to do that it’s impossible to do it all. From planned theme photo shoots where cosplayers can gather together to meet their kin, Q&A panels on a wide range of topics taking place every hour of the day, music, video, dances and more. Plus the vendors room is always buzzing with people looking for something unique and delightful to add to their collection.
The weather made the convention that much more enjoyable and the atmosphere is what makes this a must for any fan the culture.
My main focus at the convention this year was the cosplay. Cosplayers are a very friendly bunch and are delighted to have their photo taken. Why after countless hours working on a costume there is no better way to have it immortalized then to have your picture taken by dozens of others. Even those in costume, braving the heat in way too many layers, stopped each other to break out a camera for a photo-op.
It actually felt weird returning home and walking through downtown with nobody in costume. I kind of miss the pageantry.
Enjoy a selection of the hundred or so photos from the weekend. You can check out a full gallery of the rest of them at my Facebook page.