Another year of Anime North, another fun time. Every year I go I’m amazed by the many people who come and embrace their hobby and passion with others. It’s the one day of many where one can cosplay and it’s the norm; it’s like Halloween, but anime related.

The growing popularity of this convention continues to astound me as tickets continue to be sold out especially on Saturday and Weekend passes just like last year. 

The format of the cons stay standard as it develops itself to make use of the increased traffic. Blocked doors prevents confusion and obviously due to building capacity there will always be limited availability on tickets.  

New animes popping up before the convention easily influence new cosplayers to dress up as someone new.

Famous titles have gained popularity such as Attack on Titan and a focus on Smash Bros lead to more of that particular cosplay. Less of Naruto cosplay and more with variety. We’re seeing more new things such as new anime and games being released thus a common interest forms as groups come together and new friendships are crafted. 

As typical with conventions such as these, cosplayers would go to extravagant lengths to showcase their work and talent. 

I’ve seen some brilliant cosplay that make me wonder at all the effort put into it. The most memorable being tis dragon with its incredible wide wing span structure which had three people at each side, built from what seems to be paper machete and Dugtrio Pokemon, an internet meme taken to great lengths to replicate. 

When not checking out cosplay, one can check out the dealer room where you can find whatever peaks your interest if you want to spend the coin. Having trouble looking for what you want, dealers can help bring in the item in the next day, or you can even try your skill in haggling to bring the price lower. One of the best things to check out there is Nominichi, where people can set up tables and sell goods related to anime. So you can imagine a focused garage sale where people are looking to sell. These items range from new to used, in which you can score a sweet deal on rare things that aren’t marketed anymore. As the saying goes: Another person’s junk, is another person’s treasure. Just the enthusiasm when it started created pure joy as fans didn’t know what to expect for cheap prices. Whatever you’re looking for they would have it especially with the 100s of dealers there. There are panels to attend, contests to be won, gaming tournaments, special guests, social hangouts, etc. If you brought a 3DS you would be amazed by the many streetpasses you can obtain and the progress you can make collecting all those puzzle pieces. 

The weekend was simply fantastic, the weather gorgeous, a perfect sunny day with no rain. I would say the center focus of the convention was the cosplay. You can’t walk anywhere without seeing at least one. I find it amazing how far anime has become to be mainstream. Going from one venue to another was a simple walk and one to watch scenery as planes fly by close. Such an amazing weekend I can’t wait to attend next years and what joy it will bring in the same and new enthusiasts.

Written by: Josh Levy

Photography by Marc Levy