UlasanAnime.com – My attendance at Anime North 2019 was a spontaneous decision, driven by the desire to see Megumi Toda. I opted to skip Friday due to work commitments, but joined a carpool with a fellow Million Live P named Moy, arriving in Toronto on Saturday morning and departing on Sunday. This made for a very brief visit.
Toronto is an appealing destination for me due to its well-equipped infrastructure and the favorable exchange rate of the Canadian Dollar against the US Dollar. The road trip itself was enjoyable, especially with a clearer understanding of the routine this year, allowing for a more relaxed pace.
Given that Toda was scheduled for only two autograph sessions and one panel, I felt fortunate to attend her panel and the Saturday autograph session. She was largely as expected, approaching the overseas panel challenge with a lighthearted demeanor, even though the audience was relatively subdued.
I completed my pre-registration and collected my badge without much delay. The persistent rain on Friday and Saturday was more of an inconvenience than any crowd congestion, though a significant number of attendees were gathered in the parking area, a common sight at Anime North. By the time I arrived around 10 AM, parking was already scarce.
My expectations for Anime North this year were modest, and in retrospect, the event didn’t significantly alter that. The inclement weather certainly had a dampening effect on the overall experience. However, there were other noteworthy occurrences that I will elaborate on later.
Toda’s panel was not particularly memorable, and recalling specific details months later is challenging. The discussion primarily revolved around her roles in “New Game” and “Million Live.” She also visited Niagara Falls and downtown Toronto, appearing to enjoy her time. Her visit to the CN Tower offered a scenic view, evoking a sense of déjà vu for me.
During the autograph session, I inquired about her weight training, which she had recently tweeted about. She explained it was primarily for increasing stamina for an upcoming event in Fukuoka. My sleep deprivation at the time made the interaction feel somewhat embarrassing.
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Regarding the autograph session, we discussed her favorite song, “Meisou Mind,” a topic she also touched upon during the panel. My attire, featuring Makoto merchandise, likely contributed to the conversation.
The rest of my weekend was dedicated to The World Standard (Wasuta), an idol group associated with Avex Trax. Their performances are genuinely entertaining, and they are currently in their prime years as performers, with members aged between 18 and 21. Wasuta attracted a good crowd, especially considering the strong presence of Japanese fans in the Greater Toronto Area. Many Japanese visitors also flew in for the event. All of Wasuta’s scheduled activities were conveniently set for Saturday and Sunday, which was beneficial for my attendance.
This convention provided an opportunity to learn more about the group. I had only become aware of them about a year prior and had recently explored their social media presence. While their content is decent, it still feels somewhat constrained, perhaps reflecting the current landscape of Japanese idol culture.
Their live performance on Saturday night was engaging and reminded me somewhat of Wake Up Girls! (WUG), particularly in their choreography and the use of their live video presentations. I attended their panel on Sunday, which, along with an autograph session, constituted my primary activities for the day before departing the convention.
Beyond the scheduled events, several other things transpired during the weekend:
- We dined at a new steakhouse that offered excellent food, with the dessert being particularly outstanding. During dinner, we could faintly hear Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, indicating the city’s strong support for the Raptors. The crowd noise was quite considerable.
- Approximately four and a half hours into our drive to the Greater Toronto Area, I realized I had forgotten my passport. Fortunately, I was able to enter Canada using my Global Entry card, which, while not a direct passport substitute, allowed for entry at the discretion of the Canadian border officer. Crucially, it also permitted re-entry into the United States. Had I been denied entry, my companion could have proceeded to Canada via public transport, allowing us to reach the border earlier than anticipated. This situation led to less sleep than planned for Friday night into Saturday, and we made an unscheduled stop at a charging station south of Toronto for breakfast and to pass some time. I missed the complimentary breakfast at my hotel in Syracuse as a result.
- On our return journey, we stopped at Niagara-on-the-Lake to purchase alcoholic beverages for transport back to the United States. With only Wasuta’s schedule to consider, the drive home was relatively unhurried.
- We also sampled pickled pizza in Syracuse during our travels.
- Saturday proved to be a demanding day. After attending Toda’s events, we ate at Zets and I went to bed early.
- The Wasuta members were present in the convention exhibition area on Saturday, distributing flyers for their show. Their performance drew a respectable audience, as expected for a convention of that size.
- A number of Japanese fans were present, some having camped out for the event. I observed what appeared to be typical fan behavior.
Given Toronto’s proximity to Buffalo, I would assume the chicken wings there are quite authentic.
