A Week Since Anime North

I just noticed - the Sailor Moon here from last year at Pacific Mall is the same nuigurumi I bought at Anime North!

It's been a week since all that fun at Anime North! It still hasn't sunk in that it'll be another full year until it comes around again, and that means saving up money, and planning much more carefully on spending. No, not spending less, spending more. I was supposed to buy much more, but my Asian instincts got to me. (-.-) I do regret it, very much, especially when I tried hard saving up ahead of time. It's time to look forward from it now (although I know I'll still be blabbing on about it) and see what other events to look forward to.

The next anime convention coming up, according to animecons.com in Canada in the GTA is FanExpo, which not only centers upon anime, but also includes a comic convention, sci-fi, and others. My friends have been to this one and tell me it's huge, but remember! This is a mixed convention. It's set to take place from August 25 to 28. I'm hoping to attend this convention this year, and if I do, it'll be my first time at FanExpo.

There's another convention in Montreal called Otakuthon, taking place starting on August 12 to 14. I have a very low chance of attending this, but given the chance to visit friends in that area, during that time, I'm hoping to go.

For a complete list of upcoming anime conventions, I suggest the site animecons.com.

Also according to this site, Anime North was listed in the top anime conventions 2010 chart, with around 16 000 paid attendees, and is the only Canadian convention to make the list. All the other conventions are American. Taking first place is - you guessed it - Anime Expo. Good job, Canada, for making the top 10!

Anime North marked the end of an extremely busy week for me, and now, I feel much more relaxed. I'm happy to be able to have less to worry about on my mind!

We were assigned myths in class today, and among the choices were a Japanese legend, and a Chinese legend. Knowing me, you'd have probably guessed that I wanted the Japanese one. You're right! It was too late, though. Another Asian shot her hand up before me and got the Japanese legend instead. T^T  We settled for the Chinese one, so I was a little satisfied. The thing is, part of the presentation is dressing up as one of the characters! If my group were able to have the Japanese one, I would be ordering my kimono or yukata right now! Well, there'll be other times.







Back From Anime North 2011!

(Pictures are at the bottom. Many are blurry, so I'm sorry. If you see a picture of yourself and would like to use it, please feel free to do so.)  


I had lots of fun ! (Which is of course to be expected!) I saw so many cosplayers this year. While it had its ups, it also had its downs.


The downside? Just a few things. My sister crushed a new manga by accident and totally damaged it (it's fine though. we can always buy a new one) and my phone almost lost my pictures. No idea how. I actually asked people for their pictures this year, including two very cute fairy kei girls, a girl from Pretty Cure, and a Su from Shugo Chara. Now for my exciting trip!


My sister and I arrived before 9:00, and there was already a line. It wasn't too long, so we were relieved. We expected much more people there, but it was Sunday, the day with the least number of attendees. from what I can recall, there was a Yuki Cross, a girl with half of her hair shaved and the other half purple (amazing, the dedication people put into this!), a girl with a Yoshi shirt, and several girls in mini skirts. While waiting in line, a few cars drove up behind us to drop off other con-goers. Among one of them was a lolita wearing an Angelic Pretty dress! I think it was the Jewelry Jelly Print. Later, we saw a girl in a fairy kei outfit, and immediately, I knew who it was! One of the members of Pinkly Ever After! They have a blogspot where I'm one of their followers, so that's the reason why I know who they are. There was a man with a troll mask carrying  sign with some of the "Friday" lyrics on it, and people said, "Not that song!"


9:30 rolled around, and eventually we went inside to register for the day. We got the Weekend Otaku passes instead, of the usual Sunday passes, so I guess they decided to save time this year and go with one type of pass. We had wait in line for the dealer's room and other events until 10 because there weren't any events that would start until then. One minute before 10, the line started a countdown, and we were let in.

To get to the Dealer's Room, you have to go through the Crafter's Corner. For those who don't know, the Crafter's Corner is an area where people sell their 2D fan or original artwork, in the form of 2D keychains, posters, bookmarks, buttons, well, anything 2D. It was here were I bought my friend a Vocaloid bookmark (since she 's such a huge fan of her!) from the Artist, Eranthe, who has a deviantart account. I love this artist, and definitely will continue to support them if they decide to continue to venture into the next years, which, undoubtedly, they will. I bought a Yuki Cross bookmark and button from them last year. Here's the Yuki Cross bookmark:   

My sister also bought a Vocaloid bookmark from them, and two other buttons. After walking down more aisles, my sister bought a pokemon water type button from another seller. We walked down almost all the aisles, until we decided to go to the dealer's room. Heading towards the entrance, we saw a very fairytale - like area, which turned out to be Pinkly Ever After's table. We knew that later, we would return to look at their items.

In the dealer's room, we made sure to walk through all four corners, and walked around the room without buying anything until 10 minutes before the beginning of the Lolita Fashion for Beginners Panel. We didn't stay for too long, because my sister decided we were going to eat. (I was disappointed, since I was learning a bit about lace that I didn't know before!) We went out and crossed the street to the Congress Centre, where we ate and walked. By the time we got to the Dealer's Room entrance, we had finished our lunch and went to shop around some more. I forgot to add: as we walked, I asked a Cure Black from the anime, Pretty Cure for a picture! That was the first time I asked someone for their picture, so I was somewhat proud of myself. In the dealer's room, I focused on getting Anna's mangas. Armed with her list of mangas and her $200, I hunted for the tables that sold mangas at $5 each. Oddly enough, none of the books there were on her list, so I turned to the tables that sold mangas 10% off of the US price. Throughout this second trip to the dealer's room, I heard a sales person to the side say, "Look at this shopper, a list, and everything." I smiled and said, "A friend sent me here with her list." Another sales lady at the side pointing to the mangas said, "This is all in alphabetical order so..." I replied, "I think we have a long way to go." We bought some manga, and headed towards other sellers and bought everything we could find from her list. We left the dealer's room for a bit so we could count of all the manga we got. We ended up with 19.

We returned, and finally bought our own things. I bought an Onigiri hat from Fruits Basket, and a Sailor Moon nuigurumi. My sister bought a Domo "green" bag, and Shugo Chara Volume 10, which seems to be unavailable in Chapters at the moment. We walked around, and found several places that sold Lolita things. I saw the Gothic Lolita Bibles, and wanted to buy it, but was turned off by the price ($35!). I also saw a Bodyline skirt for $45, but didn't buy it, for some unknown reason. I regret it so much now. T^T

We went out and sat to rest for a bit, until V-chan texted me to tell me she was in the Sheraton Hotel doing DDR. We went there and spent the rest of the time there until 3, and went home.

Now for the pictures!!!

pre registration line

Our bags of things we bought!

Today marks the last day of Asian Heritage Month. To end this post off, for the last time this year, happy asian heritage month!!!

Anime North Begins Today!

Today marks the beginning of Anime North 2011! I'm sure that there'll be a lot of pictures posted up of today's events by the end of the day. My friend, V-chan went today and is going today and tomorrow, so she'll have plenty to tell me about and what to expect when we see each other on Saturday. I have a super busy schedule ahead of me, so my posts until sunday (or even after!) will be relatively short. I might not even be able to blog until the weekend's done, so I'll see you soon with lots of pictures!

Anime North Starts Tomorrow!

That's right! I'm super, super, super excited! Oh my gash. (I spelled gosh like that on purpose.) I haven't gotten my things together yet, and some arrangements in place either, but I expect them to be in place tonight. I have yet to prepare my bags and "supplies", but I will get right to that tomorrow.

I'm praying that everything will go alright for Sunday! I really want to be able to get into all the lolita fashion - related events.

Last year, I brought my Chococat bag, but this year, my Domo will be tagging along!

Get ready for a load of pictures!!!

Anime North Lolita Fashion Excitement

In less than a week, I'll be on my way to my second anime convention! (Still hoping that nothing will get in its way!) I browsed through the site for events I might want to attend, and I really hope I'll be able to attend all the lolita - related events! So far, I've seen three: Beginners in Lolita Fashion, the Lolita Swap Meet, and the Lolita Tea Party.

Beginners In Lolita Fashion speaks for itself. It's a self-explanatory panel.

The Lolita Swap Meet is where Lolitas get together and buy or sell items. You need to RSVP, but you can still join if there is enough room left. I'm really excited for this one, but now that I've found out this event exists, I feel terrible for spending all that money on food and other stuff. T^T I could've bought an Angelic Pretty JSK with the combined total of spending in the past three months. Still, I'm satisfied that I have the amount of money that I do. This event is perfect for me, since I don't like buying online. I can try things on myself instead of having a guessing game. Things I'm hoping to buy (if I can't afford a dress or a JSK) are the huge hairbows, maybe a petti, socks, and any other accessories I can buy. Another thing I forgot to add: you an bargain!

The Lolita Tea Party also speaks for itself. The cost is $15 if you wear cosplay or lolita to this event, and $20 if you don't wear those. I'm trying to find something my sister can wear to this so she'll pay less, even if I don't. Save a little money, right?

I'm super, super excited!

Countdown to Anime North: 3 days!

Anime North Doubts

    I'm not too sure if I will be able to make it to Anime North this year, but I'm praying that I will have nothing that will keep me from having at least a few hours there. I'm not going the full weekend, but I'm still debating over saturday or sunday. On saturday I have commitments in the morning and in the later afternoon, which would leave me with a few hours, just like last time (it was still worth it!) and I also might have to go to a party. On sunday is another morning commitment, but I would have the rest of the day for fun. If I were to go sunday, I would only make it at around one o'clock, leaving me just about 5 or 6 hours to fun with other otakus.

    Another change this year is that my friend, V-chan won't be going with us, and will be going with her school's anime club (they are so lucky they have one!). I was really hoping I could go with her again this year, but things happen. I might bump into her there, so who knows? I bumped into a lot of other school friends there last year!

    I'm hoping with all my might! My countdown would be a waste if I don't go. I really hope I will!

One Month Left to Anime North 2011!

Actually, less than a month left. I'm so excited! I'm counting down the days! Be prepared for a ton of posts counting down to the day! I regret spending some of my Anime North money this past month. I'm sure if I don't spend anymore until the weekend of it, I should have enough to satisfy me by then.

A list of things I'm looking to buy:

• Manga
• Anime*
• Anime Nuigurumi
• Sweet Lolita items
• Bookmarks
• Posters
• Bags**
• Jpop stuff (Kana Nishino and Ayumi Hamasaki!!!)
• Super Kawaii Magazine***

* I'm not so sure about this one. Last time, I saw some for $70. I'll see.
**I'm not so sure about this either. Again, I'll see.
*** This is somewhat expensive, at $14. I'd love to own a copy, but I'm thinking that I will buy it.

Until then, I'll be screaming about it in my head.

April - Yet Another Month Closer to Anime North

It's April! Time goes by so fast! 2011 will be over faster than we think! I'm sad that it's already April, but on the plus side, it means Anime North will be here in a month! I can't wait! I think I'll make my mind up next time I go to Pacific Mall and buy that Shugo Chara cosplay. Maybe if I buy that, I might buy Amu's wig online. I just really want to cosplay for Anime North 2011.  

Just a few seconds ago, I found that Anime North has an event at the North York Central Library on April 16. More information of this event can be found here.

Speaking of Pacific Mall, I went there last month, but I never created a post of it, or even uploaded it onto my computer. I took a couple a photos of a few stores, like Vivi (which is by the way, a beautiful brand) . I'll post them up one day.

I also did a presentation on Japanese culture earlier. This is a post to look out for soon!

And the Happiness Level Decreases to Pain

A few minutes ago, I was about to write about my excitement of going to my next anime convention. Well, that excitement has turned into pain. I'm not going anymore.

Why is this? My source of transportation (my dad) has decided that it's too far and he's not taking me. He also said that I should've had a bigger group to go with (my original group consisted of just me and my sister).

Sayonara, big event that I kept thinking about this March Break. I'll see you in a few years, when I can legally be considered to be an adult and go wherever I wish. 

Besides the pain and sadness I feel, I also feel embarrassment. There I was, blabbing to the world in my previous posts about how excited I was about going, and I sit now, typing this, just a few hours from the big day, telling the world I can't go anymore. I guess this can be a part of a life-learning experience, or a lesson in the life of a young otaku. I won't delete any of my past MTAC posts, and also take this as an experience in blogging. My tears have finally dried up, and I'm going to accept that I can't go. My dried tears have left my eyes all big, red, and puffy.  

What can I look forward to now? In the near future (which is pretty much on Sunday) I'll be on my way to what I consider to be one of the heavens on earth-Pacific Mall. Pacific Mall, as I've previously mentioned, is one of the most beautiful places an otaku will see. As promised, I will try to take pictures of the mall and the stores. If my source of transportation (my cousin) backs out on this one, I don't know what will become of me. This disappointment was big enough. I don't need any more to further disrupt my mind.

Another thing I can look forward to is Anime North 2011. After a discussion, I definitely will be able to go to this one, as long as my commitments don't decide to take my entire weekend. This is one I will continue to pray to God for. 

One last thing I'd like to say is, to anyone who's read my past MTAC posts, please forgive me for talking on and on about an event I would end up not going to. This otaku will try her best next time. 

MTAC Excitement! (and Things I've Learned From My Previous Anime Convention)

The March Toronto Anime Convention is less than 3 days away! My sister and I have already laid out our master plan for the event. We took things we learned from our previous convention and are applying it to the one coming up this weekend! We're still in the middle of planning things, but we know what the game plan is.

The things I've learned from my first anime convention:

• Ask cosplayers for their pictures.

Everyone knows you should do this, but I was way too scared to ask cosplayers to pose for me. I'm going to build up the courage to ask them for their photo this time (I make myself sound really weak, don't I?).

• Bring a lunch.

This helps you save more, allowing you to spend on other things! My sister and I did this last time, and it was definitely a life saver. 

• Keep your lunches mess-free and "portable". 

A bagel, for example is something you can bring that isn't messy, and something you can eat and walk around freely with. If you brought something "messy", for example, a salad, it might take time to find a place to sit, not to mention the mess it can create, which may cause you to lose time cleaning up after it. 

• Make sure you know who the guests are. 

I've made this sad mistake. Vic Mignogna, an anime voice actor was a guest at Anime North 2010. My friend, V-chan brought us along with her to get his autograph, but just before we got to him (there was no line, by the way) she said, "Never mind". Later, I discovered he was a voice actor of numerous famous animes, such as Dragon Ball, Vampire Knight (as Zero and Ichiru), and Ouran High School Host Club. Hah. The sadness. I found out a few weeks ago that he would be the guest of honour at a convention somewhere down in the states. Yikes! You can usually find out who the guests are on the convention's website.

• Bring a wagon load of money. 

I'm not kidding. I brought $60 last time, and all I ended up buying was this: 

I lost the Yuki Button at school afterwards! You never know what you'll find at an anime convention. I saw lolita clothes (there were even Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty!), Yuki Cross cosplay, and a lot of rare mangas that I can't find in stores anymore. They were out of my reach because I didn't bring enough money. I went there, thinking I wouldn't buy so much, since I wouldn't feel like busting all my money. I was wrong. VERY wrong. 

• Bring snacks

You're going to get pretty hungry. Trust me. It happens to all of us. I'm going to bring Hello Kitty Pocky! I'll see what else I'm going to bring. 

• Reseach, research, research!

I did this an entire month before the actual day last time. I should have done that for this weekend's, but due to my laziness, I didn't until a week before. Aside from admission fees and times of operation, what should you look for? 1. Videos/images of the area! If it's held in the same area annually, there should be videos on Youtube of past conventions. Also, search for the area on Google streetview. This will save you time when you search for the building. 2. Reviews. What did people think of the convention? Was it a waste? Was it worth their money? 3. Videos of the Dealer's Room. The Dealer's Room should give you an idea of how much money to bring. How big is it? Is it a tiny room, or a football field-sized room? What are the contents of the past Dealer's Rooms? 4. What events are held there? Is there DDR? Yu gi oh card battles? There are varieties of them out there. At registration, after you pay, there are program books that tell you what events are being held when and where. 

Bonus picture! 

I just noticed that there are a lot of Bleach cosplayers in this picture. O.o

• Get ready for a bunch of over-excited fellow otakus. 

I was partly shocked at how enthusiastic fellow otakus were at the convention. They were shouting in joy, and also shouting at us to sign their t-shirt (We didn't, in the end). But hey, this is a good thing! Would you rather have depressed otakus, or screaming in joy otakus? 

I'm becoming more excited day by day! 

I'll  post my MTAC adventure up as soon as I have time to upload the pictures and write another entry. We're nearing the end of March Break! T^T

Sephora x Hello Kitty Collaboration!

I went to the mall yesterday, and found out that the Hello Kitty x Sephora promotion is still underway! When I went inside Sephora, I found that all the employees were wearing those pink hello kitty bow headbands! I rushed in to see if they were selling those in the store, but none could be found to be sold to the public.

I remember going into Sephora earlier this month to check out the prices, to see if I could buy anything, but this asian writing this didn't end up buying anything. That's what I get for being a cheapo!

I'm also glad I didn't buy anything because I'm trying to save up for the MTAC and Anime North. I'm not 100% sure that I'll be going to either of them, but it's nice to save up some money, just in case. I don't want another "not-enough-money-I-can-barely-buy-anything" incident. Ugh. That was terrible.

In any case, I'm still excited for the two events. I really hope I can make it!

One of the windows at Sephora

*Sorry for the blurry picture! It was taken by cell phone!

Looking for an Anime Convention Around the World?

A while ago, I found a great website that lists upcoming anime conventions, AnimeCons. I found it a great source.

For those who have been otakus for a while now, you may already know this site. For the new otakus, I think you'll find it very convenient.

It shows some conventions around the world, and even pinpoints them on a world map. However, not all conventions are shown. I know for a fact that there are anime conventions in Asia, but they don't show them on the site. Even though this may be the case, I still find it a very reliable source.

Through this site, I found out that there will be one coming soon, on March 19 - 20: The Toronto AnimeCon, which happens twice a year. One in March, and one in December. I'm still debating on if I should go or not.

I hope this post helps some otakus out there looking for a convention near them. Have fun, otakus! I know you will, because I did!

Anime North 2010 - People heading for the Dealer's Room

Today's Kawaii Item(s)! (Day 1)

Today's kawaii items are...

Ran  and Yuki chibi dolls!

Ran (Shugo Chara) belongs to my sister, and Yuki (Vampire Knight) belongs to me.

While people collect ball jointed dolls, I like softer ones you can cuddle with.

I got Yuki at Anime North 2010. My sister got Ran at an anime store.

I'm hoping to expand this "small collection" soon. Characters I'm hoping to get are Sailor Moon (especially the one from season two), Kaname and Zero (Vampire Knight), and Su (Shugo Chara). I really want these, but I usually spend my money on Hello Kitty stuff. Maybe one day I'll have to hold off on the Hello Kitty for these kawaii chibis!

My Goals for 2011!

Now that my exams are done, I'm glad I can start working on blogs!


I began 2011 thinking that I wouldn't have any resolutions planned out. Later, I became inspired by Decoden, which began my list of goals!


1. Begin my first decoden project!
-I was inspired to begin decoden after researching on the internet. I already knew it existed long ago, but after seeing pictures of it again just recently, I really think that it could be something fun to do! I'm hoping to buy the materials soon!


Here's a picture of one, taken from Chiralicious' blog:

2. Attend anime conventions!
-If I don't have any major responsibilities on May 27th to the 29th, I'll be able to go to Anime North! If not, hopefully I'll be free on August 25th to the 28th for FanExpo. There is an anime component, but FanExpo combines Comics, Sci Fi, Horror, and Gaming, so it's not too concentrated on anime. I saw FanExpo coverage on tv last year, but they only concentrated on the Comics, and I didn't see any coverage on anime. Another anime convention that's coming up soon is the Toronto AnimeCon (March 19th to 20). From what I've read by bloggers online, there's not very many attendees, when compared to Anime North. I'm still curious to find out what they have in store.


Here's a couple of pictures that I took at Anime North 2010! (I was too scared to ask people for their pictures. It was my first time at an anime convention!)

3. Learn as much Japanese as possible!
-I'm thinking about buying a "Teach Yourself Japanese" book. My friend is a step ahead of me when it comes to Japanese learning resources. She bought herself a Japanese dictionary jusr a few months ago. I did think about doing that earlier, but I never got around to it. I spent my money on manga. :D


4. Make lots of friends!
-I love speaking to people about similar interests! I've made lots of friends on different social networking sites. One of them is OtakuZone.

5. Buy more manga!
- My friends' collections as of today are within range of 80 - 175+. My collection isn't even within that range! D: I think that by the end of this year, I should be able to reach 80, depending on how I spend, and how often I shop. I really want to complete a lot of my series too. There's a lot of gaps in between the numbers. My Vampire Knight collection so far is missing #4 and 5.  My Mixed Vegetables collection, however, only consists of #1 and 2. I have 7 more mangas to buy to complete the series!

6. Buy as many kawaii things as possible!
-I've been very successful with this one these past few years.

I made sure that these goals weren't too hard for me to keep this year. I definetly won't be struggling with the last two goals. I'll try my best to do them and write about them here whenever I can.