Anime North 2014 Con Report

And that’s a wrap for Anime North 2014! It was a fun but exhausting weekend and here’s what you might’ve missed out on!

I’ve been going to Anime North four years now, and over the years the Tokusatsu fandom has steadily been gaining presence at this show. The dealer room even had a few tables packed with Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Bluefin merch but more on that later.

This year, the guests related to the fandom included voice actor and guest of Honor Hidekatsu Shibata the voice of General Shadow from Kamen Rider Stronger in addition to lending his voice in Kakuranger(Daimao), Gingaman(Captain Zahab), Gaoranger(Rasetsu, Lower Mouth) Abaranger (Reindeerasanta) Dekaranger (Doggy’s Master), Gekiranger (Land Fist Demon Maku) and finally Goseiger The Movie(Gyoten’o of the Supernova)

In the world of Anime he was the voice of Baron Asura from Mazinger Z, Mr.X from Tiger Mask, Devil Z from Transformers Super God Masterforce, and Mars from Saint Seiya Omega just to name a few.

Even actors Jeffrey Parazzo and Kevin Duhaney, the faces of the Blue and White Dino Thunder Rangers decided to show up for the event.

Other guests this year include Scott Mcneil, the man of a million voices and the one voice of many shows from my childhood including Gundam Wing, Reboot, and Beast Wars. Too many others to list

Speaking of childhood, Michael Benyaer was also in attendance. He provided the voice of Bob from season 1 of Reboot.

Other attractions in Toronto Congress Center included a display case featuring custom painted Gunpla and figurines:

There was a designated area for card games, which offered a safe haven from the crowds and the heat.

Other displays in the TCC:

In terms of Toku-related events, we had Super Sentai, Power Rangers, Heisei Era Kamen Rider, Showa Era Kamen Rider and General Tokusatsu panels, along with a Garo viewing and Toku photo shoot.

Aaaah the dealer room, a dangerous place for any wallet and soul brave enough to enter.

Lots of Gunpla and Bluefin carried products from AnimeXtreme, they also have an actual store front located in downtown Toronto, check them out sometime!

Sentai, Kamen Rider, and more from itcamefromjapan.com

Other interesting finds included a table that sold some hard to find DX Sentai mecha in addition to a selection of Figuarts and Ultra Act:

Anime North is always a blast. My one regret is that I didn’t have the time to go to the Tokusatsu-related events so I can’t say how the panels went though an unnamed source did inform me that the Showa discussion ended rather quickly and the panel jumped straight into the topic of Heisei.

The crowds became kind of an issue, as at times there was trouble moving around the dealer room during peak hours of the day more than once I found myself stuck in a human traffic jam. The air conditioning was broken, so the temperature inside the TCC became too much especially with so many bodies gathered in one location at a time. Fortunately, the weather outside was nice and breezy.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Anime convention without cosplay:

To wrap up this convention report, we have my spoils from the dealer room:

Anime North 2015 will be held May the weekend of May 22nd and it can’t come fast enough. Here’s hoping we see you there!