There were two changes for Fan Expo this year...
1. The badges were chip-based! After registering your badge online, you were supposed to tap your badge to enter and exit every time. From what I experienced, I did have to get my badge tapped when entering the convention, but I didn't always have to tap to exit. Of course, for Fan Expo, I've always had this frame of mind that when I enter the convention for Fan Expo: I don't leave the convention until I am done for the day.
2. Bag checks. This might have also been done last year, though I don't recall it. Every time I entered the convention, a security person had to inspect my purse and any bags I had on me. I didn't mind it at all. It's always better to be safe.
This year, I was hoping to get two autographs: Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) and Brendan Fraser. I've been a fan of Brendan Fraser since I watched him in The Mummy movies years and years ago. For Rainn Wilson, I just wanted his autograph.
The day before Fan Expo started, Rainn Wilson and a few other guests cancelled their appearance. I was a little disappointed since Rainn Wilson was announced super early. There is no doubt in my mind that some attendees went to Fan Expo just to get his autograph.
Just like in previous years, Fan Expo was split between the North and South building. This year, I spent most of my time in the South building. Aside from getting Brendan Fraser's autograph, I didn't explore the North building at all.
Just to warn you (as I always do): this blog will be quite long (though I am trying to make it shorter!). I'll be covering each day of Fan Expo Canada -- what I did, what panels I attended, and any thoughts. That's four days' worth of blogging. I've lumped all my pics of cosplayers into one section. If you want to see just that, search for "Photos of Cosplayers". For the section of what I've bought, search for "My Convention Purchases". :)
The Little Details
Dates of Fan Expo Canada: August 22nd - August 25th, 2019Location: Metro Convention Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
Ticket Price Total: $179.00 (Premium admission; Deluxe 4-day admission was $125)
My premium admission swag.
Thursday
Time Attended: 3:30 PM - 7:45 PM
When I arrived at the convention, I rushed to the South building. I wanted to pick up my Premium swag before my first panel started, which didn't give me a lot of time to dawdle.Time Attended: 3:30 PM - 7:45 PM
After getting my swag, it was around 3:50-ish. Phew! Just in time.
For fun, I wore the glasses I got from TAM at AniRevo. I thought they gave me a bold look! :)
Sketch Duel: Dan Parent vs. Fernando Ruiz vs. Gisele Laglace -- 4:00 PM
Brent Chittenden (moderator), Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz.
Sketch Duels are often fun. It's a session where 2-3 artists gather to draw 1-2 topics (usually suggested from the audience) while attendees and the moderator ask the artists questions. I usually like attending Sketch Duels because the experience is always varied (you never know what the attendees will ask!), but enjoyable.
Gisele wasn't at the Sketch Duel, but it was still fun. Many of the questions from attendees focused on the Archie comics, since both Dan and Fernando worked on the series. One brief discussion I found amusing surrounded slightly strange censorship requests. For example, being requested to put a T-shirt on a shirtless male character while he was on the beach on a hot, sunny day. Brent was the moderator and he did a good job.
Dan and Fernando did two audience suggested topics and they were:
-Jughead and his Holy Grail ("Holy Grail" being up to the artist's interpretation)
-Attack of the 50-foot Veronica
One attendee kept trying to end suggestions with "... at a buffet". Funny stuff.
I think this was Fernando's "Jughead and his Holy Grail."
The projector's light was really bright so sorry that the pics aren't very clear.
The projector's light was really bright so sorry that the pics aren't very clear.
I think this was Dan's sketch.
The shopkeeper in the picture is saying "Choose wisely".
Among the holy grail were beverages that probably delighted Jughead.
The shopkeeper in the picture is saying "Choose wisely".
Among the holy grail were beverages that probably delighted Jughead.
Dan's sketch of "Attack of the 50-foot Veronica".
There is an inside joke here with Archie's pecks, but I won't say what it is, haha.
There is an inside joke here with Archie's pecks, but I won't say what it is, haha.
Fernando's sketch. Is that blood splatter on the far left?
Anime Music Videos -- 5:00 PM
So... due to technical issues (the proper cable wasn't supplied to connect something to something), AMVs couldn't be shown. Instead, the host, Tom Croom, told us a story of how he started Wasabi Anime, and then Green Mustard Entertainment. Then he went on to say that he hasn't watched any anime except for Sailor Moon. He asked the audience what series would be good for somebody just starting out. With every suggestion he got, he lightly dismissed it, finding some fault with the series' name. Often, he'd drop slight hints that he had actually watched the show or knew of it, but would keep reiterating that he hadn't watched any anime except for Sailor Moon.
When I put up my hand, and suggested Monster, Tom shot me a blank stare. Did I stump him? Or did I not give him enough to work with? He dismissed it, of course, saying that Monster had to be the longest title ever for an anime series. Something tells me that I gotta blog about Monster sometime... ;)
After about 20 minutes, the panel was cancelled, because supposedly the volunteers / staff had to get the room ready for the next thing.
When I got up and started walking towards the exit...
"Nice SMT [Shin Megami Tensei] lanyard."
I turned to the voice and it was an attendee sitting behind me. I was a bit surprised (but happy) he knew about SMT since he looked quite young. I thanked him and we talked a bit about SMT while walking to the exit.
"Are you attending for all three days?" the guy asked.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"Yeah. I'll see you around," he said.
I returned the words, and gave a weak smile, knowing that unless we made some plans to meet, the chances of us seeing each other again at the convention would be next to non-existent.
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With all this extra time, I decided to browse around the artist alley. It was difficult, but I ended up buying everything I wanted (and could afford) from the artist alley. Carrying it all back home was a huge pain, hahaha.
Misc. Photos for Thursday
Can you make out its shape?
Jason Momoa couldn't make it to Fan Expo (he cancelled -- again),
but we still got him in lego form!
Friday
Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 5:40 PM
I was a bit late getting to the convention today. I was tuned into Tokyo Active NEETs' YouTube Livestream, and I wasn't going to miss that for anything! When the stream ended around 10 AM, I rushed out of the house. The first thing on my schedule started at 11 AM (Anime Music Videos), so I was really cutting it close. Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 5:40 PM
I think I still would have made it to the convention on time... but then the subway had a massive delay. When I got to the convention, it was 11:30 AM. In my opinion, it was too late to check out the Anime Music Videos.
I decided to explore the dealer's room in the South building instead. One of my friends wanted me to look for a DSi XL so I kept my eyes peeled. I was very tempted to pick up a used copy of Final Fantasy VII for the PS1. I still haven't finished playing that game, hahaha...
One bizarre display was Ripley's Believe it Or Not!'s super-huge ball of hair. The display reps were asking for hair donations to add to the super-huge ball. If the attendee agreed to donate, one of the display reps would snip a small lock of the attendee's hair. Then the attendee would put the lock of hair on the huge ball while the display rep sprayed something to the keep the hair in place.
When 2 PM rolled around, I went to the next event, lugging all my purchases behind me (I bought more than I anticipated!).
Sketch Duel: Ty Templeton vs. Scott Chandler vs. Jay Fosgitt -- 3:00 PM
When an attendee asked about The Muppets, Jay got super excited and answered with lots of enthusiasm. It seems that Jay loves The Muppets, and Jim Henson was what inspired him to start drawing.
When asked about their favourite Muppets movie, Jay said The Great Muppet Caper. Ty said The Empire Strikes Back.
Partway through, Brent, the moderator, mentioned that he saw somebody cosplay as Man-Thing.
Then Ty said, "I always thought Man-Thing had, at one point, the greatest comic book title of all time: Giant-Size Man-Thing. You really can't -- excuse my words -- beat that." The audience laughed.
At one point, Jay said: "This is a cool crowd, and we really appreciate it."
Then Scott said: "What a kiss-ass. *audience laughed* I love you, too, Crowd."
Then Ty said: "Whereas I am playing hard to get."
It was so funny and great.
The two audience suggested topics this time were:
-Godzilla at a buffet (The "buffet" attendee from the last Sketch Duel was also here!)
-Muppet Superheroes
Jay Fosgitt's drawing of Godzilla at a buffet.
The girl is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The girl is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Scott Chandler's drawing.
I thought this was the most ridiculous interpretation.
I really liked it!
I thought this was the most ridiculous interpretation.
I really liked it!
Ty Templeton's drawing. All those tiny Godzillas...
Jay's drawing of Muppet Superheroes. Very cute.
Scott Chantler's drawing.
The character looks very amusing.
The character looks very amusing.
Ty Templeton's drawing.
Inappropriate but hilarious.
Inappropriate but hilarious.
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Nothing happened after the Sketch Duel. I just lined up for the next thing.
Beginner Sewing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them -- 4:30 PM
The panelists. I didn't catch their names, sadly.
When I stepped into the room, it was very bare. The chairs were stacked off to the side. The panelists said that there weren't enough chairs to accommodate everybody in line, so they moved the chairs and invited everybody to sit on the floor.
This panel was really interesting and informative. The panelists mentioned some important things to keep in mind when trying to create a costume and would share their own horror stories. Afterwards, attendees were invited to ask questions and also share their own horror stories.
I didn't understand all the terminology the panelists used (I am an absolute n00b when it comes to making costumes), but here were some things I took away from the panel:
-Don't sew fabric with pins still stuck inside. The pins could break and shards could fly and hit. A possible alternative to use to keep the fabric pieces together for sewing could be boob tape or something that sticks but is water soluble.
-Don't sew with the fabric stretched
-If you make a mock-up of your costume, see if you can move around, and sit. Make adjustments if needed
-When thinking about boning (like for a corset or a skirt with a specific shape), get something that isn't poor quality. If you move around a lot, it's possible for poor material to crack and stab into the skin.
-Always press your seams
-Always read instructions and take proper precautions when dealing with potentially hazardous / toxic materials. One of the panelists shared a story about contact cement recently melting somebody's eyes.
Misc. Photos for Friday
they are foods in Gears of War 5?
I was tempted to buy some chocolate, but I didn't want to risk
getting my fingers sticky.
won a chance to win the jackpot. I won a consolation prize (a tiny notebook).
I still need to watch the movies, hahaha... ^_^''
For the price, I thought they were worth it!
The poor chip bag was abandoned :(
Saturday
Time Attended: 10:40 AM - 3:30 PM
Time Attended: 10:40 AM - 3:30 PM
1. Get Brendan Fraser's autograph (the only autograph I was getting at Fan Expo this year)
2. Attend Brendan Fraser's Q&A panel
Yes. It was all about Brendan Fraser. He was only going to be at Fan Expo that day so I could not let him slip by!
When I got to the convention, I looked around the autograph area in the North building to see if there were any autograph times listed. It turned out there was already a line and Brendan Fraser was already there signing away. I promptly got in line. Despite the long lines, I was happy to see so many fans for him.
When it was my turn, I told him that I loved him in Scrubs, and that I could only imagine how fun it was to play that role [Ben Sullivan].
"That's the operative word," Brendan responded. His voice is so deep and smooth. <3 <3
After waving bye, I rushed to get in line for his Q&A. His Q&A was starting in 30 minutes!
The long, long line for the Q&A!
Q&A with Hollywood Star Brendan Fraser -- 12:00 PM
This was super fun. Brendan was playful and made a lot of jokes. He also did a few impressions of his past roles when requested.Attendees asked questions mainly about The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and Doom Patrol.
When asked whom he would geek out over, Brendan said Sting.
One attendee mentioned that she never watched The Mummy. When the attendee continued talking, Brendan suddenly pointed his finger upwards at an angle, indicating that she should leave. The audience started laughing -- moreso when Brendan made motions that looked like he was alerting security to her position to remove her. It was a joke, of course, but it was super funny.
The host, Sophie, and Brendan Fraser!
Unfortunately I was too far away to take an actual shot of him,
so I had to make do with taking pics of the video screen on the sides of the room.
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Nothing happened here. I just lined up for the next thing.
Sketch Duel: David Finch vs. Whilce Portacio -- 2:00 PM
The moderator (didn't catch his name), Johnny Desjardins, David Finch, Whilce Portacio.
This was structured a little differently from the other Sketch Duels I attended. The topic was already decided on, and the artists would draw for the full time instead of drawing two different topics. If that "buffet" attendant was in the audience, I'm pretty sure he was disappointed.
Johnny Desjardins also joined in as an artist, even though his name wasn't part of the schedule. It wasn't an issue, but it was a surprise.
The audience still got to ask questions, and the moderator made sure each artist had a chance to answer. Whilce got very philosophical with some of his responses.
Johnny's drawing. The theme was Spawn.
David's drawing.
Whilce's drawing.
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After the Sketch Duel, I went into the South dealer's room and bought too much stuff.
I also visited Jay Fosgitt's table to get the commission I usually get (a commission of myself). Jay commented that my lanyard was cute, and I thanked him and said the characters were from Shin Megami Tensei. If he would ever look it up, he would likely think, 'This girl is a weirdo'. Next year, maybe I'll commission him to draw something from that series, hehehe. I also bought one of his comics.
With all the stuff I was lugging, I decided to end the day and go home. There were a couple more panels on my schedule, but the next thing would be happening at 5 PM, and it was 3:30 PM. I didn't want to stick around that long, and then deal with lugging all my stuff back home in the evening.
After the Sketch Duel, I went into the South dealer's room and bought too much stuff.
I also visited Jay Fosgitt's table to get the commission I usually get (a commission of myself). Jay commented that my lanyard was cute, and I thanked him and said the characters were from Shin Megami Tensei. If he would ever look it up, he would likely think, 'This girl is a weirdo'. Next year, maybe I'll commission him to draw something from that series, hehehe. I also bought one of his comics.
With all the stuff I was lugging, I decided to end the day and go home. There were a couple more panels on my schedule, but the next thing would be happening at 5 PM, and it was 3:30 PM. I didn't want to stick around that long, and then deal with lugging all my stuff back home in the evening.
Misc. Photos for Saturday
some of the lucky bags were sold out. Thank goodness I bought some yesterday!
Sunday
Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM
I was intending to get to the convention by 11 AM, but some of the subway stations had a late opening, so I had to take a shuttle bus. Ahhhh, commuting troubles...Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Graphic Novels in Your Present and Future Worth Reading -- 11:45 AM
The moderator, Renee Nault, Scott Chantler, Mike Feehan.
Here I was hoping to jot down some interesting graphic novel titles worth reading. Instead, the moderator only asked questions about each of the artists' latest / current work.
Renee talked about The Hand Maid's Tale (graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel), Scott talked about Bix, and Mike talked about Exit Stage Left.
Overall the panel was interesting, but I was hoping to jot down more titles than what they were working on.
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After the panel, I went into the South dealer's room for one last look. Then I just waited for my next (and last) thing. I ended up chatting with a volunteer whom I had met briefly at a previous convention.
Let's Learn Anime! 10 Anime Creators You Should Know -- 3:00 PM
So... there was another technical difficulty. The cable needed to connect the laptop to the projector wasn't present. So Tom Croom did his best to do the panel without using the projector (he had a PowerPoint presentation on his laptop).
He told us that he and his crew discussed at length who should be on this list, and they were working off the criteria of if the person did something that impacted the genre. They ended up with 8 names, and thought it would be interesting to put the last two names to the audience and get a discussion going.
I was familiar with many of the creators listed (I still haven't watched Ghost in the Shell nor Cowboy Bebop). Tom shared a story for almost each creator, which was interesting.
Below were the mentioned creators, to the best of my memory. If I misheard any of them, please let me know!
1. Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy)
2. Hayao Miyazaki (of Ghibli films)
3. Naoko Takeuchi (creator Sailor Moon)
4. Hideaki Anno (creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion)
5. Shinichiro Watanabe (director of Cowboy Bebop)
6. Makoto Shinkai (director / creator of Your name.)
7. Mamoru Oshii (director of Ghost in the Shell)
8. Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragon Ball)
When the floor went to the audience for the last two creators, there wasn't much time left. Go Nagai (creator of Cutie Honey and Devilman) and Satoshi Kon (director of Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent) were suggested, though. If I were to suggest anybody, it'd probably be Junji Ito (mangaka of Uzumaki) and Eiichiro Oda (mangaka of One Piece).
Misc. Photos for Sunday
Overall Thoughts
Overall, Fan Expo Canada was okay. I think I attended so many different panels in previous years that it was a little hard for me to find things I just had to attend this year. Also, as mentioned earlier, I didn't really have much energy to begin with when the convention started. The "safe haven" I found last year was sadly not accessible (it was behind locked doors, needing a key card to open).
One thing that I liked was the addition of the "Cosplay Red Carpet". It was a red carpet at level 600 and all cosplayers were invited to walk it and get their picture taken at certain times. I generally like encouraging cosplay so this was nice.
I never did run into that attendee who complimented on my SMT lanyard that first day... and I wore TAM's glasses all 4 days of the convention just in case.
Photos of Cosplayers
As mentioned earlier, here are some photos of cosplayers.
He looked like a punk version of Toadette.
Really cool.
if the one wearing the animal mask is also from that game.
As I was heading towards the North building, an attendee
walking towards the South building said, "Holy f***!" and stared
in bewilderment at something behind me.
I turned around and saw Pennywise. *Yikes!*
Gwen Stacey / Spider-Woman.
Some creature thing from Horizon Zero Dawn.
This looked really awesome!
Another angle, plus the main character from Horizon Zero Dawn.
That creature thing from Horizon Zero Dawn in motion!
Cosplay I wanted to take a pic of, but missed my chance
-707 from Mystic Messenger -- this was way too unique! I'm so sad I missed taking a pic :(
My Convention Purchases
My budget was the same as last year's, but I was hoping I would keep my spending on the low side (I'm still somewhat recovering from all my spending at AniRevo, hahaha).This year I tended towards buying original artwork, often keeping my eyes peeled for artists I've bought from in the past. I also looked out for possible gifts for friends.
I kinda surprised myself that I bought a number of things from the dealer's room. Most years I resist, doing most of my purchases in the artist alley. I blame it on my friend who asked me to look for a DSi XL (which I didn't find in the end), which caused me to thoroughly look through the dealer's room, hahaha. I'm not angry, though. I found something I really wanted, so it was all good.
So I'm saying this again, as I do for all my convention blogs, but when buying fan stuff, I often have this frame of mind:
1. Does the art style align with my tastes?
2. Does this work express the kind of fandom that expresses me? (like, if I saw a poster of Zuko and Katara holding hands and gently smiling, I might get it, because it expresses how I feel about their relationship -- a sense of deep understanding for each other)
3. Is this a piece of work that will evoke something in me every time I see it?
For what I've bought that I haven't yet watched / experienced the series for, I'll note it like this: (*)
Here is what I bought (minus things I bought as gifts plus my commission from Jay -- I'm too shy to show the commission):
I thought they looked really nice.
I have no care for those Pokemon buttons on the top left
(those are Pokemon, right?).
from a 3-ball lotto. One of the stickers came free with the mini print.
I bought a larger poster of those Slimes at an earlier convention, but I mailed it away.
Now I have my own (they look so delicious, hahaha).
(Legend of Zelda series), various monsters (various series),
and Nero (Fate / Grand Order).
I plan to send those playing cards away.
So cute!
and a random pretty mini-bottle thing.
I am pleased.
What I really wanted. <3
Brendan Fraser's autograph! I blocked out my first name,
though I think my first name can be easily found...Still, just to be mysterious.
Brendan Fraser Autograph: $80
Jay Fosgitt commission + comic: $70
Water and leaf-themed prints from Birduyen: $40
Sticker set from Koyamori: $15
Random goodie bag from Curoie: $35
Mini Slime print + comic + stickers + "lanyard" from Inomnom: $36
Smash playing cards + 3 free bookmarks from Jinyjin: $40
Detective Pikachu + Pikachu pins from Starbottle: $30
Final Fantasy VI ukiyo-e-styled prints from UkiyoeHeroes: $80
Tree spirit mini-figure + One Piece mini-figure + Pokemon mini-bottle: $44
Totoro grab gab: $20
Hatsune Miku + Zero + Megaman mini-figures: $25
Jack Frost Nendoroid: $70
Total "Damage" This Year: $585.00
Total "Damage" Last Year: $489.20
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far)! If you have any questions about anything I experienced at Fan Expo Canada, or just comments and questions on anything, feel free to comment!
Now I gotta work on my end-of-month blog for August (though I will likely post that tomorrow or in a few days), and then maybe I'll get a chance to relax a little!
Thank you again and until the next time (which should be soon)! :)
