A lot of things happened this week. This Wednesday, Noizi Ito came to Auckland. I was actually quite excited about this, even though I've never really liked Haruhi (or anything else by her, for that matter). I seriously considered not going, because the event was going to be held at a polytechnic that's two hours away from where I live. But I went anyway. 

By the time I got there, I was pretty exhausted. The event was held at a very small gallery, with prints of her art hanging around the walls. There was also a glass cabinet with a couple of Haruhi figures and dolls. So walking into the gallery (in a surreal way) felt like walking into my own room. I didn't recognize anyone there, aside from the owner of a local anime store who instantly knew who I was. 

Noizi Ito came with her husband. She didn't look very different from her photos, though she looks a bit jet-lagged. The event started about fifteen minutes late. Everyone huddled into the gallery and watched Noizi Ito introduce herself. It was pretty awkward, really, and things got even more awkward when Noizi Ito tried to make a joke and it got lost in the translation. The atmosphere was just very awkward in general, and made me a bit uncomfortable.

Noizi Ito walked around the gallery explaining her work, where her inspiration came from, and all that stuff. It was actually quite dull, and when she finished explaining her drawings we huddled back into the lobby where she was about to do a live drawing of an original character. There was also going to be a raffle, with a signed artbook, a DVD set and a Haruhi nendoroid as the prizes.

She started drawing and everyone watched very, very attentively. Except for a few creepy old men standing near me, who kept on snapping pictures of her even though there was a sign that said 'No Photography Allowed'. I swear, these anime events always attracts the creepiest people. Most people there looked pretty socially awkward, but some were just downright creepy. I don't know why. Every time I go to one of these events, it always happens. 

Next came the Q&A session. I was the first person to speak. I thanked her for coming to Auckland, then told her that I found some of her Love Live fan-art online. So I asked which Love Live is the best Love Live, and why. Everyone in the audience laughed for some reason. Noizi Ito said that she really liked Love Live, and that her favourite girl is Nico because she is very cute and hard-working. Well, I guess this shows Noizi Ito clearly has bad taste. I was going to ask her to do a 'Nico-Nico-Nii' as well, but then I decided against it.

So overall, the event went pretty well. The four hours of commuting almost killed me (I left home at four and got back at around eleven), but I was sort of happy I got to meet the illustrator of Haruhi and ask her a really pressing question - for me, anyway. Noizi Ito was going to make an appearance again at a local convention later in the week. And so that's where I went next.