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Otakon 2002: New Guests Of Honor

posted on by George Phillips
Four new Guests for Baltimore-based Otakon: Takehito Ito (Manga Artist, Outlaw Star), Hiroyuki Morioka (Writer, Crest of the Stars), Yoko Ishida (Para Para Dance Artist) and Tatsuo Satō (Animation Director, Akazukin Cha Cha)

Excerpted from the Press Release:

Bandai Entertainment announces the attendance of acclaimed Anime Creators - Takehito Ito (Outlaw Star and Angel Links) and Hiroyuki Morioka (Crest of the Stars) at Otakon 2002 in Baltimore, MD

Cypress, CA (July 10, 2002) – Bandai Entertainment announced today the attendance of acclaimed anime creators Mr. Takehito Ito (Outlaw Star and Angel Links) and Mr. Hiroyuki Morioka (Crest of the Stars) at this year's Otakon 2002 Convention in Baltimore, Maryland from July 26th through July 28th. This will be the first convention appearance for both Mr. Ito and Mr. Morioka in North America.

With the huge success of Bandai's anime series, Outlaw Star, on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block – fans of Japanese animation will get a chance to interact with Mr. Takehito Ito throughout Otakon weekend at various scheduled panels and autograph sessions. Mr. Ito is a well known manga artist and art director who began his career as an animation and merchandising illustrator. He studied planning and editing at Shindosha, a design office known for their designs of the popular Zeta Gundam anime series. In his late 20s, he founded Morning Star Inc. and has since been involved with animation and videogame character designs.

Manga:
Future Hero Story
Ryu-Knight
Outlaw Star
Auma ni Dokidoki on Comic Dragon by Fujimi Publishing.

Outlaw Star 2 will begin this Fall 2002 in Japan through Ultra Jump by manga publisher, Shueisha.

Anime:
NG Knight Ramune &40 (Character Designs)
Ryu-Knight (Story and Character Designs)
Outlaw Star (Story and Character Designs)
Angel Links (Story and Character Designs)

Based on the best selling science fiction novels by Hiroyuki Morioka, the Crest of the Stars series helped introduce the epic saga of the Abh Empire and the dramatic story between the Abh Princess Lafiel and young human Jinto.

Born in Hyogo, in 1962 – Mr. Morioka graduated from the department of Literature at the prestigious Kyoto Prefectural University. Having served his time as an office worker, his debut came after winning the Seventeenth Hayakawa Sci-Fi contest in 1991 with "Yume no ki ga tsugetanara". In 1996, “Seikai no MonshōCrest of the Stars” was published. This popular story was well received gaining much popularity and reputation as the cutting edge of Sci-Fi space saga, and received the 28th Seiun Awards in Japan. Soon after, the Crest of the Stars story would be animated by Sunrise studios with release here in North America.

Bandai Entertainment will be announcing the DVD home video acquisition of Mr. Morioka's continuing Sci-Fi epic Crest of the Stars through its next installment, Banner of the Stars.


Also, Otakon has announced two additional guests: Yoko Ishida and Tatsuo Satō:
Yoko Ishida - Singer
If you happen to keep up with pop-culture in Japan, chances are that you have not missed Para Para. Euro-pop beats, neon colored clothing, platform shoes, and an endless number of dance moves characterize this trend which has swept across the country. Second cousin to the Macarena, each Para Para song has its own dance moves to learn and master. A number of musical artists lead the current trend, among them Yoko Ishida, who, with her Para Para MAX CDs, has helped boost Para Para from a tiny movement into a full-fledged dance craze. In addition to her Para Para music, Yoko has also contributed songs to the soundtracks of such series as Sailor Moon, Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar, and New Snow White Legend Prétear.

Tatsuo Satō - Animation Director
Born on July 7, 1964 in Kanagawa, Japan, Tatsuo Satō made his debut as a TV animation director in 1989. His major projects include, Chibi Maruko (animation director), Akazukin Cha Cha (animation director), and His and Her Circumstances (script). Then in 1995, he directed his first show called Tobe! Isami (Fly! Isami), followed by Martian Successor Nadesico. He also directed a movie Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness in 1998. His recent works include Gakuen Senki Muryo and Nekojiru Sou. Currently, Sato-san is directing a TV animation to be aired in 2003.


Otakon is the East Coast's largest anime convention. More information can be found at http://www.otakon.com

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