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Madhouse Studio Co-Founder Maruyama Returns to Otakon
posted on by Egan Loo
Otakon has announced that Madhouse studio co-founder Masao Maruyama will return to the July 17-19 convention at Baltimore, Maryland. Maruyama has produced almost every work that his studio has animated, including Trigun, Perfect Blue, Black Lagoon, NANA, Beck, Monster, Death Note, and more recently, the Japanese Stitch! television series and the Redline film. He is also credited with the concept of Devil Hunter Yohko. Like many notable figures in his generation, he started in the industry by working at Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Productions studio — specifically on Unico. This will be Maruyama's seventh appearance at the convention.
Just like last year, Maruyama and Madhouse will be producing the opening animation for this year's Otakon. Takuji Endo (Zetsuai 1989, Paranoia Agent, Highlander: Search for Vengeance) and Yoshinori Kanemori (Reign: The Conqueror, Alexander: The Movie) are co-directing the opening animation, with Kanemori doing double-duty as character designer. Kanemori designed the characters in the X television series, Stitch!, Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, The Gokusen, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Twilight of the Cockroaches.
Otakon also recently announced that award-winning scholar and translator Frederik L. Schodt will appear as a Guest of Honor. Its industry guest list includes Yaoi Press founder Yamila Abraham.
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