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Anime Expo to Host Crypton Future Media, Idea Factory
posted on by Gia Manry
Anime Expo announced on Thursday that it will host four individuals in the Japanese software companies Crypton Future Media and Idea Factory as Guests of Honor at the July 1-4 event in Los Angeles.
As the CEO of Crypton Future Media, Hiroyuki Itōh oversaw the launch and rise of Hatsune Miku — the idol character, originally created to personify a synthesized vocal music software package, who has become a star in her own right. He also launched the Vocaloid website Piapro and the music aggregation service ROUTER.FM. Crypton Future Media producer Wataru Sasaki led the marketing for Kaito, Hatsune Miku, and other Vocaloid releases.
Kenta Sugano and Katsuyuki Hirano, a director and lead artist (respectively) from Idea Factory, will take part in a panel exploring the development of role-playing games (RPGs) in Japan. Sugano and Hirano are best known for their work on titles like Record of Agarest Wars and Hyperdimension Netpunia, both of which have been localized for American audiences.
Other guests at this year's convention include singer Maon Kurosaki, manga creator Izumi Matsumoto, comic creator Fred Gallagher, virtual pop idol Hatsune Miku, Japanese pop trio Kalafina, president of Nippon Ichi Software Sohei Niikawa, television host/blogger Danny Choo, voice actor Vic Mignogna, and Japanese voice actress and singer Miyuki Sawashiro.
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