 Animazement
'99 is dedicated to shojo manga and anime, the romantic, melodramatic
art form aimed at women. Yuu Watase, Fushigi Yuugi artist and one of the
leaders in that art form, was so popular when she appeared at Anime Expo
in 1998 that she felt compelled to return to the U.S. in 1999. "The fans
wanted me to come back, so I did," she said at Animazement on Thursday
night. Watase had spent the day shopping and was carrying a bag containing
Beanie Babies... |
 ...but she
was back at the hotel and ready to meet the fans at Animazement's Pre-Con
Night. Fans got a chance to sit down and speak with the guests of honor.
Accompanying Watase on her right is Nozomi Suzuki, who edits Watase's manga,
and, on her left, Toshifumi Yoshida of Viz, which publishes Fushigi Yuugi
in North America. |
 Rurika Fuyuki
(left) enjoyed the first Animazement so much, she wanted to come back for
the second - and asked fellow artist Yukako Midori (right) to come with
her. Why do Japanese readers enjoy the shojo style so much? "Maybe
someone wants to see something they can't do," Midori said. "Maybe they
want to be something they can't be, so they read it in a manga."
Midori experienced something in North Carolina she'll never experience
in Japan, a ride in a forty-foot limousine. "Our roads are too narrow,"
she said. |
 Nobuyuki Takahashi
of Studio Hard was at Animazement in 1998, and he also came back for 1999.
His 1998 visit came a few weeks after the launch of the AX magazine, aimed
at Japanese anime and manga fans. Takahashi brought new copies of the magazine
- and new insights on the state of the anime industry. |
 Here's the
second of the three English-language goddesses from Oh My Goddess, Pamela
"Skuld" Weidner. The third goddess, Lanelle "Urd" Markgraf, was not on
hand - she's moved to California. |
One guest of honor didn't make the trip. Yasuhiro Imagawa, the man
in charge of the Giant Robo series who had planned to show his new Virgin
Fleet series at Animazement, had to cancel because of illness.
There were some people in costume on Thursday night: |
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