All the way from Australia, Widya Santoso returned to Anime Expo and
was handed the honor of hosting the cnvention's opening ceremonies. |
In the cap and goatee is Hiroshi Hamasaki, animation director for Midnight
Eye Gokuu, Midnight Eye Gokuu II, Biohunter, and
the new Vampire Hunter D film currently in production. In the white
dress is Sachiko Kamumura, character designer on
the City Hunter series, the fantasy series Heroic Legend of Arslan, the
television show Mama's a Fourth Grader, and the PlayStation game Mystic
Dragoons. |
Here's Hisashi Abe, whose most recent work is as character designer
for the Petshop of Horrors short television series that aired as part of
the television show Wonderful and for the upcoming OVA series Xebus, and
animation director for the new Vampire Hunter D movie. |
Returning for a second straight Anime Expo is Mika
Akitaka (left center), designer of mecha for Gundam Zeta, War in the Pocket,
Gundam 0083, Martian Successor Nadesico and the creator of Galaxy Fraulein
Yuna. To the right is Toshihiro Kawamoto, character designer for the Sunrise
series Cowboy Bebop, the OVA series Golden Boy and the human cast of Gundam
0083: Stardust Memory and Gundam: The 08th MS Team. |
In the black dress is Kazuko Tadano, character
designer and animation director for the Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R television
series, as well as the Sailor Moon R motion picture. In the white jacket
is Nobuyuki Onishi, artist who created the paintings seen at the end of
Royal Space Force. |
In the everpresent hat is Yoko Kanno, composer
of anime music and for several J-Pop albums: Song to Fly, and Grapefruit
and Dive, the debut and follow-up albums of Maaya Sakamoto (Escaflowne's
Hitomi). Kanno received the biggest cheer of opening ceremonies, as big
as Yuu Watase received in 1998. Next to her is Hiromi Matsushita, animation
director for Sailor Moon, the original Vampire Hunter D, Guyver, SD Gundam,
Granzort, Wataru and Wataru 2. |