| FanimeCon - Day Two - Opening Ceremonies | Page 1 of 2 |
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When con chair Michael Wright took to the stage for opening ceremonies, he had a few serious words for the crowd. Fans were acting up and the hotel was unhappy, so Wright urged everyone to calm down and use their heads. |
Then things settled down to the typical opening ceremony silliness. |
 There was one part of the ceremony that showed how popular anime is in California. The Independence High School drum ensemble performed selections from Yoko Kanno's music for Vision of Escaflowne. |
 It should be noted that the "opening" event was held at the end of the convention's second day... |
...but no one seemed to mind, especially when the guests of honor were introduced. It started with Hiroyuki Yamaga of Gainax, who brought a preview of a new show that was cheered (while fans booed the Robotech 3000 preview). |
Then former Gainax designer Takami Akai had his moment to welcome the fans to the event. |
Stan Sakai, creator of the Usagi Yojimbo series, made his first appearance with a convincing phrase in Japanese, followed by "That's about the extent of my Japanese." |
Singer and songwriter Mari Iijima also made her first convention appearance, accompanied by her two sons. She tried to put a brave face on her Friday travel frustrations (an airline lost the box with the audio CD's she planned to sell at the convention). |
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