A line of approximately 50 people formed outside of LP2 as fans waited to get their first glimpse of VANDREAD, a new show created by GONZO Studios. The panel got off to a very late start, nearly 20 minutes after 2:00, while the panelists prepared technical presentations. By now, the restless fans waiting outside were bristling with anticipation hoping that VANDREAD would be worth the patience and the hype.
By the time we were all seated, about 80 people had gathered in the audience to hear the panel of GONZO staffers describe their opus. Sitting on the panel were Murahama Shoji, President of GONZO Studios; Nagata Katsuji, Executive Producer of VANDREAD; and Maeda Mahiro, Mecha Designer.
Immediately after their introductions, a video trailer of VANDREAD was played. It was filled with bursting color, trembling explosions, mind-bending 3D computer graphics, space fights, and a few cute girls. Indeed, it was an assault of the visual senses that left the crowd speechless if not deeply impressed.
Right after this trailer, the director and a voice actress who had been unable to attend AX, made an appearance on video tape where they appealed to the audience to watch.
After the director had spoken, Mr. Murahama launched into a slide show presentation of the show and its characters. He used a laptop connected to the large projection screen at the front of the room while he spoke to each slide that he was presenting.
Proclaimed Mr. Murahama, "GONZO, which made VANDREAD and other well known anime such as BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6, will revolutionize the giant robot motif with its new anime VANDREAD! There will be lots of 3D computer graphics and other visual effects never seen before for a television series, using an incredible staff normally reserved for theatrical work only!"
A slide of the staff list appeared on the screen.
"I'm sorry that the list is in Japanese...I only wish you could read this list as the roster of names truly is impressive! You'll just have to take my word for it..."
After that rousing overview of VANDREAD, Mr. Murahama continued to describe the story: "The story takes place in outer space. There's a planet that is inhabited by all men. Nearby is another planet inhabited entirely by women. So the plot of the story is 'boy-meets-girl'. Not surprising right?"
Then, Mr. Murahama launched into a description of the 20 (or so) characters. He glossed over the three male characters quickly, but lingered over the female characters describing them in detail. Apparently, the staff at GONZO are fairly "girl-crazy" as some of the female characters were put in for eye-candy primarily! This is a good sign that if you like cute anime girls, VANDREAD is the upcoming show for you.
What would a giant robot show be without mecha? Of course it has mecha! To describe it simply, just listen to the words of Mr. Murahama: "You see, this is the 'Van' mech, or male-type fighter space craft. And here is the 'Dread' mech, or female-type fighter space craft. They combine to become the 'Vandread'. Simple to understand, yes?"
Heads nodded in the audience.
"Similarly, these other two space ships, one male-type and one female-type can also combine. When they combine, they form the 'Nirvana'."
There were peals of laughter from the audience from those individuals who had their minds in the gutter. (ahem)
More information on VANDREAD can be found at www.vandread.com. And here is where Mr. Murahama's slide presentation ended and a short Q&A session began.

Q: Why is it that one planet is all women and the other planet is all men? Is there a logical reason for this in the backstory?

Murahama: It is a secret.

Maeda: I believe it is because the director, when he was young, was forced to attend an all-boys school. (laughs)

Q: When does the TV series begin airing in Japan?

Nagata: We're working on broadcasting the series starting in October of this year, but that has not been confirmed. More details will be posted on the web site as things develop.

Q: Which channel and what time slot?

Nagata: All those items are still undecided. When we know, that information will be posted to the web site.

Q: How many episodes will there be? And who is doing the music?

Murahama: We're making 13 episodes. But there is enough of a plot to run the series to 26 episodes should we get an order for 26. As for the music, we have the same composer who wrote the music for SHIN GETTER ROBO.

Q: Where does the name "Gonzo" come from?

Murahama: It comes from the oft-used exclamation from a special effects director I knew who used to say, "What a great idea! It's GONZO!!!" After naming the company, we were surprised when we finally looked up the meaning of the word in a dictionary.

Q: Will there be an internet broadcast?

Murahama: We plan on allowing the pilot episode to be streamed from our web site.

Q: Would Mr. Maeda be willing to give away a few VANDREAD posters [hanging from the panelist's table]?"

To the delight of the crowd, Mr. Maeda was willing to give away three of the posters by way of a "Jyan-ken-pon" (or rock-paper-scissors) contest at the end of the panel.
[How it works: The audience as a whole plays rock-paper-scissors against Mr. Maeda. If you beat his hand, you move to the next round. If you tie, or are defeated, you are eliminated. The last three remaining will receive posters. If there is an odd number remaining at the end, the remaining contestants play against each other until only three are left.]

Another short video clip of some of the amazing computer graphics and animation was shown after the last question was answered. The crowd was impressed and applauded at the end. Mr. Murahama, happy to see the crowd enjoying the video, asked if anyone had seen any "seizure-inducing segments as in POKÉMON?"
Finally, the Jyan-ken-pon contest was held for the three posters up for grabs. Everyone in the audience stood up to participate. The crowd played against Mr. Maeda who threw 'rock' three times in a row. Finally, the last four remaining played against each other until only three were left.
After the winners collected their posters, the panel ended. By the positive reaction shown, VANDREAD was definitely worth the wait. This show promises to be one of the most innovative uses of 3D computer graphics yet seen in television anime.
One of the winners of the posters, Phillip Morford or Ormand Beach, Florida added, "This looks pretty good. I'll probably pick up a copy when it comes out."