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General Impressions
Anime Expo 2001 celebrated its
10th Anniversary at
the sprawling Long Beach Convention Center. The HTML
Swiss Army Knife gives his
thoughts and impressions
of the premiere U.S. anime convention.
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Page 1: |
Introduction -
Anime Expo invited numerous Guests of Honor both old and new. The new
venue solved some of the capacity issues of previous years, but also
made for some long walks...
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| Page 2: |
Opening Ceremonies -
The Guests of Honor are introduced. Unable to attend Opening Ceremonies,
Ishiguro Noboru sent a video tape in his place, which started a joke that
would last throughout the weekend.
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| Page 3: |
Exhibit Hall, Film,
Meet The Guests, AX 10th Anniversary - Cheap laserdiscs and expensive
Copic markers in the Exhibit Hall, the A!MG movie makes its U.S. debut, the
Meet The Guests reception, and plenty of cake for everyone at the AX 10th
Anniversary Party.
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| Page 4: |
Masquerade -
Omar Brown, a boy fighting a severe illness, is brought to Anime Expo
thanks to The Starlight Foundation. The cosplayers strut their stuff,
and the infamous "chair" meets its match in Mimi-chan the rocket.
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| Page 5: |
SPJA Charity Auction,
Closing Ceremonies - Autographed goods and original sketches fetch
large sums for the City of Hope. In parting, the Guests of Honor promise to
channel the enthusiasm of the U.S. fans into their future endeavors.
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| Page 6: |
Miscellaneous -
Last but not least, some images of the City of Hope booth, the 5XL band/dance,
the Bandai/Pioneer BPM dance, the EX Online panel, and other photos from
the convention.
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Focus Panels and Interviews
Coming by the end of this week: the press sessions for Abe Hisashi,
Asaka Morio & Kojima Masayuki, Scott Frazier, and Watase Yu.
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GoH: |
Asaka Morio & Kojima Masayuki
- Best known to U.S. fans for their work on the Card Captor Sakura TV series
and movies.
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| GoH: |
Asamiya Kia - a.k.a.
Kikuchi Michitaka, the artist of Silent Möbius, Dark Angel, Compiler,
Steam Detectives, and Corrector Yui.
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| GoH: |
Inoue Kikuko -
the voice of Belldandy (Ah! My Goddess), Tendou Kasumi (Ranma 1/2),
Lune Venus (El Hazard), and Panther (Saber Marionette J).
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| GoH: |
Kawamoto Toshihiro -
the character designer for Cowboy Bebop, Goldenboy, Gundam 0083, and Gundam:
The 08th MS Team.
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| GoH: |
Kotobuki Tsukasa -
the character designer for Saber Marionette J, Saber Marionette J to X,
and the Toshinden video game series.
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| Focus: |
Manga Artists -
Mikimoto Haruhiko, Asamiya Kia, Kotobuki Tsukasa, Izuna Yoshitsune,
and Scott Frazier talk about their experiences.
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Daily Convention Highlights
The previous daily reports that were posted live from the convention.
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Day 1: |
July 5th - Opening
Ceremonies; the GoH Focus Panels for Kikuko Inoue, Matsubara Hidenori,
Mikimoto Haruhiko, and Asamiya Kia; the Press Session for Scott Frazier.
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| Day 2: |
July 6th - Meet the
Guests Reception; AX 10th Year Anniversary; the GoH Focus Panels for
Watase Yu, Kotobuki Tsukasa, Kawamoto Toshihiro, and Ishiguro Noboru;
the Gonzo Panel.
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| Day 3: |
July 7th - The
Starlight Foundation and Anime Expo help make a wish come true for a
boy at the masquerade.
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| Day 4: |
July 8th -
SPJA Charity Auction, Closing Ceremonies |
The Anime Expo 2001 coverage was contributed by
Jo Ann Faustino, David Ho, Ken Lee, Egan Loo, and Keith Rhee. Special
thanks to Eric "Scanner" Luce for the wireless ethernet connection at
the convention. |
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