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nime Expo has grown steadily over the past 10
years to become the largest and one of the longest-running anime conventions in the
U.S. This year, Anime Expo
was held at the sprawling and spacious Long Beach Convention Center and its
surrounding hotels, providing ample room for all of its programming and its
numerous attendees. The distance between some of the hotels and the convention
center was an inconvenience for many, especially due to the muggy and warm weather
the first few days, but the large amount of function space solved some of the
capacity problems in the past and seemed a worthwhile tradeoff.
To celebrate its 10th
anniversary, Anime Expo brought back several reunion Guests of Honor from previous
years, as well as numerous Guests of Honor for whom this was their first time to
the U.S. or to a U.S.
convention. The Guests of Honor attending this year were:
 |
Abe
Hisashi |
|
Director/Character Designer;
Vampire Hunter D,
X,
Petshop of Horrors. |
|
Asaka
Morio |
|
Director;
Card Captor Sakura,
Yawara,
Galaxy Angel. |
|
Asamiya
Kia |
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Artist;
Silent Möbius,
Dark Angel,
Compiler,
Steam Detectives,
Corrector Yui. |
|
Scott
Frazier |
|
Artist/Director;
Genocyber,
Moldiver,
Bubblegum Crash,
Transcendence. |
|
Inoue
Kikuko |
|
Voice Actress; Belldandy in
AH! MY GODDESS,
Tendou Kasumi in
RANMA 1/2,
Lune Venus in
EL HAZARD,
Panther in
SABER MARIONETTE J. |
|
Ishiguro
Noboru |
|
Director;
Space Cruiser Yamato,
Legend of Galactic Heroes,
Megazone 23,
Macross,
Macross: Do You Remember Love. |
|
Iwasaki
Yoshiaki |
|
Director;
Dai-Guard,
Slayers,
Turn-A Gundam,
Utena,
Love Hina. |
|
Kawamoto
Toshihiro |
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Director;
Cowboy Bebop,
Gundam 0083,
Gundam: The 08th MS Team,
Goldenboy. |
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Kojima
Masayuki |
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Director;
Sakura Taisen,
Master Keaton,
Azuki-chan,
Kero-chan ni Makase. |
|
Kotobuki
Tsukasa |
|
Artist;
Toshinden,
Saber Marionette J/J Again/J to X,
Cyber Team in Akihabara. |
|
Matsubara
Hidenori |
|
Artist/Character Designer;
Otaku no Video,
Ranma 1/2,
Patlabor: The Movie,
Blue Submarine No. 6,
Macross II,
Ah! My Goddess,
Sakura Taisen. |
|
Mikimoto
Haruhiko |
|
Artist/Character Designer;
Macross,
Macross II,
Macross 7,
Gunbuster,
Megazone 23,
Gundam 0080. |
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Uno
Makoto |
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Artist/Character Designer;
Love Hina,
Dai-Guard,
ZOIDS,
Turn-A Gundam. |
|
Watase
Yu |
|
Artist;
Fushigi Yuugi,
Ayashi no Ceres,
Imadoki,
Shishunki Miman Okotowari,
Epotrans! Mai. |
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General registration for the convention was as quick and efficient as it was last
year, the only inconvenience being that it was held at the Westin hotel, which was a
bit of a hike for many of the attendees. Unfortunately, press registration didn't
fare nearly as well—due to the fireworks on the
4th of July, entry to the
press room in the LBCC was blocked off, and members
of the press hoping to pick up their badges on Wednesday were turned away at the
door by the convention center staff.
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