NY Anime Festival '08: Friday's Manga Must-Sees

New York Anime Festival kicks off this afternoon at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan. While this weekend's rainy weather will likely make for a soggy trek to NYAF, there's lots of reasons for manga fans to check out today's festivities, including appearances by Vampire Hunter D creator Hideyuki Kikuchi, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and a Black Jack manga giveaway from Vertical. The doors open at 12 pm and keeps on going until 10 pm tonight. Ready? Go!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

• 1:00 - 1:30 pm: Opening Ceremonies, Anime News Network Theater, Room 1A12
  Meet some of the special guests for this year's NYAF, including Japanese anime voice actress Rie Tanaka, artist Yoshitaka Amano and Vampire Hunter D's creator, Hideyuki Kikuchi.
• 3:00 – 4:00 pm: Otaku USA Magazine Panel, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Look for Otaku USA Editor in Chief Patrick Macias to bring together his all-star band of experts for a lively panel about the many joys of putting together this monthly mag of Asian geek culture.
• 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Spotlight on Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Pop Culture Panel Room 1A21
  Okay, this isn't really a manga pick, but after watching Morimoto-san do his culinary magic on both Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, I have to do my Food Network fangirl thing to check out the coolest chef around.
• 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm: Funimation Spotlight on Claymore, Anime Panel Room 1A06
  Get a sneak peek at the anime adaptation of the fierce femmes of Claymore, plus meet some of the voice actors for the English edition.

• 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm: Japan 3-D: Beyond the Anime Screen, Pop Culture Room 1A21
  In preparation for the arrival of KRAZY: The Delirious World of Anime + Manga + Video Games exhibit in March 2009, The Japan Society is giving fans a sneak peek at this amazing exhibit that showcases the artistic impact and evolution of Japanese popular culture.
Get a sneak peek at the anime adaptation of the fierce femmes of Claymore, plus meet some of the voice actors for the English edition.
• 5:30 - 6:30 pm: Spotlight on Hideyuki Kikuchi, Creator of Vampire Hunter D, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Kikuchi-sensei will answer any and all questions about his immortal creation as well as his other horror novel creations, including Demon City Shinjuku and much more.
• 6:45 - 7:45 pm: Vertical Inc. Publisher's Panel, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Now that their first volume of Osamu Tezuka's memorable medical manga Black Jack is out, see what else the Vertical manga and J-Lit crew has up their sleeves for 2009.
• 8:00 - 9:00 pm: Kitty Media Yaoi and Yuri Manga Publisher's Panel, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  It is hot in here? It will be when the Kitty Media gang show off their sexy line-up of yaoi and yuri manga for the rest of 2008 and maybe a few peeks of their 2009 line-up too. Sorry kiddies, you have to be 18 or over to check this one out.

See the complete schedule of NYAF events and panels at their official website for much, much more. Can't wait for the latest news? Follow my posts on Twitter for updates and random musings on the NYAF scene.

Image credit: © Courtesy Reed Exhibitions