NY Anime Festival '08: Saturday's Manga Happenings

Day Two of the 2nd New York Anime Festival promises to be full of interesting and newsworthy events, including appearances by special guests Yoshitaka Amano, Hideyuki Kikuchi, the designers of Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and a "Top Secret" panel at 2:15 pm at the Anime News Network Theater. Now why on earth is there a picture from the Dragon Ball movie next to that panel's description, plus an autograph session at 3:30 pm for Dragon Ball, I'm guessing it might be about... oh heck, just go check it out and see if this is one of the worst kept secrets in NYAF history or a very clever red herring.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

• 11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Spotlight on Cooking Manga, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Only the land of Iron Chefs and elaborate bento box lunches could bring you this yummy publishing sensation: cooking manga. With recipes, cooking tips and delectable drama, cooking manga like Kitchen Princess, Oishinbo and Yakitate! Japan are whetting readers' appetites for more. One lucky attendee to this panel will win copies of Kitchen Princess, the deliciously delightful shojo series from Del Rey Manga.
• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - The Art of Translation at Manga Panel Room 1A24
  It takes more than just a Japanese-English dictionary to transform your favorite manga from kana and kanji to the easily digestible English editions. Meet the unsung heroes of the American manga biz, the translators. And please, when you ask them your questions, remember: it's pronounced "man-gah," not "MANG-guh," okay? Thank you.

• 12:45 - 1:45 pm: Spotlight on Vampire Hunter D, Anime News Network Theater, Room 1A12
  Author Hideyuki Kikuchi, artist Yoshitaka Amano and translator Kevin Leahy share their take on everyone's elegant post-apocalyptic vampire slayer.
• 1:45 - 2:45 pm: Del Rey Manga Publishers Panel, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Join the Dey Rey Manga gang as they raise the curtain on some of their latest releases and give us a sneak peek at some new coming attractions for 2009.
• 2:45 - 3:45 pm: Toward The Terra Screening, TV and OAV Screening Room Room 1A07
  Check out the recently released animated version of Keiko Takemiya's sci-fi epic To Terra (from Vertical), and see how it's been updated for new generations of anime and manga fans.

• 2:15 - 3:15 pm: TOP SECRET PANEL!, Anime News Network Theater, Room 1A12
  Now, what on earth could this one be about? Is it movie announcement? Some new game? A hot manga? Or something really fabulous that you haven't seen anywhere else? You'll just have to attend this panel to find out!
• 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Spotlight on Yoshitaka Amano, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Legendary fantasy artist and versatile character designer Yoshitaka Amano talks about some of his past and present projects, including Shinjuku, his eye-popping new project from Dark Horse due out in 2009, and maybe share some tidbits about the upcoming Gatchman movie.
• 4:15 pm - 5:15 pm: Comics for the Manga Fan, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Can manga fans find reading enjoyment on the American side of the comics shop? Get a few choice recommendations from folks in the know.
• 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Misako Rocks! Misako's Crazy Life and Comics, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Artist and author Misako Rocks! shares her comics creations Detective Jermain, Biker Girl and Rock and Roll Love, while talking about her fab life as an original manga creator.
• 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm: World Cosplay Summit Masquerade, Anime News Network Room 1A12
  See which cosplay team will reign supreme and represent Team U.S.A. at the 2009 World Cosplay Summit in Japan.
• 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Spotlight on Gekiga, Manga Panel Room 1A24
  Delve into the most innovative and interesting manga around with this spotlight on gekiga, or "dramatic pictures," courtesy of Rym and Scott of GeekNights. Remember, this one's for grown-ups only, so bring your ID if you're 18 or older.
• 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Spotlight on Yuri Anime and Manga, Anime Fandom Panel Room 1A14
  Meet yuri manga maven Erica Friedman and find out her yuri favorites featuring girls who love girls .

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.