This Weekend's Manga Highlights at Anime Expo '09

Ah, Fourth of July weekend. For many, this means a few days to kick back and enjoy time with friends and family, fire up the grill, eat some good food and see some fireworks. For those of the otaku persuasion, the place to be will be at Anime Expo 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California, beginning on Thursday, July 2 through Sunday, July 5, 2009.

This year, there's more reasons than ever to be in L.A., thanks to AX's star-studded line-up of guests from the worlds of anime, manga, gaming, J-Pop and J-Rock, including three manga-ka visiting from Japan, two major headliners from the top of the Japanese charts, anime directors from some of the top studios, a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam, a Power Rangers reunion, a GAINAX-hosted showing of the Gurren Lagann documentary and so much more. Here's some of the this weekend’s mostly manga-centric highlights:

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009
Better eat your Wheaties – Day One of Anime Expo kicks off at 9:00 am with the opening ceremonies. Then after that, it’s a full day of fun as manga artist Yun Kouga, visual-kei goth rock band Moi dix Mois , cheery pop supergroup Morning Musume and the GAINAX gang give fans reasons to stick around all day (and all evening) long.

• 9:00 am - 9:50 am: Opening Ceremonies, Main Events Hall LACC Hall A
  The fun kicks off bright and early Thursday morning as Anime Expo gives fans a chance to see what’s in store, and get a few opening words from the all-star group of anime directors, manga artists, actors, game creators and pop/rock stars from Japan and beyond. The hall opens at 8:30 for early-birds who want the best seats.
• 10:00 am - 10:50 am: Digital Manga Publishing Industry Panel & eManga Demonstration, Room LP 1 /Petree Hall
  See what DMP has in store for 2009 and beyond and get a preview of their eManga online manga rental service.
• 11:00 am - 11:50 am: Guest of Honor Spotlight: Yun Kouga, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet the camera-shy manga creator of Loveless, Earthian and Gestalt, plus ask her about her work as the character designer for Gundam 00.
• 11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Industry Only panel: Making Anime and Manga into Hollywood Features, Room LP 3 – LACC 411
  Now that superheroes are the stuff of blockbuster box office numbers, Hollywood is looking to manga and anime for the next big thing. Speed Racer was so-so and Dragon Ball wasn’t so hot – but will the upcoming Astro Boy, Cowboy BeBop and Old Boy movies turn things around? Sorry kids. You need to have a press or industry badge to get into this panel.
• 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Moi dix Mois in Concert, Main Events – LACC Hall A
  See the man, the legend, the band that will set a thousand Gothic Lolitas’ hearts a-flutter, Moi dix Mois with charismatic (and frighteningly gorgeous) frontman Mana, the pop star who’s so revered, fans refer to him as “Mana-sama” (Lord Mana). Seating for this event starts at 1:00 and you better believe you should get there early if you’re planning on attending this visual-kei rock extravaganza.
• 2:00 pm - 2:50 am: Guests of Honor Spotlight: Morning Musume, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  So you say you want something softer, happier and just cuter this afternoon? Get yourself over to the Morning Musume panel and coo at this oh-so-sweet pop songbird supergroup.

• 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm: Guest of Honor Spotlight: Hiroyuki Imaishi and Atsushi Nishigori, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet two of the creative powerhouses from GAINAX who brought you that Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
• 5:00 pm - 5:50 pm: Right Stuf & Nozomi Entertainment Industry Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Get the low-down on some new and upcoming anime releases, plus grill their marketing team with all of your random licensing requests. They love that kind of stuff.
• 6:00 pm - 6:50 pm: Anime News Network, Room LP 3 / LACC 411
  Meet the editors, reporters and reviewers of Anime News Network, ask them questions, and if you’re really good, you might take home some free schwag too.
• 7:30 pm - 8:20 pm: eigoMANGA Industry Panel, Room LP 2/LACC 502
  Check out how eigoMANGA is making plans to branch out into new ventures like a J-rock website and much more.
• 10:00 pm - 10:45 pm: GAINAX Focus Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Representatives from the legendary studio that brought you the anime you love to love such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and FLCL, and will be on hand to talk about Gurren Lagann and answer your questions.
• 10:45 pm - 11:50 pm: GAINAX Presents: The Making of Gurren Lagann Documentary Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  They debuted this film at FanimeCon 2009, but in case you weren’t in the room in San Jose this past May, you now have your second chance to check out this “making of” feature.

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2009
Day Two of Anime Expo will feature several manga publishers’ panels, a concert featuring J-Pop sensations Morning Musume, a session with Afro Samurai’s creator Takashi Okazaki and the ever-popular Anime Music Video competition.


• 9:00 am - 9:50 am: Bandai Entertainment Industry Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  So you want to know what’s new and coming soon in anime and manga from Bandai Entertainment? President Ken Iyadomi and Marketing Dude Robert Napton will be there to give you the scoop.
• 10:30 am - 11:20 am: Introduction to Anime/Manga Studies, Room LP 3
  Did you know that you can turn your love of anime and manga into your next term paper? These bright folks have and they’ll share their tales of anime in academia.
• 11:00 am - 11:50 am: CMX Manga: Moving Ahead, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  Hooray! CMX Manga has finally got a panel timeslot that doesn’t conflict with my dinner plans! Get a peek at some new and recently released manga titles, plus maybe a new announcement or two.
• 11:30 pm - 1:00 pm: Industry Only Panel: Can Manga from the US Be Commercially Successful? Room LP 3 / LACC 411
  Almost as soon as American artists have been exposed to Japanese anime and manga, there have been manga-inspired comics made in the U.S.. But the $100,000 question for publishers is: can these stories be as successful as their Japanese counterparts?
• 12:00 noon - 12:50 pm: Guest of Honor Spotlight: Yosuke Kuroda and Seiji Mizushima, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet the screenwriter of anime faves like Excel Saga and Love Hina, and the director of the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam 00 movie.
• 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm: Guest of Honor Spotlight: Mana and Moi dix Mois, Room LP 1
  Even if you’re not in the room, you should bow in the general direction of Room LP 1/Petree Hall at 1:30 because one of J-Rock’s most legendary luminaries will be holding court. I’ve seen video interviews where he doesn’t say a word, so don’t expect many pithy quotes from Mana-sama. Instead, just be content to bask in his Goth-y glow, mortals.
• 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Morning Musume in Concert, Main Events LACC Hall A
  When you’ve had your fill of the darkness in LP 1, take a walk on the sunnier side of the street and see J-Pop supergroup Morning Musume weave their spell of undeniable musical cuteness upon the Anime Expo crowd. The hall opens at 12:30 pm so you can camp out for the best seats.
• 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm: Manga as High Art, Room LP 3 / LACC 411
  Manga is more than just comics, it’s art, darn it! ART! Translator and manga expert Jonathan Tarbox and the Arashi Productions will be on hand to make the case for manga that deserves your respect.
• 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm: VIZ Media Anime and Manga Panel, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  They brought you Naruto and Bleach, but are the VIZ Media crew content with these huge anime and manga hits? Not a bit! Check out their panel and see what’s new and coming soon for Fall/Winter 2009 – 2010 and beyond.

• 4:00 pm - 4:50 pm: Guest of Honor Spotlight: Takashi Okazaki, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet the man behind Afro Samurai, the swordsman with the ‘fro and the bad-ass attitude. Ask Okazaki-sensei all of your burning questions and find out if there really is a live-action Afro Samurai movie in the works.
• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.0.1 Screening and Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Check out the latest installment (well, at least until the 2nd installment hits U.S. shores) of the Evangelion saga and grill Eva experts on this feature film of mecha proportions
• 6:30 pm - 7:20 pm: FUNimation Sneak Peek Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  You know you want to know – you know you want to be the first in your gang to say you saw these cool new clips from FUNimation. G’wan. Check it out. It should be chock-full of films you’ll be dyin’ to watch.
• 9:00 pm - 11:50 pm: Anime Music Videos Contest, Main Events LACC Hall A
  While you’re off having fun with your friends, somewhere out there is some fan toiling over their homemade anime music video. Why? So they can unveil their creation and rock the house as fans roar in approval, and maybe, just maybe, win a prize for their hours of effort. So this one’s for you, oh tireless AMV creators – you deserve a little love. The hall opens at 7:00 for this hugely popular event, but if you don’t make it in, fear not. It’lll replay again on Saturday at 4:30 pm, when the awards will be given out.

SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009
It’s the birthday of the United States of America. And what will be happening? Me and a couple thousand fans will be celebrating the pop culture of Japan by checking out manga artist Yasuhiro Nightow, dressing up for the Masquerade and dude, a huge Power Rangers reunion. Gosh, I love the USA.


• 9:00 am - 9:50 am: The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour, Room LP 3 / LACC 411
  Are you awake yet? You will be after you hit the Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour, and get your share of geeky giggles courtesy of the bloggers from Anime Diet, Anime Genesis and How a Girl Figures. And just to make it worth your while, I hear they’re giving out stuff too.
• 9:00 pm - 9:50 pm: Self-Defense for the Otaku, Room LP 2
  Tired of trying to justify your passion for anime and manga? The smart folks at Arashi Productions are here to give you a couple of smart, snappy comebacks to all who would dare scoff at your otaku obsessions.
• 10:30 am - 11:20 am: Guest of Honor Spotlight with Yasuhiro Nightow and Satoshi Nishimura, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet the manga creator who brought you Trigun and get the latest updates on the upcoming Trigun anime.
• 11:00 pm - 11:50 pm: Yaoi Press Industry Panel , Room LP 2
  Meet publisher Yamilla Abraham, and find out what she’s got up her sleeve from the wonderful world of international boys love publishing. Also, find out how you too can submit your art and stories to be published by Yaoi Press. Juicy, no?
• 11:00 am - 12:15 pm: Industry Only Panel: Digital Distribution of Anime and Manga, Room LP 3 / LACC 411
  Cell phone manga, online manga, rental manga, manga for the Kindle, pay-per-view live streaming. There’s so many possibilities, but are these just passing trends or will this be the way you buy, read manga and watch anime in the near future? Sorry, entry to this event is restricted to attendees with professional or press badges.
• 12:30 pm - 1:20 pm: FUNimation Industry Panel , Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  You love everything they release – now show a little love (and maybe a little sympathy for that One Piece anime … incident) at FUNi’s panel. They could use a hug.
• 2:00 pm - 3:50 pm: Power Rangers Reunion, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Can the time-space continuum handle having this many former Power Rangers (and Barbara Goodson, a.k.a. “Rita Repulsa”) in one room at one time? You’ll just have to be there to find out!
• 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm: Robotech Industry Panel, Room LP 3
  Ask almost any anime fan of a certain age what was their favorite series was when they were growing up and you’ll likely hear Robotech. Oh, those misty, watercolor memories of the way we were addicted to this space-faring mecha drama… Now you can relive them once more as Harmony Gold and Tommy Yune, the director of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles will chat about this popular series that lives on in our hearts.
• 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Anime Music Videos Contest Rescreen & Awards Ceremony, Video Room 1
  So you didn’t make it to last night’s showing of the AMV competition? Ahh, you’re fine. You can see all the entries and see who won. See? It was worth getting that extra hour of sleep last night after all.
• 5:00 pm - 5:50 pm: Nozomi Entertainment & Right Stuf Premieres, Room LP 2
  Get a peek at the recently released Gakuen Alice anime series, plus clips from The Irresponsible Captain Tylor TV series, now remastered for your pleasure.
• 6:00 pm - 6:50 pm: Anime and Manga in Academia, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  You know how your mom would tell you to turn off that darn anime and do your homework? For these studious sorts, watching anime and reading manga is their homework, and the basis for their thesis. Howdya like them apples, mom?
• 8:00 pm - 11:50 pm: Anime Expo Masquerade , Main Events – LACC Hall A
  Anime Expo is famous for attracting a lot of amazing cosplayers. Now you can see many of the very best strutting their stuff, and doing a few skits too at the AX Masquerade. The hall opens for seating at 6:00 pm, so be prepared to do a good deal of waiting before you are amused by the cavalcade of costumes.

SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2009
If after all that fun and over-stimulation you make it to Day Four of Anime Expo, you are certainly made of stronger stuff than most of us. But lack of sleep and lack of caffeine be damned, you are here to enjoy every bit of this weekend, so here goes with the last day’s highlights.

• 9:00 am - 10:00 pm: Artists Guest of Honor Panel, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Missed your chance to see Yun Kouga (Loveless), Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) or Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun)? Now you can see all three at once at this spotlight panel.
• 10:00 am - 11:00 am: Directors Guest of Honor Panel , Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet anime directors Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann), Seiji Mizushima (Mobile Suit Gundam 00) and Satoshi Nishimura (Trigun)
• 11:00 am - 11:50 pm: Crunchyroll’s Official Panel, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  Meet the folks who bring you all the anime, J-Drama, K-Drama and Asian films you can eat and ask them your questions about what they’re planning to do next.
• 12:00 noon - 1:20 pm: Robot Chicken , Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  Meet the creators of Cartoon Network / Adult Swim’s outrageously geeky (and hilarious) show, Robot Chicken, and hear how they’ll be next skewering anime and manga fandom.
• 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Production I.G. Panel, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  See clips of what’s coming soon from this top anime studio and ask them your burning questions about some of their popular and recent releases.
• 3:00 pm - 3:50 pm: Gundam 00 Focus Panel, Room LP 2/ LACC 502
  Mecha fans rejoice! Now you can immerse yourselves in all things Gundam at this panel hosted by Bandai Entertainment, featuring director Seiji Mizushima and a Gundam cosplay contest.
• 5:00 pm - 5:50 pm: Anime Expo 2009 Closing Ceremonies, Room LP 1 / Petree Hall
  All good things must come to an end, so hear closing remarks from the Anime Expo crew and say adieu to this weekend’s roster of amazing guests.

What? You want more? Get a taste of what's in store this year at Anime Expo by checking out my photo gallery from AX 2008. You can also get my up-to-the-minute updates as they happen via Twitter. See you there!