Anime Expo 2009: Thursday's Manga Highlights

I’ve been talking about it for weeks – but now it’s finally time for Anime Expo to begin! As you read this, thousands of anime, manga, gaming and Japanese pop music fans are converging on the Los Angeles Convention Center for four solid days and three nights of concerts, cosplay, comics and near-constant anime showings. So what’s worth seeing and doing today? Here’s my manga-centric list of Thursday’s highlights.

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009
Day One of Anime Expo kicks off bright and early 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 a showing of two Gurren Lagann features, including the “Making of” documentary that they first showcased at Fanime 2009.

• 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. Also, be sure to drop by DMP’s booth for your first crack at getting a copy of Swallowing the Earth, a new release of a classic one-shot story by Osamu Tezuka!
• 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
  Do your musical tastes lean toward something cuter and happier? Get yourself over to the Morning Musume panel and meet Japan’s pop sweethearts.
• 2:00 pm - 3:50 pm: Envision Mecha Art Workshop, Room WS 1 / LACC 501
  Inspired by all the cool mecha spotlighted at this year’s AX? The staff from Montecito College of Design will be on hand to show you how you can draw cool giant robots, vehicles and cyborgs
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• 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.
• 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Toei Presents Toward the Terra Movie, Room Video 1 / LACC 403
  See this dazzling adaptation of Keiko Takemiya's sci-fi epic, To Terra in all of its big screen glory. Because we all know exploding planets is waaaaay cooler on a huge screen with a loud sound system, right?
• 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 you just might take home some free schwag too.
• 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm:, Westin Bonaventure Catalina Ballroom
  Dress up as your favorite anime character and show off your best (or not so great) ballroom dance moves. This is also a costume contest, so you have the chance to win a prize for your flashy duds 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.
• 10:00 pm - 11:50 pm: Anime Singled Out, Room LP 2 / LACC 502
  Hey there lonely otaku. You know how your mom says there’s someone for everyone? Well, you can up your odds of finding your anime-fanatic soul mate by checking out this very AX version of the Dating Game .
• 10:30 pm - 12:00 am: Afro Samurai: Resurrection Movie, Room Video 1 / LACC 403
  In honor of Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki's visit to AX '09, Friday's last movie of the night is the director's cut of this fantasy / samurai / action anime feature.
• 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.

I'll be roaming the floors, taking photos and checking out some of the panels. If you want the latest updates, follow me on Twitter!