Anime Expo 2009: Friday's Manga Highlights

It’s Day Two of Anime Expo, and while yesterday was full of noteworthy events, today is the day when the three-day holiday weekend officially kicks into gear. There’s the much-anticipated Morning Musume concert, an appearance by Afro Samurai’s creator, Takashi Okazaki, manga publishers panels from CMX Manga, VIZ Media and Bandai Entertainment and an industry-only panel on commercial potential of manga that’s made in America. There's much more, of course, so here’s my manga-centric list of Friday’s highlights.

FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2009

• 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.
• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Autograph Session with Takashi Okazaki, creator of Afro Samurai, Funimation Booth, Exhibit Hall #301
  Meet the artist who brings you the baddest badass with a katana, Afro Samurai, and get your DVDs, manga or maybe a poster signed.
• 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.

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.
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• 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.

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