Anime Expo 2009: Sunday's Manga Highlights

It's Day 4 of Anime Expo, and the costumed fans and American otaku who looked so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Thursday are starting to show signs of con-fatigue (and maybe a hangover or two). But that won't stop them from heading back for another day of fun at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California today.

The exhibits hall is open today from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm to fulfill your last-minute need to shop 'til you drop, and the same goes for Artists Alley and the Manga Cafe. There's also several panels featuring some of this weekend's top guests summing up their AX experiences. Read on, here's the short-list of things to do and see today:

SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2009

• 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, including what are those 18 new series that they'll be simulcasting this season.
• 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.

Today’s also your last chance to pick up that figure, that art book, that set of cat ears you’ve had your eye on all weekend. Here’s a short list of booths worth visiting:

• Anime Pavilion – Booth 757, 759, 761, 856, 858, 860, 125, 224
• Aurora Publishing – Booth 514, 516
• COPIC Marker – Booth 601
• Crunchyroll – Booth 501
• Digital Manga Publishing – Booth 801
• eigoManga – Booth 501
• Imagi Studios (Astro Boy movie) – Booth203
• J-List / Jast USA – Booth 825, 827, 829
• JapanFiles.com – Booth 725, 824
• Kinokuniya Bookstores – Booth 1225, 1227, 1229, 1324, 1326
• Manga University – Booth 925
• Marble Pop – Booth 1149
• Media Blasters – Booth 747, 749, 751, 846, 848, 850
• Netcomics – Booth 1224, 1226
• P.M.B.Q. Studios – Booth 1013, 1112
• Organic Hobby Inc – Booth 501
• Spicy Brown – Booth 361
• Udon Entertainment – Booth 501
• Yaoi Press – Booth 739, 838

What? You still want more? See what’s happenin’ as it happens by following me on Twitter. See you there!

Image credit: © Deb Aoki