New York Anime Festival 2009: Friday's Manga Highlights

Get ready New York City -- New York Anime Festival starts today at the Jacob K. Javits Center, on the west-most bounds of Manhattan. There's a lot to see and do, including a 20th Century Boys movie marathon, a screening of Cencoroll, a keynote speech by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the godfather of Gundam; new manga announcements at the TokyoPop and Vertical industry panels, new anime previews at the FUNimation and Aniplex panels, the ever-popular anime music video contest and much more.

Lolita fashionistas will be flocking to the Books Kinokuniya booth (#203) to get first crack at a new shipment of frocks and accessories from Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and folks who love freebies will be headed to the FUNimation booth (#303) to grab a copy of Yen Plus magazine. And that's just for starters.

See all this joy and more when the Exhibit Hall doors open at 1:00 and stay open until 7:00 pm. The anime and film screenings start at 2:30 with Mobile Suit Gundam I and keep on goin' until 10:00 pm. The World Cyber Games Finals also kick off today at 1:00 pm, so head to the back of Hall B to see some world-class players frag each other for glory.

Headed to NYAF this afternoon and not sure what to see? Here's my somewhat manga-centric picks for events worth checking out.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

• 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Opening Ceremonies at ANA Theater, Room 1A08-12
  Meet NYAF's special guests, hear a few choice comments from them, and get a taste of what's in store this weekend at the opening ceremonies!

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: FUNimation Industry Panel at Room 1A24
Sgt. Frog. Soul Eater. One Piece. Are you excited yet? See what the folks at FUNimation have in store for anime fans for the rest of 2009 and get sneak peeks at what's worth looking forward to in 2010.

• 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm: MOVIE: 20th Century Boys Part 1 at ANA Theater, Room 1A08-12
  Check out the exciting first installment of the 20th Century Boys movie trilogy, as Kenji and his childhood friends discover that the fantasies of their childhood are turning into a frightening prophecy of destruction. Can they stop a deadly cataclysm before it's too late?

• 3:45 pm - 4:45 pm: TOKYOPOP Industry Panel in Room 1A22
  Find out what's new and coming soon in manga from TokyoPop as they broadcast their latest "TokyoPop Insider" webcast live from NYAF. Can't make it to New York City? You can watch all the fun live from your computer -- find out how to log in at TokyoPop.com.

• 3:45 pm - 4:45 pm: How I Broke Into the Anime and Manga Industries in Room 1A24
  Ever wanted to turn your passion for anime and manga into a real paying job? Find out how these pros got their start in the business and ask them for tips for how you can get your foot in the door.

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Autograph Session with the Soul Eater Cast at FUNimation Booth #303
Meet and greet the entire voice cast from FUNimation's release of Soul Eater, based on the manga by Atsushi Ohkubo.

• 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Vertical Industry Panel in Room 1A24
  They brought you the amazing manga of Osamu Tezuka and Keiko Takemiya. They made you tilt your head and say "awww" with their Aranzi Aranzo craft books, made you drool with their cookbooks, and taught otaku how to lose weight with Sayonara Mr. Fatty. Now the folks at Vertical are ready to unveil some exciting news about new manga and novels that they've got on the roster for 2010. Before and after the panel, visit the Vertical crew and see what's new at Booth #101.

• 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm: Yoshiyuki Tomino Keynote in Room 1A21
  NYAF Special Guest Yoshiyuki Tomino is in the house, and all should bow down in the general direction of the godfather of Gundam as he gives his keynote speech looking back on 30 years of change and growth in the anime industry.

• 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm: MOVIE: 20th Century Boys Part 2 at ANA Theater, Room 1A08-12
  After seeing the first part of 20th Century Boys end on a cliffhanger, you're no doubt stickin' around to see what happens next in Part 2. Will Kenji and his childhood pals defeat the deadly robot that is crunching its way through Tokyo, or does Friend have more tricks up his sleeves?

• 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Aniplex Industry Panel at Room 1A24
  The Aniplex gang is here to show off some of their latest and hottest anime releases -- and maybe spill the beans on some new shows worth waiting for.

• 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm: MOVIE: Cencoroll at ANA Theater, Room 1A08-12
  From Aniplex comes a 30-minute animated short about a Japanese town under attack by a mysterious monster, a boy and a girl who hold the secret to fighting back against this creature: a strange and even-more-mysterious pet called Cenco.

• 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Yoshiyuki Tomino Autograph Session in Room 1B05
  Gundam fans take note! If you'd like your prized Gundam models and DVDs signed by Tomino-san, you'll want to pick up your tickets at the Autograph booth in the NYAF lobby from 11:30 am on Friday morning. There's only a limited amount of tickets available, so snatch 'em up while you can!

• 7:45 pm - 10:00 pm: Anime Music Video Competition at Room 1A21
  You'll laugh, you'll cheer, you'll be singin' along with the songs as anime and the greatest hits of pop, rock and god-knows-what music get mashed up for your viewing pleasure. I hear there's prizes for the best of the best, so this should be entertaining!

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