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My beef is more with whatever industry people accompany said artist where they completely slam the hammer down and don't allow it at all, regardless of what the artist himself/herself is personally willing to do. Aniplex in particular is extremely guilty of this, even in instances where it makes no sense for them to restrict or forbid it other than them just not wanting to allow it (I also have gripes towards them with straight autograph sessions as well, but that's a separate topic). I realize that I may not be privvy to all the particular details of what their considerations are, but in my personal opinion, if the artist is willing to do it then I don't see why the industry people should see fit to restrict them, or (in Aniplex's case) even go so far as to stipulate that they won't bring the artist to a con unless a "no sketches" restriction is put into place.

 

 

It's an image thing. Pretty much the standard way these things work (and it applies to all JP guests...and non-JP guests too!) is that the guests are not the one who is suppose to say no, it's their escort that play bad cops. In reality the guest might not even want to draw or sign something, but they will always appear a certain way in front of fans during events and be welcoming. And truth is the guest might be okay doing one or two sketches but at a con when you do that, you're going to get a line of dozens of people. The buck has to stop somewhere.

 

If you want sketches at a con, the best people are veteran animators. Matsubara is an example of someone who can draw really well really fast, and is not going to fuss over the details like someone who doesn't have that background, because of the nature of his work experience. That said there still needs to be a proper environment and setting when it is appropriate to ask for sketches, and that is more the logistics problem Jim alluded to. Or the contractual issues. I think when Aniplex brings over a guest they have their own rules and requirements, so you'll have to directly ask them about things like this.

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Yeah, that's about right. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, but in reality for many of our artist guests, this is a rare chance to spend 3-4 days NOT hunched over a drawing board for 12 hours a day.

In other news, you folk who watch this space? Might wanna check out our website and social media today. You know, just in case you are looking for something to do around lunchtime....

No reason.....

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Yeah, that's about right. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, but in reality for many of our artist guests, this is a rare chance to spend 3-4 days NOT hunched over a drawing board for 12 hours a day.

In other news, you folk who watch this space? Might wanna check out our website and social media today. You know, just in case you are looking for something to do around lunchtime....

No reason.....

Heh, that's why you are one of the good ones.  All this waiting has been almost as bad as the remodeling of me LOCAL Royal Farms...which still hasn't been finished yet.

 

Uuu, has it ever been thought of considering a guest what works in the Japanese media, and by that I mean a news agency like NHK or Fuji News Network?

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I haven't seen Laura and Travis since Anime Boston 2009 (before they were even engaged), and they sure have reached far higher levels of success since then. Even then they were definitely big names and I didn't get into either of their autograph sessions, so I still have all the options in the world for both, although doing so is now that much harder. I'll probably bring Soul Eater for Laura and Fullmetal Alchemist for Travis.

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Great first guests for 2015!  My [older] niece is going to be happy about this, and while I would want to have Colleen back here, Laura is just as big for me!

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first off, Congradulations Otakon for getting Laura Bailey and her hubby Travis Willingham.  These two are gems and i cannot wait to meet them again~!!! :D

 

if its not too late to request guest, here are my top choices:

English Voice Actors:
1. Eric Vale (he owns us for not coming along w/ the hetalia cast back in 2010)
2. John Burgmeier (he has neglected his fans for too long!!! DX)
3. Chris Carson
4. Chuck Huber
5. Kate Higgins
6. Michelle Ruff
7. Monical Rial
8. Caitlin Glass
(i dont think these ppl have ever came to otakon...)

Japanese Seiryuu:
1. Mamoru Miyano (light yagami, zero kiryuu, tamaki suoh, Rin Matsuoka) this man is amazing and needs to meet his american fans ASAP!!!
2. Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Yoshida Haru, Takao Kazunari, MAKOTO TACHIBANA) and/or basically ANY SEIYUU from Free Iwatobi Swim Club anime would be much appreciated >D

3. Jun Fukuyama (lelouch, grell, shinra) b/c hes hysterical
4. Yui Horie (for her many AWESOME roles)
5. Romi Park (this woman is EPIC)
6. Rie Kugimiya (again, EPIC~!!!)
7. Nana Mizuki (b/c shes both a seiyuu and singer!!)

Mangaka:
1. Natsuki Takaya (fruits basket) meeting her would mean the world to me
2. Hiro Mashima (he came to the states before so why not baltimore??) ^^ wish i couldve gone to NYCC >_< curses!!!
3. Hiromu Arakawa (if shes not too busy)
4. Bisco Hatori (again if shes not too busy)
5. Hidekaz Himaruya (if at all possible) >___<
6. Kiyohiko Azuma (azumanga daioh, yotsuba)

Jrock BANDS:
1. UVERworld (please!?!?)
2. OLDCODEXX
3. SID (indie group w/ awesome music)
4. abingdon school boys ( =D )
5. Perfume (we need an all girls jpop band)

6. Aqua Timez


please and thank you!! <3

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  • 2 weeks later...

How bout we invite THIS GUY!

Takashi Amano

 

Takashi Amano (天野尚 Amano Takashi?, born July 18, 1954) is a photographer, designer and aquarist. His interest in aquaria led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano.

Amano is the author of Nature Aquarium World (TFH Publications, 1994), a three-book series on aquascaping and freshwater aquarium plants and fish. He has also published the book "Aquarium Plant Paradise" (T.F.H. Publications, 1997).

A species of freshwater shrimp is named the “Amano shrimp” or "Yamato shrimp" (Caridina multidentata; previously Caridina japonica) after him. After discovering this species' ability to eat large quantities of algae, Amano asked a local distributor to special order several thousand of them.[1] They have since become a staple in the freshwater planted aquarium hobby.

He has also developed a line of aquarium components that are known as ADA, and his “Nature Aquarium” article series appears monthly in both Practical Fishkeeping magazine in the UK, and Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine in the US.

 

 

<excerpt from his Wiki entry>

Maybe Partner with the National Aquarium to get him to visit.

 

He is kind of the Miyazaki or Otomo of Fishtanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Honestly, Joe, I think the audience for that would be extremely narrow. The attendance at Jaoanese guest panels is all over the map anyway but frequently lower than it should be, and that's for folks whose work is right in our sweet spot.

However, we have just come back from Japan, and meetings were pretty productive. I have more guests on offer than I can afford, so the question is down to the usual attempt to build the best mix of folks who cover the spectrum: artists, directors, producers, performers.

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Well now, I am just waiting for bio and photo on a couple of japanese guests.... one of whom is a seiyu that I think will make people pretty happy. smile.png

 

As a rabid seiyuu fangirl... oh my god. I can't wait for this announcement!

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I'm just as curious as many here about who this seiyuu is, but I keep going back to what Jim said last week.  More guests than you guys can afford?  I understand that given the circumstances, but does that present a good problem or a bad problem to have when it comes to choosing which guests eventually come to the Otakon?

Edited by CocoFaerie
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Well now, I am just waiting for bio and photo on a couple of japanese guests.... one of whom is a seiyu that I think will make people pretty happy. smile.png

Oooh neat, eagerly waiting! :D

 

Also good question Coco. I also wonder if like whether people potentially getting offended at being snubbed in such a situation is an issue.

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I'm just as curious as many here about who this seiyuu is, but I keep going back to what Jim said last week.  More guests than you guys can afford?  I understand that given the circumstances, but does that present a good problem or a bad problem to have when it comes to choosing which guests eventually come to the Otakon?

 

There are two ways that we get guests.

 

There's guests that we get directly, through connections we already have, and guests that are brought to us in collaboration with Aniplex, Funimation, Viz, Sentai, etc.  Those guests are often tied to premieres and screenings and other promotional work, so they are often at least partly supported by marketing budgets. For example, you may notice "appears courtesy of ___" or "thanks to ___ for assistance with this guest" when we announce some guests. That usually indicates that our industry partner has contributed toward the cost of bringing the guest, usually in exchange for the guest doing some stuff to promote a specific show. Though sometimes it's just about putting us in contact with the right people.

 

This year we're getting suggestions from quite a few of our industry friends, and in particular on the Japanese side, and we've had to decline a few simply because there isn't budget to support them, or an endless supply of interpreters to help out with them. (In some cases, the company decides to foot the bill and provide the interpreter help themselves.)

 

On the US side, I have to decline direct approaches from big name guests every single year, as well as tons of offers for less well known names.  My own contact list includes enough folks to comfortably stock the event for several years with no repeats, and probably a decade if you factor in just our immediate staff. (And then there's Maruyama-san, who seems to know everyone in the industry.)

 

Getting guests isn't hte problem; getting the right mix of guests, and affording them, and not just becoming an autograph-a-palooza, is the goal. We don't have endless resources. :)

 

Well now, I am just waiting for bio and photo on a couple of japanese guests.... one of whom is a seiyu that I think will make people pretty happy. smile.png

Oooh neat, eagerly waiting! biggrin.png

 

Also good question Coco. I also wonder if like whether people potentially getting offended at being snubbed in such a situation is an issue.

 

 

Nope, I don't see it as snubbing.  We deliberately vary the mix every year to have something for everyone, and we rarely have repeats without several years between visits. This is known, and explained every year, to our potential guests. 

 

For me, I'm flattered that so many of them want to come back.

Oh, one little thing.

 

Should I do a contest to tease the first musical guest?

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I'm just as curious as many here about who this seiyuu is, but I keep going back to what Jim said last week.  More guests than you guys can afford?  I understand that given the circumstances, but does that present a good problem or a bad problem to have when it comes to choosing which guests eventually come to the Otakon?

 

There are two ways that we get guests.

 

There's guests that we get directly, through connections we already have, and guests that are brought to us in collaboration with Aniplex, Funimation, Viz, Sentai, etc.  Those guests are often tied to premieres and screenings and other promotional work, so they are often at least partly supported by marketing budgets. For example, you may notice "appears courtesy of ___" or "thanks to ___ for assistance with this guest" when we announce some guests. That usually indicates that our industry partner has contributed toward the cost of bringing the guest, usually in exchange for the guest doing some stuff to promote a specific show. Though sometimes it's just about putting us in contact with the right people.

 

This year we're getting suggestions from quite a few of our industry friends, and in particular on the Japanese side, and we've had to decline a few simply because there isn't budget to support them, or an endless supply of interpreters to help out with them. (In some cases, the company decides to foot the bill and provide the interpreter help themselves.)

 

On the US side, I have to decline direct approaches from big name guests every single year, as well as tons of offers for less well known names.  My own contact list includes enough folks to comfortably stock the event for several years with no repeats, and probably a decade if you factor in just our immediate staff. (And then there's Maruyama-san, who seems to know everyone in the industry.)

 

Getting guests isn't hte problem; getting the right mix of guests, and affording them, and not just becoming an autograph-a-palooza, is the goal. We don't have endless resources. smile.png

 

Well now, I am just waiting for bio and photo on a couple of japanese guests.... one of whom is a seiyu that I think will make people pretty happy. smile.png

Oooh neat, eagerly waiting! biggrin.png

 

Also good question Coco. I also wonder if like whether people potentially getting offended at being snubbed in such a situation is an issue.

 

 

Nope, I don't see it as snubbing.  We deliberately vary the mix every year to have something for everyone, and we rarely have repeats without several years between visits. This is known, and explained every year, to our potential guests. 

 

For me, I'm flattered that so many of them want to come back.

Oh, one little thing.

 

Should I do a contest to tease the first musical guest?

 

That's some delicious info there.  Oh, and please go ahead with a Guess the Guest contest!

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Seiyuu:
Yui Horie
Ayana Taketatsu
Kana Hanazawa
Ayako Kawasumi
Rie Kugimiya
Miyuki Sawashiro
Haruka Tomatsu
 
Musical Acts:
fripside
Konomi Suzuki
Lisa
Supercell
Aki Toyosaki
Claris
Aimer
 
Artist:
Itaru Hinoue
 
Series:
Monogatari Series
fate series
 
Authors/Circles:
Nisio Issin
Ryogo Narita
Type-Moon
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Oh, one little thing.

 

Should I do a contest to tease the first musical guest?

 

It just isn't "waiting for Otakon" season without usual "Guess the Musical Act" contests. happy.png

 

I agree, how could it be 'waiting for Otakon' if we didn't get stumped every year by the Guess the Musical Act facts from artist we already know! XD 

 

Seriously, I think that last year was the only year that I didn't know the artist and yet I think that I've gotten them wrong all but once. lol

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WELL... looks like next Tuesday and Thursday will see some guest announcements.

 

Tuesday will be a very popular US voice actor.

Thursday will be two Japanese guests: the director and producer from a popular current show.

 

Current lineup in various stages of readiness:

 - 1 seiyu tied to a hot current show. Awaiting bio and photo.

 - 1 pretty big name seiyu (possibly a limited appearance due to schedule)

 - 1 manga-ka

 - 1 anime director

 - 2 producers

 - 3 more US voice actors

 - Friday musical act

 

With luck, these will be in the next 3-4 weeks.

 

Still working on Sunday musical act and another US voice, another seiyu, as well as some other folks...

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WELL... looks like next Tuesday and Thursday will see some guest announcements.

 

Tuesday will be a very popular US voice actor.

Thursday will be two Japanese guests: the director and producer from a popular current show.

 

Current lineup in various stages of readiness:

 - 1 seiyu tied to a hot current show. Awaiting bio and photo.

 - 1 pretty big name seiyu (possibly a limited appearance due to schedule)

 - 1 manga-ka

 - 1 anime director

 - 2 producers

 - 3 more US voice actors

 - Friday musical act

 

With luck, these will be in the next 3-4 weeks.

 

Still working on Sunday musical act and another US voice, another seiyu, as well as some other folks...

 

*EXTERNALLY SCREAMING* :DDD

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Some time in the future, could it be possible to have Sir George R. R. Martin come to Otakon?  For those that don't know, he' the author of the epic fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire", which was adapted in the ever popular and known TV series some know and love- Game of Thrones.

 

I've heard and read that he often attends sci-fic and even comics conventions, so does anyone in the staff think he'd be willing to an anime con like Otakon?  Some fantasy elements we see some anime are also found in his some of his books, and the TV series itself.  Just wondering, though.

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Some time in the future, could it be possible to have Sir George R. R. Martin come to Otakon?  For those that don't know, he' the author of the epic fantasy novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire", which was adapted in the ever popular and known TV series some know and love- Game of Thrones.

 

I've heard and read that he often attends sci-fic and even comics conventions, so does anyone in the staff think he'd be willing to an anime con like Otakon?  Some fantasy elements we see some anime are also found in his some of his books, and the TV series itself.  Just wondering, though.

 

In a word, Nope.  Not unless it got adapted into an anime or something.

 

The difference between Otakon and our sister events, and events like Awesomecon, NYCC, etc. is that our purpose is clearly defined as educational and cultural, rather than simply to have a fun event where celebrities will sign your stuff.

Our guests need to be demonstrably relevant to our Asian pop-culture focus. 

 

If he wants to come and check it out on his own, however, you know he's welcome. :)

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I squeed at today's announce.  Now that guy wasn't exactly on my wish list for 2015 (still hoping for Colleen Clickenbeard), but I know a lot of lot of Otakon goers (and non-Otakon goers) that should be just as excited as I am about Mr. Tatum coming for a third time here.

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I squeed at today's announce.  Now that guy wasn't exactly on my wish list for 2015 (still hoping for Colleen Clickenbeard), but I know a lot of lot of Otakon goers (and non-Otakon goers) that should be just as excited as I am about Mr. Tatum coming for a third time here.

 

Colleen was on our list last year, but she was busy having a baby last year and he's only a year old or so this year.

 

Amusingly, there is a history of newborns disrupting my guest plans.  It's happened with at least four guests in recent memory. :)

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It's always understandable, when a voice actress has a baby, and they must prioritize taking care of them.  I'm sure one of these days, we'll have Colleen come back.  She's also been busy behind the scenes with the FUNimation office, too, as she is also the special features manager.

 

As for Mr. Tatum coming, I'll take it.  Personally, I'm not too big a fan of his, but he's most definitely a great, and talented voice actor.  If I'm able to meet him, I'll have him sign Attack on Titan, and Steins;Gate.

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This will be my first Otakon! 

The main reason is because Laura Bailey is going! :3

I cannot wait to meet her and fangirl like crazy!

 

The only guest requests I have are: 

Hiroshi Kamiya 

Natsuki Takaya

Hiro Shimono

Maaya Sakamoto 

Aya Hirano

Wendee Lee 

Lara Miller

Crispin Freeman

 

Basically my favorites...

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Very cool to see Aoki at an east coast con. I just know Aniplex is going to pull their usual "Buy Fate/Zero at our booth for a ticket to a special autograph session" shenanigans though, and then probably not accept me saying that I already bought it elsewhere.

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Oh I forgot you had to buy something from Aniplex USA to get an autograph ticket. Hopefully it can be anything because I already own Fate Zero but maybe I will finally buy Silver Spoon.

Also I am not that familiar with her but very cool to see a female producer on the guest list.

Edited by Kirarakim
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I don't want to think about Aldnoah.Zero anymore, but the reason I cared so much about it in the first place was the people behind it, so to me, this is great news. If I could get Aoki to sign a Fate/Zero box, that would be pretty phenomenal. I hadn't heard of Kurosaki and I don't see other sources listing her as a producer of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works or Garden of Sinners, but those are options for her, as well as Rebellion (the third Madoka movie), which she was apparently associate producer on. If the seiyuu of Aldnoah.Zero end up joining them, that would be good as well, although much of what I'd want them to sign hasn't been released in the US yet, so I'm not sure...

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I think it all depends on Aniplex's end.  Last year, when they were promoting the Kill la Kill dub, you had to buy volume 1 of the series to get a ticket for the autograph session.  We'll all know more closer to the time when they say of what exclusive promotions they'll have.  Personally, I'd like to see some promotion for the Sword Art Online 2 dub.

 

But like I said- We'll all know closer to the time, and see what both Otakon, and the folks at Aniplex says.

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I am not interested in Aldnoah at all so hopefully the Japanese guests aren't just associated with that series.

Don't worry. Otakon's Japanese guests tend to have some variety (and not all of them are connected to the "main titles" that American anime companies are trying to promote at their cons). Thus, outside of possibly a voice actor, you don't have to worry too much about anymore Japanese guests being connected to Aldnoah

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I'm also concerned that Aniplex might make us buy something before getting an autograph ticket to see Aoki-san, but I guess we really will just have to wait and see on that matter. My real concern in that scenario is that I want to have my Fate/Zero Blu-Ray's in hand well in advance before the con, and really don't want to have to double dip just to get an autograph ticket that may not even guarantee me a signature in the end. That's a gamble I'd like to avoid if at all possible.

 

Hopefully we get some more confirmation on this matter and I've got my fingers crossed that Aoki-san will have a standard autograph session in addition to anything else Aniplex may have planned for him.

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We will do our best to clearly explain any situations like that in advance -- typically when industry brings a guest to Otakon they have an additional signing at their booth that may have purchase requirements, but the official Otakon one usually won't have those restrictions.

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Guests I'd like to see for Otakon 2015:

 

Long shots:

1. Tara Strong (and maybe the Teen Titans cast)

2. Phil Lamarr

3. Richard Epcar

4. Mortal Kombat X cast ("Azula" included)

 

U.S./International voice/dub cast

1. DBZ cast "Goku", "Vegeta", etc.

2. Roger Craig Smith

3. Candi Milo

4. Any other famous actor/actress...

 

Live-action cast

1. Power Rangers cast like Austin St. John, Walter E. Jones, Karan Ashley, etc.

2. Other A or B-listers...

 

Everything I listed is just a dream line-up for this or maybe next year. What are your guest requests? Who would you like to see at Otakon this or next year?

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At this point, I am knee deep in contracts.

 

Friday musical act is awaiting formal signing of the contract, and I need their bio/photo stuff.

 

I have 5 more US voice actors in various stages of completion, but they're pretty much all set. Fair number of new faces this year, or faces we haven't seen in a while.

 

Our seiyu and another big title producer should be announced next week.

 

I have 2-3 more directors and a manga-ka being confirmed now.

 

2nd musical act contract should go out next week.

 

Looking at a possible cultural guest that needs to be followed up on...cross your fingers!

 

May is going to be REALLY busy for my team.

 

Some cool stuff being planned by industry

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