Jul 17 2009
An Otakon 2009 News Round Up
As I am sure many Maryland anime fans are already aware, Otakon 2009 starts today! That’s right, one of the largest anime cons in the country is taking over the Baltimore convention center for the weekend. Below is a round up of all the Otakon news I’ve been posting over the past few months, as we as NEW information that just came out this week!
As a side note, I’ve actually attended Otakon before (I went in 2003), and it is a lot of fun. There are so many wonderful activities planned, making it so much more than a giant vendor room. If you have a chance, be sure to pay a visit to this great con!
New Updates:
1. The convention actually has a vendor room webcam up and running! You can check it out by visiting the Dealers Room page on the Otakon website.
2. The following planned panels have been canceled: VCI Entertainment Industry Panel, Lifestyles of Lolita, Occult In Anime, Taking Better Cosplay Photos, and Posing in Cosplay: How to Get Better Photos of Yourself. A new panel, The Problem with Otaku, has been added.
3. Get a sneak peek of the newest titles coming down the FUNimation turnpike at the appropriately named FUNimation Sneak Peek Panel on Friday, July 18 at 3:00 pm in Panel Room 6.
4. Otakon ‘09 is also the only place you can purchase early releases of FUNimation DVD’s including the “xxxHolic” box set! Plus, don’t forget about an exclusive gift with purchase items!
5. Premiering at Otakon ’09 is the FUNimation adaptation of Sgt. Frog! Catch the debut of the first three episodes of comedic action series about a little frog on a big mission on Saturday, July 18 in Video Room 1 at 5:30 pm.
Previously Published Updates:
1. Otakon’s PR team sent out a press release, detailing the pre-registration numbers for Otakon 2009. A staggering 17,985 people have pre-registered so far. According to the release, this is up nearly 800 people, or 4.6%, from last year. What recession? Otakon’s president has said he is expecting around 27,000 people to attend this year.
2. Otakon just keeps cranking out those guest announcements! Looks like it is going to be a very good year for them. The most recent announcements were for Yukio Kikukawa, Hidenori Matsubara, and Noboru Ishiguro, all of whom are involved in the production of some very popular animes, including “Space Battleship Yamato”, “Macross”, and “Oh My Goddess!”. Check out Otakon’s official website for more.
3. Masao Maruyama of Madhouse will be returning to Otakon, and he will be creating an exclusive animated short for the convention. From the release: “This year’s segment is co-directed by Takuji Endo (Paranoia Agent, Highlander: Search for Vengeance) and Yoshinori Kanemori (Death Note, X); Kanemori also serves as character designer. The short will feature Otakon’s mascots, siblings Hiroko-chan and Hiroshi-kun, who were the focus of last year’s opener.” (Otakon Official Site)
4. Otakon has added American voice actor Travis Willingham, manga artist Misako Rocks!, voice actor Crispin Freeman, and director/animator Yutaka Yamamoto as guests. Yamamoto has worked as an animator, storyboard artist, and episode director on several anime TV series including Hare+Guu, Atashinchi, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (one of my personal favorites), and AIR. In 2006, Yamamoto served as series director and writer for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Check out Otakon’s website for more info.
Are you attending Otakon? Be sure to come back and post a comment with links to your photos, convention reports, blog entries, and videos!
