February 4, 2008
News for Kawaii Kon 2008:
Kawaii-Kon 2008 guest list announced
The newly-released guest list looks spectacular for 2008's Kawaii-Kon, Hawaii's premiere Anime convention held from April 18th to the 20th in the prestigious Honolulu Convention Center. Including several musical acts, the line-up is already drawing an impressive number of pre-registration ticket purchases, and provides a solid foundation for every Anime interest:
Yuko Miyamura is a Japanese seiyū, actress, J-pop singer and sound director. She is best known as the voice of Asuka Langley Soryu in Neon Genesis Evangelion and also Kyoko Hayase in the 1999 Super Sentai series Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V. Her other credits include Aisha Clan in Outlaw Star, Alyssa Searrs in My-HiME, Ayano Elizabeth Hakuhoin in Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko, Casca in Berserk, Chun-Li in Street Figher Alpha, Hinagiku in Wedding Peach, Kurai in Angel Sanctuary, NieA in NieA under 7, Ritsuko in Those Who Hunt Elves and Utako in CLAMP School Detectives to name a few. Additionally, she also had a short on-screen role in the movie Battle Royale as the video announcer of the event's rules. (Special Note: Interview time with Yuko will be limited, so schedule early!)
Tiffany Grant is an American voice actor who is known for her English-dubbing work with ADV Films on such anime films and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Asuka Langley Soryu (which she claims is her favorite role). Grant, also works with anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment on series such as Fullmetal Alchemist.
There will be a special session with Yuko Miyamura and Tiffany Grant discussing their shared role of Asuka Langley Soryu.
The Emeralds, formed in 2002, are a three-piece Rock 'n' Roll band from Yokohama, Japan. With their charismatic guitarist/vocalist Kazuya, their gentle but aggressive bassist Osuke, and their energetic drummer Akio, The Emeralds have impressed audiences both in their native Japan and abroad. The band's cutting edge performance and tongue twisting lyrics create a totally unique world; lyrically, their main theme is love, but their body of work also includes songs about cranberry juice and surfing.
Mari Iijima is best known for playing Lynn Minmay in the animated series "Super Dimension Fortress Macross," making her the first actor to voice the same character in both English and Japanese, but is also an accomplished singer and songwriter who has released numerous top 10 albums through Victor Entertainment Japan and Warner Music Japan.
Colleen Clinkenbeard is a voice actor/ADR director/ADR scriptwriter/Line Producer for FUNimation Productions.
Robert & Emily DeJesus are independent writers and story creators. Bob is also an illustrator, story board artist, and character designer; Emily enjoys being a manager and an editor, as well.
Monica Rial has been a voice actor with ADV Films since 2000, working on such shows as Fullmetal Panic, Excel Saga, and Azumanga Daioh; she also has a prolific body of work with FUNimation Productions.
Rikki Simons known as the voice of the robot GIR on Invader ZIM, the writer and co-artist of graphic novel series published by Tokyopop and the illustrated novel Ranklechick and His Three-Legged Cat (self-published through Lulu.com). He also co-created and wrote the Robotech: Clone comic series. In addition to his graphic novel and novel work, Simons also paints backgrounds for animation, including Invader ZIM and Jackie Chan Adventures.
Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simmons is a writer, artist and producer. She is an American born artist of German and Japanese (Yonsei- 4th generation) descent. Tavisha produces her art and stories under the studio name of Tavicat (and sometimes "WiredPsyche" ) along with her husband, Rikki.
David Williams is currently an ADR Director for ADV Films as well as the DVD Producer, voice on the Internet and keeper of the Suck Bunny (in name only because the Bunny has a will of his own). Being the evil company rep that he is, he's often invited to anime conventions where he can be seen wandering the con with his "What would you do for a DVD badge" giving out DVDs to clever and amusing otaku.
Kawaii-Kon will be held at the fabulous Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 18-20, 2008. Look for further releases about specific schedule details; any information regarding individual interview times should be directed to info@kawaii-kon.org by March 1, 2008, and should include all relevant contact information and requests for the guests' time.
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