Kawaii-Kon 2008: Hawaii Anime Convention's Guest List Announced

More about anime and games

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. She has also released various CD albums as a singer. 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, along with a handful of other ADV contractors, also works with Fort Worth-based anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment on series such as Fullmetal Alchemist. She enjoyed her role as Neon Genesis Evangelion's Asuka so much that she briefly reprised the character in the radio plays and fan-produced anime derived from the fanfiction series Neon Genesis Evangelion: R.

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. In 2006 they performed in front of 10,000 people at the Ssamzie Sound Festival in Seoul, South Korea; now they will be coming to Hawaii to serenade Kawaii-Kon with their unique sound!
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. She wrote all of the music for her critically acclaimed debut album "Rosé", which was produced by renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Mari has won several awards, including the FM Osaka Best New Artist Award and the Japan Audio Society Golden Jubilee Award 2 years in a row; she was also nominated for the 2000 Los Angeles Music Awards Best Pop Artist Award for her first independently released album "No Limit". At the 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards Mari won a Best Song Award for her song "Unspoken Love" from her album "Wonderful People".

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. He painted both issues of Jhonen Vasquez's comic I Feel Sick. He works with his partner and wife, Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simmons.

Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simmons is a writer, artist and producer. She is an American born artist of German and Japanese (Yonsei- 4th generation) descent. Her artistic career began in the anime and manga style when her grandmother sat her down in front of a television showing her Kimba the White Lion and said, "This cartoon is Japanese, just like you." 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 is produced by Gamers' Evolution Expo LLC, a community-centered group focused on bringing several pop culture-based genres of entertainment to less-exposed areas.

Kawaii-Kon will be held at the fabulous Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 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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If you'd like more information about this topic, or to register for the convention, please visit http://www.kawaii-kon.org.

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About Naruto...

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The anime, Naruto, is based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga of the same title. The anime is produced by Studio Pierrot and aniplex and is aired in Japan’s terrestrial TV Tokyo Network and several other networks worldwide. Naruto’s animation is fluid and each Naruto episode is filled with gripping fight scenes and beautifully portrayed characters. It currently has over 200 episodes and still counting.

Storyline

The story is about a young boy name Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, blond-haired and blue-eyed, is a spirited, hyperactive, and overly loud ninja. He is first introduced as a troublemaker, playing various pranks and being at the bottom of his class in the ninja academy. But Naruto is not your average neighborhood brat – far from it. Naruto, despite his obvious lack in the skills, manners, and intelligence department, has lots of self-confidence and even more determination. He, though loud and uncouth, has a golden heart and a power to inspire others. He aspires to be the Hokage – the leaf village’s top ninja. He is revealed to be an orphan and to have a demon beast, the nine-tailed fox, sealed inside him, causing the villagers to shun him and even hate him. All he wants is the people’s acceptance – which he gradually gains as the story progresses.

Other Important Characters

The story starts when Naruto is placed on a genin team composed of a girl named Haruno Sakura and a boy named Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura, a pink-haired girl who cares more for her looks rather than being a ninja but has great intelligence, is Naruto’s love interest. However, she resists all his advances, even to the point of beating him up. Incidentally, Sakura is in love with Sasuke, Naruto’s ‘rival’, along with several other girls, all of whom are blatantly ignored and scoffed at by the said boy. Uchiha Sasuke seems to be everything Naruto is not, perfect looks, prodigious intelligence and skills, a cold and aloof personality, and the respect and love of several people. The boy does not seem to care though, and treats everyone condescendingly, especially Naruto. They are placed under the wing of Hatake Kakashi, a very mysterious figure who has a habit of reading a lewd book. Together, they go on several missions, eventually building a strong, albeit hesitant and grudging, friendship wherein they would do anything for each other. As the series progresses, various elements are thrown into the mix, a witty blend of comedy, action, and a little bit of romance. The plot deepens, leading to the revelation of Sasuke’s bitter past and his eventual descent into darkness and Naruto and Sakura’s desperation to save him from his demons, all the while battling enemy ninja with their own evil agendas.

This anime is popular for a reason. It will have you falling in love with the plot and the characters, laughing with them in the happy moments, and even crying with them in the sad ones. This anime is definitely worth watching. Even if you are not yet an anime fan, you will enjoy it.

About The Author:
Watch a naruto episode at http://tailedfox.com/

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