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Alodia Video Press Conference @ Anime Expo 2013
Written by Theodore Mak
Check out what multitalent, cosplay model and celebrity Alodia Gosiengfiao had to say during her press conference at Anime Expo 2013 filmed by us!
Unexpected, unpredictable yet successful are words that I would use to describe this year's FanimeCon. Nearing its twentieth year, Fanime is one of the most popular destinations for anime fans in, near and outside of Northern California during the busy Memorial Day weekend. With the inclusion of Clockwork Alchemy, which is a Steampunk-centric mini-convention, Fanime has continued to attract more and more fans for the yearly gathering. Of course, rapid growth does not always go off without a hitch and for this year, it was no exception.
As a FanimeCon attendee who's been attending the convention for the past decade, one of my favorite events has always been attending their MusicFest event featuring musical acts from Japan. This year's festivities included J-ROCK band ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D and the J-POP band 7!! and who performed on Saturday May 25th, 2013.
Over the weekend, The-O Network got a chance to visit the up-and-coming Northern California comic and collectible tradeshow Big WOW! ComicFest 2013. Located in San Jose, California over the course of a two-day weekend on May 18-May 19, the family friendly event was a nice break from larger events such as the San Diego Comic Convention, Sakura-Con and Anime Expo, that still retained plenty of star power from the American comic book industry and other local fan-favorite artists.
The-O Network's Stanley Fung had a chance to participate in voice actress Ayumi Fujimura's round table press panel at Sakura-Con 2013. Fujimura's numerous roles include Mineva Lao Zabi/Audrey Burne in Mobile Suit Gundam UC, Azaka Kokutou in The Garden of Sinners, Mimei in Ozma, Ayano Kannagi in Kaze no Stigma, Karada Iokawa in Living for the Day After Tomorrow, Mafuyu Oribe in The Qwaser of Stigmata, Shiro Kabuto in Shin Mazinger Shogeki! Z-Hen, Eiko Aizawa in Squid Girl, and Niche in Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee. Find out all about Fujimura's thoughts on her first trip to the United States and her favorite Sailor Scout in our press panel transcription.
With a number of high-profile titles under his belt, including the hit mecha classic Escaflowne and the harem series Golden Boy, find out all about animation director/character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto's inspirations and his thoughts on the popularity of Cowboy Bebop in the West in this transcription of his press conference from Sakura-Con 2013.
In our fourth feature on Reki Kawahara, the creator of Sword Art Online and Accel World, see what he had to say as he answered fan questions at his general panel at Sakura-Con 2013.
While our staff was in Seattle covering Sakura-Con 2013, they had the fortunate chance to attend a more informal reception with Reki Kawahara. The collective information from the reception has been compiled here.
Our staff recently went up to Seattle to bring you the latest news on all things anime and Japan-related from Sakura-Con 2013. We had a chance to participate in Reki Kawahara's (Accel World, Sword Art Online) press conference on Day 3 of the convention. From steaks to "Alicization" things were cooking at his press conference, here's what we found out:
The biggest change for Sac-Anime 2013 was graduating to the Sacramento Convention Center after outgrowing their previous longtime location, Woodlake Hotel formally known as the Radisson Hotel. The semi-annual convention, which is held in both the winter and fall, is a popular destination for all involved in the anime industry both in Japan and in the United States and for most it marks the beginning of anime convention season. As can be expected, there were a few ups and downs, but with time, the future looks mighty bright.
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This year was a very important year for Sac-Anime as it delivered exciting news and, unfortunately, very tragic news. The good news is that Sac-Anime is growing and it will be moving to the Sacramento Convention Center starting next winter, which is a big step for any convention. This move means more space, more events, and simply more fun for attendees. Since Sac-Anime began in 2005 at the Sunrise Mall, the convention has been steadily growing each year and Sac-Anime 2012 unofficially saw 7,700 attendees.
Last year's Jpop Summit was a bittersweet experience for me. On the one hand, it was great to see Jpop enjoying a festival of its own, but on the other, I was disappointed to see such a heavy focus on Vocaloid and Hatsune Miku. Granted, the Vocaloid phenomenon is undeniably a part of Japanese pop music, but I was hoping for insight into the Jpop scene not viewed through the lens of anime and video games. As I walked down the street towards Japantown for this year's festival, I kept my expectations neutral but hoped for a greater focus on Japanese musicians. As I got closer, I heard a cover for "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae, and I cringed. Once I reached the plaza, I saw that there were three white girls playing covers of American pop music, and I struggled to understand the relation between this act and Jpop. As the day went on, I found a pleasantly surprising answer.
Spike Spiegel, Roger Smith, Guilmon, Orochimaru, Mugen, Wolverine, Vincent Valentine: these are just a few names that have been voiced by one of the most well-known voice actors in the industry, Anime Expo’s guest of honor, Steve Blum. Steve Blum has voiced so many characters in both the anime and video game industries that even Guinness World Record recently awarded him for being the most prolific voice actor with 261 credited appearances as of May tenth of this year. Most recently, he can be heard as the voice of Amon in Avatar: Legend of Korra as well as the role that has defined him for a generation of fans: T.O.M. of Toonami.
There was an exciting list of guests at this year's Anime Expo and AJ and Theo was live at the red carpet grabbing quick words with them! Hear what guests include Steve Blum, Ryo Horikawa, Rikiya Koyama, AniMetal USA, LiSA had to say about the convention! Hit read more and check it out now!