McFarland got his start in anime as one of the first voice actors in Texas to be hired by FUNimation Productions in 1997, and has since moved on to become a director, script writer, and line producer for numerous anime series.

Notable roles include Master Roshi, Yajirobe, Android #8 and Pui-Pui in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Baby and Baby-Vegeta in Dragon Ball GT, Goemon in Lupin The Third (Movie Specials), Ritsu Sohma in Fruits Basket, Lt. Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Cain in Trinity Blood, Buggy the Clown in One Piece, “Ranka” Fujioka in Ouran High School Host Club, Tybalt in Romeo x Juliet, Leo in Burst Angel, Bruce J. Speed in Galaxy Railways, as well as various roles in Yu Yu Hakusho, Nerima Daikon Brothers, Kodocha, Desert Punk, Black Cat, Kiddy Grade, and many others.

As an ADR/Voice Director, McFarland has worked on such series and films as Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror Of Shamballa, Dragon Ball Z, Vexille, Yu Yu Hakusho, Mushi-Shi, Case Closed, Dragon Ball, Galaxy Railways, Trinity Blood, and Evangelion: You Are (Not) Alone. ADR scriptwriting credits include Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, Trinity Blood, Solty Rei, Mushi-Shi, and the uncut versions of Dragon Ball Z.

McFarland is also an accomplished improv comedian, musician, and has appeared in numerous commercials and independent films, including The Rage Within, House Of The Generals, Placebo, and the award-winning Shtickmen. For more information, check out his web site: www.mikemcfarland.com.

McFarland appears courtesy of FUNimation. Look for him at their booth and panels.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The original Neon Genesis Evangelion television series first aired in 1995-1996 and is considered by many to be a modern classic. Gainax and director Hideki Anno gained critical acclaim and massive commercial success by exploring philosophical, religious, and psychological themes against a post-apocalyptic world in which gifted children pilot giant mecha against a mysterious threat. The series has spawned countless imitators, and in the late 1990s the concept was revisited in the form of two movies that condensed the original series, and offered a slightly different, but equally ambivalent, take on the ending.

Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone is the first of a planned four-movie series (known collectively as Rebuild of Evangelion) that re-imagines the story. Director Anno and most of the creative team reunited for this project, starting with a complete redesign and taking advantage of modern production tools and techniques. The Funimation dub version reunites much of the original English cast, under veteran line producer Mike McFarland and head writer John Burgmeier.

Animator Hidenori Matsubara, part of Anno’s team from both the original series and the current movies, is also a guest at the convention.

About Evangelion 1.0

As a young and hungry animator, Matsubara worked as an in-betweener on the Project A-Ko movies. From there, he served as an animator on Bubblegum Crisis and Gunbuster. Graduating to animation director for Nadia: Secret of Blue Water, he completed the opening animation for Bubblegum Crash, and then served as animation director on Otaku no Video (the inspiration for Otakon). Other credits in this period include work as an animator on Perfect Blue, Gunsmith Cats, and the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series. For the Oh My Goddess! series (and later for the movie), Matsubara served as character designer and chief animation director; more recently, he was character designer for The Count of Monte Cristo. He also served as the character designer of the hit game series Sakura Wars.

Currently, Matsubara is working under Hideaki Anno as an animator and animation director on the new series of Evangelion movies.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/

Producer Yukio Kikukawa has invested over a decade of his career producing the 162 episodes and three features of the epic Legend of the Galactic Heroes. His most recently producers the 26-episode series Tytania, another space opera based on the books by LoGH author Yoshiki Tanaka.

As a rare member of the Japanese anime industry from an American-style fandom background (a science-fiction convention-goer), he achieved the status of alpha fan when he chaired Anime Expo Tokyo in 2004.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/

Ishiguro most notably formed a Hawaiian band in college and played the ukulele there. He, in fact, had offers to go pro, but thankfully, he chose an anime career instead.

As a director, some of his notable titles are Space Battleship Yamato (first series and first two movies), Macross (original TV series and Do You Remember Love), Megazone 23, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Tytania. Ishiguro wrote the story for Megazone 23, based on his personal experience: having witnessed how easily the government mechanism can make the public believe distorted truths and motivate them into war. Ishiguro founded his studio, Artland, and still runs it as president after its acquisition by Marvelous Entertainment.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/

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.

While once again Otakon’s staff provided a number of possible gags and situations, Madhouse’s staff was given free reign to improvise broadly. The inspiration is, once again, the much-loved Daicon IV openings.

The 2008 segment featured Hiroko and Hiroshi racing to the convention center as various familiar characters tried to stop them. In the final fight against a giant mecha (futuristic mechanized walking vehicles), the two joined forces in a special attack that caused all the manhole covers in Baltimore to strike the monster (a reference to an incident in 2001 in which a chemical spill caused several nearby manhole caps to rocket into the air). The opener was a hit with fans, who’d last seen the mascots in a CGI short created by Otakon staffer Chris Ochs several years before.

“Last year, we threw in everything but the kitchen sink, and somehow they put most of it in,” says Otakon’s Jim Vowles, the head of Guest Relations. “The end result was loaded with in-jokes and geek references – but the animators had a bit too much fun making it, and some of the parodies were a little close for comfort. We’re hoping to avoid some of that this time around, without sacrificing any of the fun.” (Concerns over parody character likenesses have prevented the 2008 version from being shown in public after last year’s convention, though efforts are underway to obtain the clearances necessary to make the animation available online.)

Otakon plans to release sneak peaks – sketches, designs, and other images – of this year’s animation over the next several weeks, so members can follow the process. For more information on Otakon’s animated shorts, visit www.otakon.com/animated.asp

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

The founder of Madhouse Studios, Maruyama has had a hand in the Japanese animation industry for almost forty years. Maruyama was born in 1941 in the Miyagi Prefecture. After graduation from Hosei University in 1963, he went to work as an animator for Mushi Production. He later went on to help produce Unico, based on a story by Osamu Tezuka, of Astro Boy fame. In 1972, Maruyama had a direct hand in the establishment of the burgeoning new animation studio Madhouse, and in 1980 he was inducted into the board of directors.

Maruyama brings a high level of quality to every production, whether television, OAV, or theatrical release. Regardless of the subject matter, Madhouse always brings something new to the table, and is internationally known for exceptional animation. Maruyama is also acknowledged for his eye in finding young talent to bring into Madhouse; under his creative guidance, talents like Satoshi Kon and Atsuko Ishizuka have flourished.

Since Madhouse’s inception, Maruyama has produced an impressive library of animation, including Barefoot Gen, Dagger of Kamui, Record of Lodoss Wars, Urusei Yatsura, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Cardcaptor Sakura, Trigun, Perfect Blue, X, Boogiepop Phantom, Chobits, PitaTen, Abenobashi Maho Shotengai, Ninja Scroll, Dragon Drive, Gungrave, Gunslinger Girl, Black Lagoon, Kiba, Nana, Tokyo Tribe 2, Beck, Monster, Highlander: Search for Vengeance, Devil May Cry, Death Note, and Red Line. Currently Madhouse is producing a project very close to Maruyama’s heart, Stitch! Another of Maruyama’s more recent projects is another animated short for Otakon, following the success of last year.

For more information about Madhouse, visit www.madhouse.co.jp.
Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Inoue is perhaps best known for portraying goddess Belldandy in the perennially-popular Oh My Goddess. Indeed, she is so identified with that character that later chapters of the manga adapted the character’s speaking style to Inoue’s. The role is quite similar to one of her earlier roles, that of older sister Kasume Tendou in Ranma ½. Inoue’s voice lends itself to reserved, mature, domestic, and regal characters. Her characters are frequently islands of calm and sanity amidst the rampant chaos. Other prominent roles have included Rune Venus in El-Hazard and Kazami Mizuho in Onegai Teacher. In both cases, she played a strong but compassionate leader.

Occasionally, Inoue plays against type as a sultry, aggressive flirt: the dancer Corvette in Idol Project and sex-crazed nurse Ruko Tatase in the infamous hentai Ogenki Clinic are two such roles. She’s also taken villainous turns, such as Alv in Kiddy Grade and Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist.

As one of the industry’s more prolific actresses, the always-in-demand Inoue has had a role in many fan favorites over the years, including Electra in Nadia: Secret of Blue Water, Seira Mimori in Saint Tail, Inuyasha’s mother Izayoi in Inuyasha, Caridad Yamato in Gundam Seed, Cecile in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Sanae Furukawa in Clannad, Grace O’Connor in Macross Frontier, Panther in Saber Marionette J, and Miria in Claymore. She’s also featured in many video games, including Metal Gear Solid 2, 3, and 4; Guilty Gear; Sakura Taisen 3 and 4, and the Super Robot Wars series.

Inoue has a thriving fanbase in Japan, where she is known as “Onee-chan” (big sister), thanks to her prominent roles of that sort. A shared joke among her fans is that when she is asked about her age, she always smiles and claims to be 17 years old – a claim she has made for many years.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.
For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/

Baltimore, MD (June 18, 2009) – American writer, translator and conference interpreter Fred Schodt will return this year as a guest at Otakon 2009.

Frederik L. Schodt is a writer, translator, and conference interpreter, based in the San Francisco Bay area. He has written widely on Japanese history, popular culture, and technology. Among his better known works are Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics (Kodansha International, 1983), Inside the Robot Kingdom: Japan, Mechatronics, and the Coming Robotopia (Kodansha International, 1988), America and the Four Japans: Friend, Foe, Model, Mirror (Stone Bridge Press, 1993), and Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga (Stone Bridge Press, 1996). His writings on manga, and his translations of them, helped trigger the current popularity of Japanese comics in the English-speaking world, and in 2000 resulted in his being awarded the Special Category of the Asahi Shimbun’s prestigious Osamu Tezuka Culture Award. In the same year, his translation of Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama’s 1931 pioneering graphic novel, The Four Immigrants Manga, was selected as a finalist for the Pen West USA translation award.

His latest book, The Astro Boy Essays: Osamu Tezuka, Mighty Atom, and the Manga/Anime Revolution, was published by Stone Bridge Press in 2007.

In 2009, Fred was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work in helping to promote Japan’s popular culture overseas.

Fred’s website is www.jai2.com.

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.
For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/

Baltimore, MD (May 11, 2009) – Manga artist Misako Rocks!, the creator of Biker Girl and Rock and Roll Love, will be a guest at Otakon 2009.

Misako Rocks!, who grew up in Japan, developed a love for comics and manga at an early age and drew her first comic at the age of 13. She moved to New York in 2001 and worked as a puppeteer, face painter, animal balloon maker, and art teacher while developing her own work.

Recently, she scored a three-book deal with Henry Holt for the Detective Jermain series, the first volume of which was released in 2008. Her first book, Biker Girl (2006), and second one, Rock and Roll Love (2007), were published by Hyperion. Rock and Roll Love was picked as one of the best teen books by the New York Public Library.

In addition, she wrote scripts for Archie comics and stories for the weekly kids’ comic magazine DFC in the UK: Peach de Punch! She has also drawn illustrations for the now-famous column “Savage Love” of The Onion newspaper for about 10 years.

She’s often invited to give speeches at schools, libraries and anime festivals and has taught manga workshops in Japan, Europe and America. She has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Elle Girl and The New York Times. The BBC featured her in a documentary about comic book creators. On top of that, she recently received the Venice Beach/L.A. Playwright award.

Misako currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Check her Web site for more details: www.misakorocks.com
Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore’s few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 “turnstile” attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.
For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see www.otakon.com/