Otakon Vegas 2014: Funimation Panel Liveblog

18.39

Closing up with their Geek Week tribute video. That’s it for this liveblog!

18.37

Also new streaming announcement: D-Frag! Air date TBD

18.37

New streaming simulcasts for winter: Noragami, Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha, and Maken-Ki! S2. The first one is Sunday at 8 AM.

18.35

Tomorrow’s Space Dandy premiere will have the dub ADR Director and Ian Sinclair, the English voice of Dandy. Looks like it will be the dub.

18.32

Space Dandy promo. I think we are hearing the OP here in this trailer….

18.32

Funi is doing the Evangelion 3.33 showings…it’s playing next weekend in LA. Might go.

18.31

“Ever get to the end of an anime and feel really sad? Don’t have to worry about it…” –MC on One Piece

18.29

Next: One Piece S5. Even the MC seems a little bit tired of One Piece…or at least announcing yet another release.

18.27

Looking at the remaster, what seems to have happened is that it looks a little bit cleaner (and blown up to 16;9). It doesn’t really change anything though. The Evangelion remaster though really did seem to make a difference…

18.25

Apparently DBZ is being re-released on BD as well. A remaster of a remaster?

18.25

The MC promises us “I Love Boobies” (Space Dandy) stickers tomorrow at the Funi booth…

18.24

Next: Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero. “From the studio behind Queen’s Blade.” of course.

18.22

Fairy Tail movie Phoenix Princess is next. Question: is this the series that’s going to pick up the slack from Naruto and Bleach when they are played out?

18.20

“Feel the Urge to Merge” LOL #AquarionEVOL #Funimation #otakonvegas

18.19

Aquarion EVOL is next. For some reason I never finished this either, even though I thought it was hilarious.

18.16

Next: Wolf Children. Been meaning to see this. Missed the theater screening of this… #Funimation #OtakonVegas

18.13

Next: One Piece Strong World. Apparently one of the few things they can even release on BD… #Funimation #OtakonVegas

18.10

Next: Binbogami ga! (Good Luck Girl) (Note none of these are new licenses.) #Funimation #OtakonVegas

18.09

Upcoming new release: Akira re-release on BD. Trailer. #Funimation #OtakonVegas

18.07

Preview of the #Funimation show. (Are these being echoed on Twitter?) #Funimation

18.04

They’re talking about the Elite Video Subscription. I was a former subscriber, and since the site has improved a lot… #Funimation

18.02

Came in a bit late, but it looks like there hasn’t been any major announcements yet. #OtakonVegas #Funimation

20.05

And that’s it!

20.04

The desire to create new things comes from childhood, when they see something genuinely affecting and creative, unimaginable things.

20.03

He admits that a lot of what he’s made probably shouldn’t be seen by kids 🙂 but he does want them to see death, violence, and even to feel pain–not bland stuff. To grow up with creativity.

20.02

Q: how do you think anime has influenced Japanese culture?

20.01

I interject: it wouldn’t be like a Psycho Pass would it? I made him laugh!

20.00

If he had to choose one technology: since we have hackers writing viruses, malware, etc., which are “invisible,” it would be awesome to have tech to stop them before they happen.

19.58

Which technologies would you want to have for yourself as depicted in GitS? (He didn’t answer this one before.)

19.56

The story in Arise is something he always wanted to do. With this one, Shirow wrote the plot, but the script was written by a novelist, who has sold a lot of work.

19.53

Ishikawa has figures: Arise played on 20 screens for 2 weeks, but it earned 100 million dollars. Yes, dollars, not yen. GitS is still popular.

19.51

Q: some have believed that GitS is more popular in the West than in Japan. Is this your perception, and with Arise, was there a conscious decision to try to reach an international audience from the start?

19.49

The message he wants to convey is: if you don’t give up, your dream will come true.

19.48

Then again, Miyazaki’s latest movie this summer, he’s making one more aimed at adults–a romantic drama. (This is the one with Hideaki Anno as the main protagonist…)

19.46

Q: do you see anime moving forward as a medium into places like the Cannes Film Festival? (GitS: Innocence was the first anime film there.) A: People like Miyazaki are the main face of Japan’s animation to the world…and he thinks anime is for kids.

19.44

He talked to Shirow 5 years ago about what he calls a “pendulum psychology”: technology may advance, but humans go back and forth in their attitude about it. Like how watches still have dials even now.

19.41

Ishikawa really reminds me of Kenji Kamiyama (the last GitS director): he really likes to talk about ideas…for a long time…

19.40

A: It was Shirow who studied these things like crazy, with all the possiblities of the future. he took the ones that were the most plausible over the next 50 years.

19.38

Q: Do you think the technologies in GitS will become real one day, and which ones would you like to adopt for yourself?

19.37

They did anticipate some criticism, but that people would come around in time.

19.36

As an animator, he has the ability to change drawings, unlike many directors. And he changed a lot in Arise.

19.35

A: the feel of a show can really be influenced by the choice of director; this is the third director of the GitS franchise. This one is an animator.

19.35

Q: was the fan backlash to Arise a surprise, or something you anticipated?

19.31

He asks us a question: people in Japan didn’t seem as excited about Yamato 2199 as people in America? Why is that? (Folks from east and west coast respond that everyone who’s seen it has been blown away.)

19.29

There are still contractual hurdles in releasing Yamato 2199 in America.

19.28

Q&A now beginning. First question is about Yamato…

19.26

LOL—he compares current fans from the ones he remembered from 15 years ago. People are so much younger and not as “big” anymore…

19.24

Now he’s talking about Kick-Heart, which earned 0k from Kickstarter. It proves that people around the world love anime.

19.22

Now he’s explaining the basic plot of Arise: it’s Motoko in a position of suffering. Audience has more empathy for someone in that position.

19.20

A good example of how CG and 2d animation might have been combined well is The Iron Giant. Character-oriented story too.

19.19

Ishikawa: Hollywood isn’t making movies with people–you have cars, robots, etc as main characters. Proud of Japan’s legacy of 2d animation, with the detail in facial expressions.

19.17

Some of the inspiration was from the big Hollywood reboots of superhero franchises: Bryan Singer’s Batman movies, the new Spider Man, etc.

19.16

Arise takes place 2 years before the main GitS story, what Motoko was doing before Section 9.

19.15

Right now Ishikawa is still talking. We haven’t gotten to questions yet.

19.14

The desire was to make something completely new: new staff, new music, new voice actors, new director. The internet had a backlash…

19.13

There will be 4 episodes of GitS Arise, 50 minutes each.

19.12

Ishikawa met with Masamune Shirow (GitS creator) and they looked at shows like CSI, 24, and the fact that they were one hour eps…they wanted to do something of that length.

19.09

Yamato had been considered a “dead” project, and there was some doubts about its success. But “we proved them wrong.”

19.07

Ishikawa: Production IG’s four big projects are: #AttackOnTitan, Kuroko no Basket, the new Yamato 2199 series, and Ghost in Shell Arise.

16.41

And that’s it.

16.41

Q: What are some of the differences in the voice acting business now vs your mother’s time? A: in her mother’s day, voice acting was a single occupation–and there were fewer works, so more people watched the same things. Now there is so much anime so she has to try her best to keep up. She hopes her work will be loved for a long time.

16.38

Are any roles more difficult to play than others? Sumire was one of the most difficult characters. Hard to express her romantic emotions.

16.36

On her role in Yuyushiki. It was an “iyashikei” role with very realistic dialogue.

16.35

Will there be more Chihayafuru anime? She doesn’t know.

16.32

Apparently the guy who did Taichi in Chihayafuru was a real entertainer, “always on, never off.”

16.27

On HanaKana: impressed with the number of types of shoes (and what they represented) in her role in that movie. 🙂

16.25

Q: What was it like working on Kotonoha no Niwa with Makoto Shinkai and Kana Hanazawa? A: was already a fan of Shinkai’s work. It was a dream come true to play a role in his work. Shinkai had seen a lot of her work already, and he told her that her role was best!

16.20

Q: What was it like to play Ellie in the Japanese version of “The Last of Us”? A: she didn’t take age or race into account when playing the role.

16.18

Q: was it hard to learn all the history behind karuta cards? A: Her knowledge of karuta grew in tandem with her character’s.

16.15

Q: Would you like to be an actress in a live action film? A: Very interested in playing her role in Chihayafuru in live action…and Naruto.

16.14

Why did Han follow her mother into voice acting? She was immersed in it from an early age. Strange to hear her mom’s voice on TV and at home.

17.24

The roundtable, and the event is over. Thanks for bearing with me! #SANA

17.22

McKeever: we have come a long way since the anti-Japan days of the early 1980s, and anime has played a role in that. #SANA

17.17

Positive: the response from the community to the tsunami/earthquake was overwhelming and generous. #SANA

17.17

Negative: a lot of American fans assume everyone in Japan likes anime. Which is certainly not the case. #SANA

17.12

Sullivan: she recalls Funis trouble with Dance in the Vampire Bund as an example of some shows that will always have trouble in US #SANA

17.11

Freedman: fandom is sometimes very locational. What’s popular in Akiba is actually quite specific. #SANA

17.10

I asked the panelists if there are things that appeal to American fandom vs Japanese otaku or even blog fandom…#SANA

16.05

McKeever: cons are places where all other differences between people about race, politics, sexual orientation etc fade away #SANA

16.01

Sullivan: another factor to the gender fluidity is that Christianity was never a heavy influence in Japanese culture. #SANA

15.57

Question about gender/sexuality in anime: yaoi sometimes arises in the absence of strong female characters in a story #SANA

15.54

I will ask a question soon about different types of anime and levels of popularity: especially moe anime vs other types. #SANA

15.50

McKeever: there is still a way to go with cultural acceptance of animation. Extended to comedy like Family Guy but not much more. #SANA

15.48

Condry: cultural differences are not always an obstacle. Did you think a foreign rap song could make it here? No. #SANA #gangnamstyle

15.46

Condry:…but not really for artistic reasons. It was because it would take 6 months to re-edit! #SANA

15.45

Condry: recalls a story about how one American exec tried to get Studio Ghibli to excise the bathtub scene in Totoro. he refused…#SANA

15.39

Roundtable: the dumbing down of American comics in the 50s led to dumbed down American cartoons too. Set expectations #SANA

15.37

Condry: the president of the MIT anime club calls piracy *Proselytization Commons*. LOL #SANA

15.37

Condry: anime filled a space that was missing in American media for a long time, animation for teens and adults. #SANA

15.34

Roundtable: the rise of science fiction, and interest in space in the Cold War, helped paved the way for SF anime. #SANA

15.32

15.30

Now the roundtable q&a starts on the central question: why is anime so popular in North America? #SANA

15.27

Yamaguchi: people who like anime will often begin to appreciate other aspects of Japanese culture too. Reinforces trust #SANA

15.27

Yamaguchi: hopes that the Japanese will have their eyes opened to who they are how they communicate to people in other nations #SANA

15.25

Yamaguchi:

15.23

Roundtable starting, introduced by Tadahiko Yamaguchi from the Consulate. #SANA

15.18

The roundtable discussion will begin in about 5 minutes, and will be introduced by a member of the Japanese consulate. #SANA

15.11

Beck will be starting a new blog called Animation Scoop in a couple of weeks. There will be a prominent anime section/reviews. #SANA

15.02

Beck: Dreamworks only put out GitS2 and Millennium Actress so that there would be 5 Oscar nominations for animated film that year #SANA

14.57

Beck: the outlaw, the different aspect of anime is what appeals to Americans. There was something more real about it. #SANA

14.56

Beck: life mission is to show that animation is not just for kids. Put them in non-traditional places like art theaters. #SANA

14.53

Beck met Katsuhiro Otomo in 1989. #SANA

14.52

Beck met Katsuhiro Otomo in 1989. Later released more work by him (Neo-Tokyo compilation). #SANA

14.49

Apparently Sam Raimi wanted to be involved in the production of Akira in those days. Only known then for Evil Dead #SANA

14.48

The first execs who saw Akira in 1988 was turned off the moment they saw blood. The notion of cartoons = kids was hard to break. #SANA

14.47

The Japanese producers of Akira wanted an Oscar-winning director to direct the dub. They got one–a documentary director. #SANA

14.46

Beck: after the theatrical releases of Laputa and others, got Akira. He came up with the tagline, Neo-Tokyo is about to Explode #SANA

14.38

Beck along with Carl Macek start Streamline Pictures. First paid job: dubbing Totoro, then Kiki. It was for Japanese airlines. #SANA

14.36

Beck: the audience for anime by the 80s was through comic conventions and tape trading. Rare syndicated shows on TV. Truly underground #SANA

14.33

Beck: Warriors of the Wind (a cut up Nausicaa) was typical of Hollywood attitudes in the mid 1980s. #SANA #SMH

14.30

Beck met Osamu Tezuka in 1980 in NYC, and they ate sushi together and Tezuka gave him a tape. It was rejected by United Artists then. #SANA

14.22

Beck: in the 1970s you did not have video. He got mint condition 16mm print reels for the conventions instead. #SANA

14.21

Beck started watching anime in the 1960s. 8th Man made him go *holy shit.* Went to one of the first comic cons in the 1960s too. #SANA

14.16

Beck: Magic Boy was the first Japanese animated film distributed by an American company (MGM) in 1961. Astro Boy was 2 years later. #SANA

14.09

Next up: Jerry Beck, of Cartoon Brew. #SANA

14.06

McKeever: the Internet has reduced the power of distributors and content owners are now the kings. #SANA

14.04

McKeever: there needs to be more mainstream and less niche shows. And the quality of anime has to improve too. #SANA

14.03

McKeever: anime producers and distributors will need to rely more on merchandising to make up for lost DVD sales. #SANA

14.01

McKeever: a big problem too is that streaming doesn’t make money vs DVDs, and DVDs are in steep decline. #SANA

14.00

McKeever: the continued devaluing of the yen vs the dollar has made licensing anime a lot more expensive in the US. #SANA

13.47

McKeever: what anime needs is venture capital, enough money to take creative risks. Look at the 80s classics made during the boom. #SANA

13.45

McKeever: when animation in general expands, so does anime. #SANA

13.42

McKeever is now sharing stories about encounters with closet Robotech fans in Washington DC government and lobbying circles. #SANA

13.37

13.35

McKeever: you CAN make money in anime. Already gone very far in the past several decades. The market for animation for adults is big #SANA

13.30

McKeever is not concerned about the live action Robotech and Cowboy Bebop projects. He sees this as progress, in Hollywood. #SANA

13.28

13.26

McKeever: Animation in the 80s on the networks was relegated to Saturday morning only for kids. Robotech/Macross broke that mold. #SANA

13.24

McKeever: Robotech was the third highest rated program in LA in Nov 1985, and #1 in NYC in Feb 1986. At the time anime on TV was rare. #SANA

13.19

McKeever traces the birth of the US anime industry to the late 70s-early 80s, when a strong dollar made anime cheap to pick up #SANA

13.16

First up: Kevin McKeever, the marketing exec in charge of the Robotech franchise at Harmony Gold. #SANA

12.08

Lunchtime now. This concludes the morning session, and my computer needs recharging! See you for the afternoon. #SANA

12.07

Condry: Crypton licensing model and other fandom work show that people can have power despite corps, govts, copyright models #SANA

12.05

Condry: for non-profit use, there may be a nominal fee but not necc. For-profit does involve a license fee. #SANA

12.04

Condry: Crypton Future Media has set up 3 levels of licensing for using Miku. One is free non-commercial use. #SANA

11.57

Condry: AMVs, Vocaloid fandom shows fans will not wait for permission to start creating things #SANA

11.54

Condry: manga is particularly democratic as media because it is so inexpensive. Series rise and fall w/o marketing #SANA

11.52

Condry: another great case study is Gundam. Its toys did not sell so it was canceled early, but fans revive it singlehandedly #SANA

11.50

Condry: anime characters as platforms. Characters and world often come before story. Red Gardens plot made up as went along #SANA

11.49

Condry visited Gonzo during the making of Red Garden…this is the work environment. #SANA

11.45

Condry: success and value are not measured in fandom community the same way as in business. It is how much you give back #SANA

11.38

Condry: no one gets rich making anime. Shows a picture of a typical animator desk. #SANA

11.36

Condry was introduced to anime when his students recommended Samurai Champloo to him. Via BitTorrent. #SANA

11.34

This is Condry showing the folders used to produced Mamoru Hosodas Wolf Children. #SANA

11.33

Some stats: 60% of TV cartoon broadcasts are Japanese. B/yr for TV/DVD/theaters. Bu B worth of merchandise. #SANA

11.32

Media has shifted from mostly content to now a whole platform with lots of participation through communities, AMVs, fanfic, etc #SANA

11.21

Condry: few expected anime to be a big deal, culturally. The global rise of anime was a surprise to cultural elites. #SANA

11.18

11.16

Next up: Dr. Ian Condry, professor of Japanese Cultural Studies at MIT.

11.06

Sullivan: …whereas in Japan some of that kind of work can be seen as disrespectful. (ED: But then again, doujinshi?) #SANA

11.05

Sullivan: US anime fans like to feel a part of the show they like, which fuels the memes, parodies, AMVs, fanfics… #SANA

10.57

I saw this in Japan when I was in Akiba too. The industry in JP is still built on purchase of physical stuff.

10.56

Sullivan: DVDs/BDs are not going away from anime because of collector mentality, special editions. #SANA

10.54

Sullivan: a good example of anime as safe place for sexual exploration—Utena. A beautiful, influential show. #SANA

10.50

Bevins (ADR director): Americans and Japanese have different expectations for character voices hence different voice acting styles. #SANA

10.39

Sullivan: to all those who criticize anime as being violent and bad influence—look at the cons. Look at the community. #SANA

10.38

Fandom as family: when Sullivan started working at Funi she found her tribe. Tribe is a good word in my experience. #SANA

10.36

Personally, I would argue the process started earlier with the Simpsons, Family Guy, and others…

10.35

Sullivan: the rise of MLP and Adventure Time has also paved the way for more acceptance of mature themes in anime. #SANA

10.34

Sullivan: anime can be a safer place for younger people to explore sexuality and gender. #SANA

10.32

Sullivan: shift from solitary otaku to owning your freak: fandom coalescing into clubs, communities. #SANA

10.31

Bevins: because anime has something for everyone, anime should become more mainstream over time. Ease of access too. #SANA

10.29

Sullivan acknowledges Crunchyroll as having innovated first, and their move to legitimacy was a huge shift in industry #SANA

10.28

‘I love our fans. I love our fandom.’ -Sarah Sullivan #SANA

10.22

10.21

Now the Funimation reps, Christopher Bevins and Sarah Sullivan, are up. #SANA

10.18

A lot of people at University of Oregon take Japanese in order to scanlate and fansub. Some even use that as assignments. #SANA

10.14

Sullivan will be a presenter later, btw. #SANA

10.14

Sarah Sullivan (Funimation): the biggest difference between older and millennial fans is how willing they are to WAIT for anime. #SANA

10.08

Freedman likes to hold up a VHS tape and ask her 90s and later born students: what is this? Gets laughs. #SANA

10.01

The instant access of the Internet has changed both access to anime and participation in fandom drastically #SANA

09.58

So what makes anime so popular? Freedman: the participatory fandom, the coolness of niche, different storytelling. #SANA

09.45

This is somewhat deliberate: it emphasizes vulnerability rather than, say, harder aspects of Japanese culture. #SANA

09.44

So much of the soft power of anime and manga is in promoting the more kawaii side as opposed to other types. #SANA

09.40

Worth remembering: Japanese popular culture has been in America as long as Godzilla and Astro Boy. #SANA

09.38

How strange is it that Hello Kitty and Doraemon were chosen as “ambassadors”! Ambassadors are usually people. #SANA

09.35

09.32

First up: Dr. Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature and Film, University of Oregon. #SANA

09.28

Looks like we are starting! #SANA

09.16

Still waiting. Sound has been going in and out. Looks like posting pics may be an issue with the liveblog plugin, will find workarounds. #SANA

09.05

Waiting for the event to begin. A surprisingly large crowd, given the weather outside… #SANA

16.52

The story seems to be that #tokyopop is starting over almost from scratch. Makes sense given how much business changed.

16.40

Q: any plans to rerelease manhwa? A: they lost the licenses from the main licensor. #tokyopop #animela

16.39

Viz is different because they are an arm of the Japanese publisher. Avoid translation costs. #tokyopop #animela

16.38

The hard part of being an indie publisher is capital–and the ability to weather the storm. #tokyopop #animela

16.33

Q: light novels? A: translation costs are enormous, more than manga! Chances are small. #animela #tokyopop

16.32

Q: anything else like America’s Greatest Otaku? A: timing was bad on its original release. Maybe if it gets sponsored. #tokyopop #animela

16.28

It’s funny because there are so few Hetalia fans in the audience. Everyone’s getting the trivia wrong! #animela #tokyopop

16.22

It’s trivia time now about Hetalia for prizes. There will be q&a next. #tokyopop #animela

16.21

Stu admits that OEL didn’t really sell. But feels many of the stories were great. #animela #tokyopop

16.18

Film and tv projects: perhaps adapt OEL manga since those are what they have rights to. #animela #tokyopop

16.17

Other projects: on demand merchandise via Cafepress. Designs swapped out regularly. #tokyopop #animela

16.11

Fans tell #tokyopop what might be licensible; then tell Japanese what looks promising. Use Kickstarter to gauge monetary interest. #animela

16.09

Potential with Kickstarter: avoids the problem of taking a risk before knowing what sales are. #tokyopop #animela

16.08

“Everybody is going through soul searching” in the industry because fewer stores, fewer sales. -Stu #animela #tokyopop

16.06

Daneilla (@tokyopopmanga): Will cancelled series be brought back? New series? Staff is small, licenses have to be (re)negotiated. #tokyopop #animela

16.03

Q: plans for working with Amazon Kindle? A: A few titles like Bizenghast are available. Only supported on the Fire and Fire HD now. #animela #tokyopop

16.02

Hetalia manga volumes 4 and 5 are under negotiation with Gentosha. They “are not known to be fast moving.” #tokyopop #animela

16.01

Hetalia vol 3 is released now with POD. The last book of Bizenghast too. #tokyopop #animela

16.00

Manga plans: print on demand via Rightstuf. Japanese licensors reluctant though. Closest to the publisher of Hetalia, Gentosha #animela #tokyopop

15.57

So in 2012, “the beginning of rebuilding #Tokyopop.” The website is now hosted by Nerdist Industries. #animela

15.55

Stu decided to go to northern Japan to volunteer with the tsunami recovery and made the documentary “Pray for Japan.” #animela #tokyopop

15.53

While Stu was in Japan to tell the Japanese publishers that he couldn’t publish anymore–the earthquake hit. #animela #tokyopop

15.52

Fact: technically, #tokyopop never went bankrupt. It became a virtual company. #animela

15.51

The end of Borders was the final blow for #tokyopop in its old configuration. Stu was left to clean up. #animela

15.49

Borders owed million in unpaid bills to #tokyopop. #animela

15.48

Plan was: get Japanese to license digital editions to TP. Then the bomb dropped: Borders died. #animela #tokyopop

15.46

Scanslation makes manga more accessible, true. You just can’t run a business on it. #animela #tokyopop

15.45

“We were shedding a lot of tears on that day,” Stu says. Plus scanslations played a role, no doubt. #animela

15.44

Why did #tokyopop shut down US operations? They once had 90 staff in LA…to about 35 after economic crisis. #animela

15.40

Mission has not changed fundamentally: bringing Asian pop culture to western audiences. #animela #tokyopop

15.39

Reminiscing about the start of TP as Mixx, first licensor of Sailor Moon manga. ALso I had no idea that TP brought Japanese pro wrestlers to E3.

15.37

Stu Levy introduces himself, calls himself an “old guy” 🙂 #animela #tokyopop

18.53

Carlos Santos: all those feels about Kitchen Princess. The Madoka Magica of cooking manga! #sdcc

18.51

Underrated: Breathe Deeply (Doton Yamaaki). Love triangle about two guys and a sick girl. #sdcc #manga

18.50

Underrated: To All Corners of the World (Fumiyo Kouno). About childhood friends getting married at the end of WWII. #sdcc #manga

18.48

Chihayafuru (Yuki Suetsugu)…still unlicensed. Hey if the anime could make it, why not? #sdcc #manga

18.48

Boku wa Beatles (Tetsuo Fujii and Kaiji Kawaguchi), about two boys who travel back in time knowing Beatles songs before they’re out. #sdcc #manga

18.47

Sunny, by Taiyo Matsumoto. Still not licensed. #sdcc #manga

18.46

Osamu Tezuka’s Barbara. DMP has a Kickstarter campaign to publish this. Features bestiality, satanic rituals…carries explicit warning. #sdcc #manga

18.45

The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (Suehiro Maruo). Gorgeous artwork, anticipated for the last two years. #sdcc #manga

18.44

Thermae Romae comes out in November by Yen Press, btw. #sdcc #manga

18.44

Thermae Romae (Mari Yamazaki). YES the anime made me laugh so hard…#sdcc #manga

18.43

Most anticipated: Kitaro (Shigeru Mizuki), by Drawn and Quarterly in January 2013. #sdcc #manga

18.42

Most Anticipated Manga: Heart of Thomas (Moto Hagio). It was one of the seminal BL titles. #sdcc #manga

18.41

Alverson was especially irritated by the dog. That’s funny I thought he was the best part of the story. #sdcc #manga #kobato

18.40

Worst: Kobata (CLAMP): reading it is like being punched in the nose (Brigid Alverson). I did think the anime was boring…#sdcc #manga

18.39

Worst: My Girlfriend’s a Geek (Rize Shinba and Pentabu). About a guy who dates a yaoi/BL fangirl. @debaoki thinks the guy is pussywhipped! #sdcc #manga

18.38

The anime of Kore wa Zombie Desu-ka? was my dumb fun pick at the time. I guess this sort of thing doesn’t work in #manga? #sdcc

18.38

WORST list begins! Kore wa Zombie Desu-ka manga…Carlos Santo liked the anime, actually, but not the manga. #sdcc #manga

18.36

Saturn Apartments (Hisae Iwaoka). Idea is that there is a ring colony around a ruined earth. Story is about a window washer. #sdcc #manga

18.35

Dorohedoro (Q Hayashida). A violent fantasy. #sdcc #manga

18.32

20th Century Boys (Naoki Urasawa). I really need to read this. My next Viz app purchase #sdcc #manga

18.32

Best continuing manga for adults: A Bride’s Story (Kaoru Mori). Set in Central Asia in the middle ages. #sdcc #manga

18.31

Arisa (Natsumi Ando, creator of Kitchen Princess): a surprisingly dark and twisted story. #sdcc #manga

18.28

Next: Chi’s Sweet Home (Konami Kanata) which has been discussed for the past 3 years. I remember. #sdcc #manga

18.27

Next: Wandering Son (Takako Shimura). See our review here: http://animediet.net/reviews/manga-reviews/the-wandering-son #sdcc #manga

18.25

Carlos Santo: this is a manga that gives me all kinds of feels #crossgame #manga #sdcc

18.24

Next: Cross Game (Mitsuru Adachi). Still haven’t watched most of the anime though I loved episodes 1-2. #sdcc #manga

18.22

Apparently the manga and anime story diverges around volume 5. Recommended for fans of Fullmetal Alchemist. #sdcc #manga

18.22

Continuing manga for kids/teens: Blue Exorcist. Personally I was never into the anime. Is the #manga better? #sdcc

18.20

Tesoro and La Quinta Camera (Natsume Ono). Ono has struck me as being the closest #manga has to a literary writer. #sdcc

18.18

Drops of God, the wine manga. No surprise this is @debaoki’s pick, I’ve heard her rave about it a lot. Wish I could drink again… #sdcc #manga

18.16

Message to Adolf (originally just titled Adolf) by Tezuka. I read this years ago and was moved by it. #sdcc #manga

18.15

At this let me say once again: CELTY IS LOVE #durarara #sdcc #manga

18.15

Durarara!! manga (Ryohgo Narita, AKiyo Satoriigi, Suzuhito Yasuda). Wasn’t this an anime original? #sdcc #manga

18.14

Shaenon Gaerty: Anno’s artwork was shaky at first but so much better as she went along. #sdcc #manga

18.12

Best new manga for adults: Sakuran (Moyoco Anno of Hataraki Man; Hideaki Anno’s wife). A dark geisha story. #sdcc #manga

18.11

Mizuki is also the author of Ge Ge Ge Kitaro and Onwards to Our Noble Deaths, btw. #sdcc #manga

18.10

NoNonBa (Shigeru Mizuki). Mizuki only has one arm due to war injuries. And is still alive. #sdcc #manga

18.07

Next: Jiu-Jiu (Touya Tobina), though adults will probably hate it 🙂 #sdcc #manga

18.06

Next: A Devil and Her Love Song (Miyoshi Tomori). #sdcc #manga

18.05

Next on the list: Tezuka’s Princess Knight, which is considered the first proper shoujo manga. #sdcc #manga

18.04

Sailor Moon is a title that older fans have come back to for strength and reassurance. #sdcc #manga

18.03

Uh oh, the Keynote presentation moved too far ahead, we saw some spoilers…:) #sdcc #manga

18.01

Well, it’s not really new of course. But it’s a new edition/translation. #sdcc #manga #sailormoon

18.01

Best new manga for kids/teens: Sailor Moon, of course! #sdcc #manga #sailormoon

13.52

End of conference. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.51

Favorite actors: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Meryl Streep, Daniel Day Lewis, Charlie Chaplin, Ed Norton #sdcc #powerrangers

13.50

One cast member stood on top of a porta potty with a bucket of water and dumped it on another when she walked in. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.47

If Rangers was an adult show, then they could release the bloopers uncut…#sdcc #powerrangers

13.46

Bloopers: everyone fell at least 3 times. Sneezing. Missing just one word in a close-up scene. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.45

Most of the stunt trainers were Japanese. Favorite things learned: how to ride a horse. Press person suggests a pickup line: hey baby I can be your knight! #sdcc #powerrangers

13.42

Favorite scene: the “munchies” scene with food all over the place. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.41

You are going to be a superhero for millions of kids around the world. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.40

Future advice for next cast: do not look back, make the characters your own. It’s like a family, treat like one #sdcc #powerrangers

13.39

Your favorite collectible? Squinkies (rubber, squeezable), megabots, Morphers, Samuraizer hand sanitizer #sdcc #powerrangers

13.38

The first two months were spent mostly trying to figure each other out. Delays due to script changes. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.37

Watched lots of the old Mighty Morphin series to help develop his character. Every character is shaped by the rest of the team. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.36

The entertainment industry is very hard to break into. No room for self-doubt. It is like training for a sport. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.32

Having to say goodbye to each other after 2 years of filming. PowerMorphicon is the last appearance. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.31

In fact with method acting the cast had to become real friends to show the friendship on the screen. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.30

It sounds like the cast had to live together in close quarters during filming and became very close friends. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.29

Apparently, Super Samurai is the first series to be shown in New Zealand since the original series. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.27

The show incidentally was filmed in New Zealand. Must be the new hot destination post LotR #sdcc #powerrangers

13.26

The cast has not met their Japanese counterparts. They were shown a few episodes. Everyone started from Ground Zero and made it their own. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.24

Power of Red Ranger helped one five year old in the Make-a-Wish foundation helped him get through his illness #sdcc #powerranger #aww

13.23

Show’s about showing kids that with teamwork you can do anything. #sdcc #powerrangers #aww

13.21

What does it mean to them to be part of the larger franchise’s legacy? All the cast grew up with it, often connecting with older actors from earlier in the series #sdcc #powerrangers

13.19

The character of Mike is getting more serious, though. #sdcc #powerrangers

13.18

A lot of the cast feels that over time their characters have gotten less serious. #sdcc #powerrangers

12.49

Panel over. Rushing to Power Rangers junket. later! #sdcc

12.49

Have recent events like the tsunami, bad economy in Japan affected reader interests? Maybe rom coms are popular because people need comfort #sdcc #manga

12.47

New crew members in One Piece? Not even in the Editor-in-Chief knows. Editor and mangaka decide together. #sdcc #manga #onepiece

12.45

The side furigana and kanji on the sides are sometimes very hard to translate/adapt. #sdcc #manga

12.44

Why so many romantic comedies as of late in SJ? Its what the readers want. #sdcc #manga

12.41

Manga is not art, but entertainment, must keep readers in mind -Kengo Monji. Controversial statement? #sdcc #manga

12.38

Hopefully, soon, there will be a global, simultaneous release of everything. But print should not die. #sdcc #manga

12.38

I don’t entirely agree, you can flip the iPad landscape and 2 page spreads work. #sdcc #manga

12.37

SJ Editor: Manga’s roots go back into the medieval era with illustrated scrolls, then into print. Maybe w/iPad 2 page spreads may be obsolete #sdcc #manga

12.30

The physical resemblance between the real Yoshida and the editor in the manga are uncanny. #sdcc #bakuman

12.29

Yoshida (editor of the manga): the portrayal of himself is only 70% accurate. 30% is more horrible than he really is! #sdcc #manga #bakuman

12.28

SJ Editor-in-Chief: basically plays himself in #Bakuman. #sdcc #manga

12.27

After Bakuman, many junior and high schoolers started to propose manga to SJ. More encouragement than discouragement. #sdcc #manga

12.26

At first the editor was afraid that Bakuman would be a gossipy, dishy behind-the-scenes about the industry. #sdcc #manga #bakuman

12.25

How did you decide to do a manga about your own department in Bakuman? Ohba thought of the idea while doing Death Note. #manga #sdcc

12.24

Obata: one of the nicest people in the manga industry. Always thinking of how to execute complex scenes. #sdcc #manga #deathnote #bakuman

12.23

Ohba-sensei (Death Note, Bakuman): in story meetings, he would always propose something out of the ordinary. #sdcc #manga

12.21

In Yu-Gi-Oh they have non-physical battles; it was a way to tell a battle manga w/o literal battles. #sdcc #manga

12.17

Members exclusives for SJ Alpha include creator interviews and videos, one-shots, meet up invites, Yu-Gi-Oh cards #sdcc #manga

12.15

3 reasons for Blue Exorcist popularity: Kato’s art, the main character’s identity, and side characters #sdcc #manga

12.13

SJ Editor: pay attention to the battle scenes in the upcoming Takama-ga-hara #sdcc #manga

12.10

They’re basically going to catch up with 2 chapters per issue of Blue Exorcist until August, when it’s 2 weeks behind Japan. #sdcc #manga #shonenjump

12.09

Also announcing: Blue Exorcist to be available on SJ Alpha, starting July 30th #sdcc #manga

12.08

Big announcement of new series: Takama-ga-hara, starting from July 23rd. #sdcc #manga

12.06

Basic rundown of SJ Alpha. Entries run two weeks after it runs in Japan. #sdcc #manga

12.02

Introducing everyone…first up is the editor-in-chief of Japan Weekly Shonen Jump. #sdcc #manga

11.56

Rome and I got some really nice seats…very close to the front. Should get some good pics. #sdcc #manga #shonenjump

18.19

The preview was very fluid and smooth. Lots of mass battle scenes. Tanaka leaving. #sdcc #berserk

18.14

Q&A done. Sneak preview of movie 2 now. Since part 1 was short (70 min), part 2 is longer (96 mins), part 3 is 126 mins #sdcc #berserk

18.12

All three parts of the film trilogy were done simultaneously. #sdcc #berserk

18.11

Zodd was the most difficult character to do. They drew his joint movements first and then re-render in 3d #sdcc #berserk

18.06

Western swords, unlike Japanese, are two-edged, and big swords are more like clubs or axes. #sdcc #berserk

18.05

They got an actual medieval fighting instructor and motion captured him to assist in battle animation. #sdcc #berserk

18.03

They, alas, had to cut out the scene where Guts and Griffith are splashing water at each other. I remember. #sdcc #berserk

18.02

Tanaka: I promise you the animation gets better in part 2 and part 3. #sdcc #berserk

18.01

Drawing characters, esp face and expression, was hard in 3D. Drew the faces first then attached to body. #berserk #sdcc

18.00

Fight choreography for Berserk was very new to Studio 4C. 2D and 3D mix. #sdcc #berserk

17.58

Loved portraying the friendship between Griffith and Guts. But of course. #sdcc #berserk

17.56

Decided to adapt vol 4-13 (Golden Age Arc), and ended up with 6 hours worth of storyboards. So it’s a film trilogy. #sdcc #berserk

17.54

Currently the third movie is in production in Japan. #sdcc #berserk

17.53

Manga author Kentaro Miura said: show it to me again! He then said: let’s do this. #berserk #sdcc

17.53

Tanaka: needed to figure out how to cut a human in half with a big long sworc in a 70 second pilot. #sdcc #berserk

17.51

I submitted a question about how #Berserk’s genre is less mainstream now, and if the film might rekindle interest #sdcc

17.50

Neon Alley is to be released on PS3. #neonalley #sdcc #viz

17.48

The first movie (The Egg of the King—yes that’s the title) will be released theatrically in the US. #sdcc #berserk

17.47

#Berserk 36 to be published by DarkHorse on Sept 19 2012. #sdcc

17.46

“It’s a love story between two men” #berserk #sdcc

17.45

An introduction to #Berserk. Manga sold 30m copies?! #sdcc

17.39

Studio 4C highlight reel: they definitely do a lot of Western adaptations and more experimental stuff. #sdcc #berserk

17.36

LOL< we are probably going to be on a Japanese DVD extra. I consent. 🙂 #sdcc #berserk

17.33

Technical difficulties with the Powerpoint. Not starting yet. #sdcc #berserk

17.31

We are about to get started now. #sdcc #berserk

11.51

LOL, the first two winners of the iPad weren’t in the panel. 🙂 #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.50

Cheers for more Go Nagai titles, like Devilman and Mazinger. Bombard with emails if you want it! #sdcc #manga #jmanga

11.49

Any plans to finish unfinished Tokyopop titles? It’s in the publisher’s hands…Hakusensha is one not part of the JManga alliance. #sdcc #manga

11.45

Any word on getting Broccoli titles like Moyashimon? Email info@jmanga.com for more info. #sdcc #manga

11.44

Cheers to suggestion for an 18+ section. Response: not really part of JManga’s main mission. Email them if you want it! #sdcc #manga

11.43

Suggestion for better recommendation engine: “noted.” It’s being worked on. Also support for non-credit card users. #sdcc #manga #jmanga

11.42

Plans to add more historical/literary type manga. Golgo-13’s publisher apparently does a lot. #sdcc #manga #jmanga

11.40

Devilman mentioned again! Ge ge ge Kitaro too. These classic titles are hard to publish in US. #jmanga #manga #sdcc

11.39

Response: well, Viz is doing a good job with that already. But Viz is only US/Canada. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.38

So what’s JManga doing wrong? @debaoki: more popular (read: pirated) titles! Shounen and shoujo. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.37

Most surprising title for them: the manga about train bento boxes (Ekiben something…) #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.35

Yuri has been ignored by most publishers, so Jmanga wanted to take advantage of the gap in market #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.30

Admitted that initially the site was rushed to open and launch titles have been fixed since. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.30

According to @debaoki: “The translation quality has improved dramatically” since the start. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.21

JManga’s strengths: more open than most Japanese companies. Digital enables niche titles. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.20

Also will be releasing titles from Ichi Jinsha, yuri and BL titles I believe. Announcements ovre. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.19

No title announcements yet, but it will include some still being serialized in Japan. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.18

Will be releasing some Kodansha titles rescued from Del Rey and Tokyopop. Mistakes will be corrected. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.17

Judges include @debaoki, William Flanagan, Jake Tarbox, etc. Familiar faces 🙂 #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.16

Winner gets trip to Japan. Runners up can get iPads etc. Open to all worldwide. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.16

Two seinen and one shoujo title will be used as basis for contest. No typesetting required. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.15

JManga will work with Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs for a Manga Translation Battle contest. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.12

iOS and Android apps coming in October 2012! #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.12

I just love there is a manga about an anesthesiologist, Anesthesiologist Hana. #sdcc #manga #jmanga

11.11

Yuru Yuri manga is coming out soon on JManga! #sdcc #manga #jmanga #yuruyuri

11.09

“Any fans of BL manga?” The cheers were not as loud as I expected. 🙂 #sdcc #manga #jmanga

11.09

New titles: Peacemaker, Pippira Note, Sun-ken Rock. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

11.05

Heh, you call a special phone number to get prizes at designated times. #sdcc #jmanga #manga

18.17

Panel over. Whew. Thanks to all the RTs and follows and replies! #sdcc

18.17

Kodansha will NOT re-release Del Ray’s light novels holding, like Kara no Kyoukai. They are focused only on #manga. #sdcc

18.16

Kodansha spent the last 1.5 yrs stablishing the company. Things are only now getting stable to rescue Del Ray licenses #manga #sdcc

18.13

How did Borders’ bankruptcy affect them? not much. They were ready for them to implode as early as 2008. #sdcc #manga

18.10

It was Takeuchi who asked them to remove the Sailor Moon bonus comics, at the last minute. #sdcc #sailormoon #manga

18.09

‘There are some people on Twitter that are kind of mean’ —Kodansha rep on angry fans #sdcc #manga

18.05

Can’t answer question about balance between smooth language and accurate translation.  Fan thinks new version is more accurate overall tho #sdcc #sailormoon #manga

18.03

Any more new series on the Kodansha app? Later this month, Cage of Eden, Mardock Scramble, Ninja Girls coming. #sdcc #manga

18.02

They’ve only received 6 complaints total about the smudging though. Not a widespread problem according to editor. #sdcc #sailormoon #manga

18.01

Smudged volumes have been handled/replaced as far they know. Recommend returning to store. #sdcc #manga

17.59

Omnibus collections are only released after a bunch of volumes have come out. No earlier than 2014 for #sailormoon #sdcc #manga

17.58

License rescue of Devilman: no answer. #sdcc #manga #kodansha

17.55

Is the new translation of Love Hina different enough to warrant a reread? A: yes. 🙂 #sdcc

17.54

Editor: I stand behind the choices we made. Fan: do you live your life nervously? #sailormoon #sdcc

17.53

Translator notes are basically included based on whether there’s room. Adding one page can add 16 pages to the folio. #sdcc #sailormoon

17.52

Editorial decisions on Sailor Moon translation questioned. “Spark ring/pressure ring” admitted as mistake. #sdcc #sailormoon

17.49

Negima apparently has a spin-off called Negiho, where an adult Negi teaches kindergarten girls. #sdcc #manga #whykenakamatsu

17.47

They’ll be releasing the last few volumes of Negima too. (Vol 38 in Apr 2013.) GiTS SAC too. #sdcc @manga

17.46

Awaiting some clarification about Kotono Mitsuishi. Apparently she blogged that she had the role? #sdcc #sailormoon

17.43

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order will be coming out this fall. Also Natsume Ono’s new work Danza. #sdcc #manga

17.41

Another release: Missions of Love (11/2012) by Ema Toyoma. #sdcc

17.39

Collector’s Edition manga will have color pages in the US releases. #sdcc #sailormoon

17.37

On new Sailor Moon artbook re-releases: no comment. #sdcc #sailormoon

17.36

Official clarification: actually, Mitsuishi said she would LIKE to be Usagi again. No cast yet. #breakingnews #sailormoon #sdcc

17.34

At Japan Expo a new Sailor Moon anime was announced. (Tidbit: Kotono Mitsuishi will be Usagi again.) #sdcc #sailormoon

17.33

Start with Sailor Moon, of course. Loud cheers. The bestselling manga in America. #sdcc

15.50

Raffle time. Sounds like panel’s over. #sdcc

15.49

Accel World: no word on dubs either. #sdcc

15.49

Will there be more Monster anime? There doesn’t appear to be any plans… #sdcc

15.47

Question: when is Lagrange S1 to be released on disc? Answer: no hard release date. Dub to be on Neon Alley. #sdcc

15.42

The scavanger hunt concept seems to be finally taking off at #sdcc this year. Seen several companies, Viz included, now do it.

15.36

Free ice cream at the One Piece food truck on Saturday at 3 PM!! (Free food at cons = vital) #sdcc

15.35

Like, “ok, time to name names. Who was Eiji based off of?” #bakuman #sdcc

15.35

Heh, some Shonen Jump Japan editors are coming to a panel on Saturday. Including the Bakuman one. I might have questions for him…  #sdcc

15.32

Huh, I don’t see a mention of the new Kenshin manga in the Shonen Jump Alpha announcement anymore. Is it done or was it a one off? #sdcc

15.29

Heh, Viz finally finished the Android app for Viz Manga. Today. #sdcc

15.28

Interesting, the loudest cheers from an otherwise quiet crowd is for Blue Exorcist… #sdcc

15.23

#SDCC exclusive! Street Fighter x Sanrio crossover. LOLWUT?

15.23

Sadamoto’s long-running, long-delayed Evangelion manga vol 13 is coming out. Is this the final one? Will he ever finish? #sdcc

15.21

‘Vampire Knight fans, get Jiu Jiu’ #manga #sdcc

15.20

Ooooh, the Nausicaa graphic novels are coming back into print for . Might actually get this. #sdcc #miyazaki

15.19

Ooh, I see, they are creating original graphic novels with Mameshiba characters. Weren’t they just a commercial mascot or something? #sdcc

15.17

Mameshiba video…man I remember the ads for it in certain fansubs. lol #sdcc

15.15

Lots of Berserk movie events tomorrow, with Studio 4C head Eiko Tanaka. Will try our best to cover it, with premiere of first film at 8:30 PM. #sdcc #berserk

15.12

I mean six dollars and 99 cents. The liveblog engine has a problem with dollar signs. Argh. #sdcc #neonalley

15.10

OK, this Neon Alley: they haven’t announced which console(s) it’ll be available on. Dub only, uncut, HD. .99/month. Dub version of CR? #sdcc #viz #anime

15.08

DVD release schedules for Naruto Shippuden, Pokemon, Inuyasha Final Act. #sdcc

15.05

Showing video teasers of their current anime on Hulu.

12.59

And we’re done. Time for pictures #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.58

Sexy costumes are a great fitness motivator. “Nothing will get me on the treadmill faster!” #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.56

A revealing costume often takes a lot of “engineering.” “There’s tape involved!” #yayahan #cosplay #sdcc

12.55

Double standard in female crossplay (generally ok) and male crossplay (not ok). At this point a Man Leia stands up. It’s convincing. #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.54

To uninformed parents: your kids could be doing something way worse with their lives than making creative costumes. #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.52

Handling trolls: “delete, ban, and move on.” AMEN SISTER #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.51

Yaya’s mom on her cosplay: “showing too much cleavage!” #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.49

She spends most of her money on cosplay…which is not surprising. #sdcc #yayahan #cosplay

12.45

Find a non-costumed friend to turn down photos, like a manager/agent. Or say: “The Justice League needs me!” #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.42

Protip: don’t take photos when a cosplayer is on the phone, or eating. Especially mid-chew. #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.40

If the costume is TOO convincing people seem to start forgetting you’re a human being #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.38

“People on the Internet don’t read” —on critical comments on the Internet #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.36

“We’re viewed as freaks already, let’s all be nice to each other.” #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.34

Photoshoots have become increasingly important to the cosplay scene.

12.31

The Japanese journalist who popularized the term “cosplay” actually coined it after he went to a Star Trek con. #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.30

Cosplayer vs Costumer: didn’t realize there was actually a separate term for Western property costuming fans. #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.29

Fun tidbit: in Italy, most female cosplayers who are serious tend to be aspiring professional idols. #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.21

On street preachers at nerd cons: “I think they secretly want to join in!” #sdcc #cosplay #yayahan

12.17

Cosplay helped Yaya become less shy and more confident. Taking audience stories. #sdcc

12.13

And we’ve started! Yaya is dressed as Wonder Woman. No flash photography,

13.21

The panel is now over. Thanks everyone, to my new followers and faves on Twitter! #SDCC

13.19

The police have very broad power to determine obscenity. The working criteria is showing genitals. No longer applies to text. #SDCC

13.17

There is no political dissent aspect of this censorship. It really is an issue about obscenity, and that definition can change. #SDCC

13.13

Japan comes from a civil, not common, law tradition. We can share similar ideas but have very different details. #SDCC

13.11

Japanese courts tend to be reluctant about overturning laws as unconstitutional, so that route is an uphill battle. #SDCC

13.10

That amendment in a way reveals the real intent of the law. The current law is a face-saving political compromise. #SDCC

13.07

The rejected amendment from June 2010 tried to create the “non-existent youth” class and also fund moral watchdog groups. #SDCC

13.05

“Sexual or pseudo-sexual acts that would be illegal in real life”—does that include two high school kids having sex? #SDCC

13.03

The big change with the Youth Ordinance law is that it names manga and anime specifically as potentially harmful material. #SDCC

13.03

The Youth Ordinance are local laws, and actually most prefectures have similar laws. #SDCC

13.01

Anime/manga don’t currently fall under the child porn law, but many want to change it. #SDCC

12.57

Three criteria: 1.) Violating the sexual sense of shame; 2.) Strongly titillating; 3.) “Decency” and “social convention” #SDCC

12.56

The famous pubic hair law is a directly result of Article 175.#SDCC

12.55

The obscenity law was essentially forced upon Japan by Western treaties during the Meiji period. #SDCC

12.54

Relevant laws: Article 175, Child Porn Law, the Youth Ordinance. Article 175 is the obscenity law. #SDCC

12.51

Censorship in Japan is legally defined ONLY as forbidding publication beforehand—not afterwards! #SDCC

12.51

Article 21 of the Japanese Constitution guarantees free speech and no censorship. But it’s interpreted narrowly. #SDCC

12.49

Takashi Yamaguchi, a lawyer from Tokyo: “Legal Backgrounds concerning ‘Censorship and Manga’ in Japan.” #SDCC

12.49

Japanese censorship is now an international issue, with the involvement of NGOs and other groups involved on the issue #SDCC

12.46

Part of it is b/c of a conflation between “virtual” and “real” child porn; the latter has real victims. #SDCC

12.44

Foreign pressure does play a role in these censorship efforts. There is a perception that Japan is a child porn haven for instance—but it’s not actually true. Less than 10% of such things are hosted in Japan. #SDCC

12.41

Nowhere else in the world than in Japan do women have so much agency in fiction and comics. #SDCC

12.39

Now with lots of overseas attention to Japanese pop culture, governments are looking at it. They didn’t much before. #SDCC

12.38

“Adult” material in US comics was always breaking ground—going against the Comics Code, etc. Not in Japan. #SDCC

12.34

We tend to think of preventive censorship; Japanese censors try to remove ideas that are already out there. #SDCC

12.33

The cultural context is vastly different and a different set of concerns, drive those kinds of decisions. #SDCC

12.31

Japanese artists and publishers are not necessarily going to fight censorship laws as much as Americans might assume. #SDCC

12.30

Next up: Dan Kanemitsu, on the disjunctions of perceptions of censorship in Japan vs America. #SDCC

12.27

Women aren’t necessarily uniformly in favor of the censorship laws. There’s a lot of erotica aimed at them too. #SDCC

12.21

And now a discussion about “ladies’ comics” and BL. Fujimoto insists—it’s made by women, for women, vs some American expectations. #SDCC

12.17

It might be possible that manga helps children distance themselves from the worse impulses via its depiction in manga. #SDCC

12.16

And yet, crime in Japan is much lower. Rape rates, for adults and minors, have gone down a lot since its peak in the 1960s, just as the self-censorship of manga ended. #SDCC

12.14

“There is no doubt that sex and violence plays a larger role in manga compared to other nations.” —Fujimoto #SDCC

12.11

Fujimoto: half of all manga produced, and more than half the revenue, is for manga intended for adults. (Not porn.) #SD

12.10

Fujimoto: In fact, it’s better to compare manga to films and novels in America, not comics. It’s much more mainstream. #SDCC

12.08

Yukari Fujimoto: the Japanese manga market is much larger and more diverse than the US comic book market—by 15 times. #SDCC

12.03

The original title of the panel was specifically about the Tokyo Youth Ordinance bill, which forbids the sale of 18+ manga to minors. #SDCC

18.57

Looks like it is over. See ya! #SDCC #yenpress

18.55

Now it’s the “swag portion of the evening.” Sounds like this panel may close early. #SDCC #yenpress

18.53

They are also working on being able to read YenPlus on the iPad in the app. #SDCC #yenpress

18.53

A few notes on “With The Light,” which is about raising an autistic child. #SDCC #yenpress

18.50

Q: Android version for the app? A: It’s the next step. iPad was first b/c of the size; then iPhone, since it’s similar to iPad. Android is next on the agenda. #SDCC #yenpress

18.50

Huh, a manga version of Gossip Girl? The new app will have a free preview chapter called “Psycho Killer.” #SDCC #yenpress

18.49

The app will have a CoverFlow-style cover browser. #SDCC #yenpress

18.47

Not Yenpress Plus, sorry. It’s their actual volumes. #SDCC #yenpress

18.47

iPhone/iPad app to be released for YenPress Plus in 24 hours! Yotsuba! and HotD will be out today. #SDCC #yenpress

18.46

Olimpos (Olympus) by Aki. Yes, based on Greek mythology. Yes, BL. #SDCC #yenpress

18.45

Also, Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? March 2012. #SDCC #yenpress

18.44

New releases: Durarara!! next January. IIRC though it was an anime original. #SDCC #yenpress

18.42

Apparently Anne Rice consented to do an Interview With the Vampire story graphically… #SDCC #yenpress

18.41

High School of the Dead omnibus coming out soon. #SDCC #yenpress

18.39

Early QA: looking any new light novel licenses? A: Not today.

18.37

There will be new licensing announcements today. But first some previously announced titles.

18.37

Introducing the panel members: Abby Blackman, Tania Biswas, and Kurt Hassler.

18.30

Panel should be starting any minute now.

11.23

Motoi Suzuk (Shueisha): there will be social networking integration in the website, and customizable homepages. Sounds similar to Crunchyroll.

11.22

Toshitaka Tanaka: Japan has many more bookstores than the US, even though it has only 1/3 the population. The market is different.

19.29

Panel’s over. That’s it!

19.27

Paull Starr: a translator has much more power with a novel than a manga. Bill Flanagan: in anime subtitle translation you have 2 lines of 32 characters each, and you gotta put a phrase or sentence in it.

19.24

Dialect is a love/hate thing. Mari says that she’s from Osaka, and even she thinks of Osaka-ben as being like a Southern drawl.

19.23

Stephen Paul: he got the chance to redo Azumanga Daioh for Yen Press. When it came to the Osaka character, the anime version had a Southern drawl, the manga has a Brooklyn accent…and that’s a problem. Paul invented something in between and wrote a long translator note…but then the editor wrote him back saying, “So this is in Southern style, right?” That’s how they ended up doing it, not Paul’s version.

19.21

Mari: in Naruto, there have been some differences in various terms. There are differences between the way the anime does it and the manga. It’s a huge spreadsheet…

19.18

Jonathan Tarball: I’ve never had a fight with a translator. As a rewriter I want to do as little translation as possible, in a way.

19.17

Bill Flanagan: whenever there is an offer, I say yes.

19.16

Jonathan: “you named a character what?“

19.12

Paul Starr: sometimes it depends on how high up or influential you are as far as title selection requests.

19.11

Q: are there any titles that you wanted but didn’t get? A: Mari didn’t get Ranma 1/2, or Rin Ne.

19.06

Tarbox: sometimes thinks that it’s hard to read a manga in the original Japanese and do it justice in translation. Mari Morimoto is talking about “Cat’s Eye.”

19.04

Couldn’t catch most of the titles they’re talking about b/c of site slowness. Sorry.

19.01

Q: are there untranslated works out there that you, personally, would like to see translated? A: “There is an ocean of manga material, only a bucketful of which has made it into the American market” (Tarbox)

18.58

Jonathan Tarbox: Translating is sometimes like trying to explain Star Trek to your grandmother.

18.52

Stephen Paul: learning Japanese in college is very different from learning it to be able to read a manga comfortably. Learning to translate is in itself a different skill.

18.51

Paull Starr: if you have a lot of criticisms about translation, become a translator, which is an incredibly lucrative field! 🙂

18.50

Bill Flanagan: there is a range of what people, even purists, think are acceptable or unacceptable. Jonathan Tarbox: If you have four fanboys in a room you have five opinions.

18.47

Mari Morimoto: most people in this room are probably manga purists who want more literal translations. But that doesn’t always work with the flow. Viz’s mission is to also include non-fanatics and those who are new. No one pretends it’s a literal translation; difference between translation and adaptation.

18.44

Stephen Paul: Apparently Tokyopop hired an American comic writer to do the rewriting for Battle Royale and tried to “punch it up.”

18.44

Paul Starr: Changes are never made out of malice, but usually out of best intentions to present the creator in a good light. But fans sometimes have different expectations than translators.

18.43

Bill Flanagan: Negima went through a lot of translator turnover. There was a rewriter who wasn’t sensitive to fan needs and took creative license, combined with an editor who didn’t know how to stop it.

18.40

Q: For more colloquial translations, how do they make decisions to translate? A: Decisions are made by the translators. Problem is that editors aren’t necessarily bilingual now, so they have to trust translator decisions.

18.38

These people have definitely done some pretty cool manga and light novels: Haruhi, Spice and Wolf, the new Sailor Moon…

18.33

The panelists are doing their introductions now.

13.54

Panel’s over.

13.53

Fan: “Since so many X-Japan influences so many visual kei bands, which new bands do you admire?” Yoshiki: “What?” He then talks about Lee and McFarlane. (He didn’t seem to understand the question.)

13.51

“I like it when the guy who’s the boss is so involved in the project,” McFarlane says about Yoshiki’s involvement. The banter between McFarlane, Lee, and Yoshiki is really good.

13.48

Lee: “I never heard you talk so much!” Yoshiki: “It’s contagious.”

13.46

Fan: “Stan Lee, as a man to a man, I can say, I love you.” Stan Lee: “I accept that!”

13.46

Will Yoshiki incorporate the band members in to the comic book? “Yes, I think so….Our band has so much drama.”

13.43

Yoshiki thanks American fans for helping Japan in its time of need.

13.39

Yoshiki wanted the piece of music included in the comic to resemble Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A little gothic, etc. As to whether there will be more music for the comic books: “why not?”

13.32

What does Yoshiki hopes to express in the comic that he couldn’t do with music? “I don’t know,” he admits.

13.30

Yoshiki: “when I said ‘superhero,’ I wanted to be Spider Man…”

13.28

Yoshiki: “Can you make me a superhero?” he asked Stan Lee. “Only if you give me a cameo,” Lee replied.

13.26

Apparently Yoshiki gave Stan Lee a cameo in a music video, playing the role of the Devil. “And if you rearrange the letters of Satan, you can spell Stan!” Todd McFarlane says.

13.24

Stan Lee: “I hate these two men!” (Todd and Yoshiki) “I have people who are more talented than me!”

13.24

Panel’s being introduced now: Yoshiki, Stan Lee, Todd McFalane, etc.

13.19

Yay, we will be getting a free limited edition, music-playing copy of “Blood Red Dragon.” It’s a comic book, for those who don’t know…

13.18

Panel’s starting. They’re introducing everyone now.

13.15

They’re playing an ABC News clip about Yoshiki and X-Japan. A puff piece, basically.

13.11

The opening video is starting.

13.10

Waiting for the panel to begin. I hope my tethering battery lasts on this, mine is low…

14.53

Group photo competition now, rock paper scissors.

じゃんけん終了。現在、みゆきちとみんなで集合写真。ファンたちがおしくらまんじゅう。

14.52

Eliminated first round. She had scissors, I had paper.

じゃんけん第一ラウンド、みゆきちはチョキ、僕はパー…orz

14.51

Giving away signed CDs. Looks like we will do rock paper scissors.

みゆきちがサイン入りのCDをプレゼントすると公言。ただし４名様まで。よってみんなでじゃんけん大会。

14.50

They just announced the signing is right afterwards at the NIS booth. Bad move, announcing it so publicly like that and if there’s no tickets or lottery. There’s going to be a stampede…

みゆきちのサイン会がパネルのすぐ後にNISのブースであると突然発表。なんてこった、こんな発表のしかたって。これでチケットも抽選もなかったらどんなことに。大群が殺到して大混乱に陥ること間違いなし

14.48

Q: What will you be working on the future? A: She wants to study more English and do more roles in it.

Q：将来の展望にむけて何をしたいですか？A：英語をもっと勉強したいです。そして英語をもっと活かせる役をやりたいです。

14.46

Q: What’s your favorite creatures from the Persona/Shin Megami Tensai series? A: “Monsters? Creatures?” There was a character with an eagle.

Q：『ペルソナ／真・女神転生』でお気に入りのキャラは誰ですか？A：（英語で）モンスター？クリエーチャー？イーグルと一緒のキャラがいましたね。

14.43

Celty was one of the most difficult to roles to play because the character doesn’t have a head. She has to reduce the tone of her voice so that it can be a low tone, which took lots of practice.

セルティーは私のこれまで演じた中で最も難しいキャラの一人でした。なぜなら、彼女には頭がないからです。頭がないからこその彼女の低いトーンを出すには、声のトーンを落とさないといけないため、たくさんの練習が必要でした。

14.41

Q: Do a line from Celty in Durarara. In English, but in character? (Some groans from the audience.) A: “Sorry, I can only speak English when I want to order some hamburgers.”

Q：セルティーの台詞を一つ英語でお願いします。（ファンから歓喜の絶叫）A：（英語で）ごめんなさい。私は英語だとハンバーガーを注文することしかできないんです。（笑）

14.40

She had a pretty harsh voice for Hit Girl there.

みゆきちの「ヒット・ガール」の声はとても狂気染みてた。

14.38

She asks us: how many of us have seen “Kickass”? She did the dub of Hit Girl there in Japanese! Now she demonstrates…

みゆきちは「『キック・アス』を見たひとはどれだけいますか？」と尋ねる。みゆきちは、ヒット・ガールの吹き替えをやってたのだ！そして、ヒット・ガールの声を披露。

14.37

Q: You’ve done both mature roles (Celty, Maria), and cutesy ones (Puchiko—she goes “pew!” at the mention). Which one do you prefer? A: She really does enjoy both types. When she’s playing the more mature types of roles, it’s like talking with her coworkers. But when she’s playing kids, she can totally let go.

Q：沢城さんは、セルティーやマリアのような大人のキャラと、プチ子のような可愛いキャラを演じてきましたが、どっちがいいですか？A：どっちもとっても楽しいです。大人のキャラを演じるときは同僚と話してる感覚ですが、子供のキャラを演じるときは、本当に遠慮なく完全に制約なく自由にできます。

14.35

“Girls or Hideyoshis only!” for the next questioner.

「次の質問者は女の子か秀吉に限ります！」

14.35

Q: As Cammy in Street Fighter IV vs the upcoming SF vs Tekken, was there any difference between acting them? Also say “Spin Drive Smasher.” A: (Apparently not certain whether she will do it.)

Q：ストリートファイター４のキャミーと今度発売される鉄拳のキャミー、演技するにあたって何か違いがありましたか？また、「スピン・ドライバー・スマッシャー」と言ってください！A：やるかどうか迷ってるみたい。

14.32

Q: You worked with Kamiya-san, who’s a bit of a hentai. What’s it like working with him? A: I don’t really know if he’s really a hentai! Maybe he could be, but he is one of the most honest people in the industry. For groups like Zetsubou-sensei and Bakemonogatari, his faithfulness and honesty is striking. He is one of the few people who is as preparing as long as he does. Rare in the industry.

Q：沢城さんは、ちょっと変態チックな神谷さんと共演なされましたね。彼との仕事はどうでしたか？A：彼が変態かどうかはわかりません。そうかもしれません。でも、言えることは、彼はこの業界でもっとも誠実な人です。『絶望先生』と『化け物語』のメンバーで、彼の忠実さと誠実さは卓越してます。彼は一寸たりとも準備を怠らない数少ない人です。とてもこの業界では珍なことです。

14.29

Konishi-san is really tall, and worked together on Letter Bee (Tegami Bachi). They were lovers in an earlier role. He’s a really nice and kind guy. She once went to the recording studio, and Konishi-san always prepared the script and leaves it on her chair ready.

小西さんはとても背が高いですね。そして、『テガミバチ』で一緒に共演させていただきました。私は小西さんと恋人役で過去に共演したことがあります。彼はとてもナイスで優しい方です。私がスタジオに行くとき、小西さんは既に私の椅子の上に台本を置いててくれて、私のために準備しててくれたのですから。

14.28

And now Danny Choo gives it a shot…not as well. 🙂 “I’ve got a secret desire to become a voice actress,” he admits, before correcting himself.

そして、ダニー・チューも試してみるのだが。。。微妙だった。「俺も実は密かに声優になりたかったんだせ。」と告白した。でも、本来ならvoice actorというところをvoice actressと言ってしまい、即座にvoice actorに言い直した。

14.27

Apparently, Miyuki’s the screeching baby in that show!

みゆきちは赤ちゃん（魔王）の絶叫をファンに披露！

14.26

Ingrid from my anime club @animesouffle asks: “What was it like to work with Konishi-san in Beelzebub?”

僕の所属するアニメ・クラブ@animesouffleの同僚イングリットが「『べるぜバブ』で小西さんとの仕事はいかがでしたか？」とみゆきちに質問。ちなみにイングリッドは小西克幸の大ファン。

14.25

Audience Q: What’s the difference btwn voicing for games vs anime, and biggest challenges? A: Recording for anime and games is completely different. Usually when one is recording for anime, you are all in the same room and see and feel each others’ expressions. But for games, it’s recording solo; you have to imagine the feelings of the other actors. Imagining punching or kicking sounds are challenging.

会場にいるファンからの質問　Q：ゲームとアニメの演技はどう違うのでしょうか？また何が一番のチャレンジですか？A：アニメとゲームの収録はとても違います。アニメの場合はみんなと同じ部屋で収録するので、一緒に演じている声優さんたちの表情をみながら、またやり取りの呼吸を感じ取りながら演じることができます。しかし、ゲームの場合は、たった一人で収録するので、他の声優さんたちとのやり取りを想像しながら演技しないといけません。また、キックやパンチの時の発声なども大変でしたね。

14.21

“I can choose one!” Miyuki exclaims as people raise their hands for questions.

ファンが手を挙げる中、「私が選ぶわ！」とみゆきちが叫ぶ。（質問者がダニー・チューからファンに代わったため、ここからファンの質問コーナー）

14.21

Q: Any other seiyuu she’s enjoyed working with? A: Maaya Sakamoto (Nino in Arakawa). Sakamoto has been singing since 15 and had always listened to her music. She treats Sakamoto like a sempai, and can speak to her easily. During the recording of Arakawa she made sure she was always seen behind Sakamoto.

Q：他の声優で一緒に仕事していて楽しかった人はいますか？A：『荒川アンダー ザ ブリッジ』でニノを演じた坂本真綾さんですね。真綾さんは１５歳のときから歌い続けて、私もずっと真綾さんの歌を聴いてきています。真綾さんは私の先輩みたいな存在で、なんでも話せる間柄で、いつも相談に載ってくれます。荒川の収録中に私は真綾さんの隣にいつもくっついてました。

14.19

Q: Which character do you identify with most? A: In Kimi ni Todoke. She plays Yano. She can really relate to that character, it gives her a “Cupid” feel.

Q：どのキャラが自分に最も共通してると思いますか？A：『君に届け』で矢野ちんを演じました。矢野ちんのキューピッド（縁結び、恋の天使）の感覚にとても共感できます。

14.17

Q: How do you prepare yourself for a voiceover role? A: She did a role in Gosick lately, and played the part of a mother who was giving birth. She went on Youtube to watch videos of mothers giving birth…

Q：演技の準備にはどんなことをするのですか？A：最近、『ゴーシック』に出演させていただきましたが、その中で出産のシーンを演じました。そのために、YouTubeに行って、いろいろな出産のビデオを見ました。

14.16

Q: Do you practice being Maria every day in front of the mirror? A: She’s not really sadistic, but when she’s around the other characters, she feels that she might talk to them in that way…

Q：毎日、鏡の前でマリアの役を練習してますか？A：私は基本的にSではないですけど、周りにそうようなキャラがいたら、彼女みたいな口調になる気がしますね。

14.14

She now does a line from Arakawa: “Get down on the floor and say ‘I want to become a worm.'”

マリアの「もっと土に頭をつけてミミズになりたいって言いなさい！」を披露。後ろにいたオタクたちが狂喜乱舞。

14.13

Q: Any lines or roles that have been profound? A: She’s done many roles, and it’s hard to find a single one. The one for Arakawa Under the Bridge was very special. It’s one of her most sadistic roles. She feels like she’s wearing pin (?) heels doing it.

Q：どのキャラ、もしくは台詞が心に一番深く残ってますか？A：今まで数々の役を演じてきましたから、探すのはちょっと難しいですね。でも、荒川アンダー ザ ブリッジのマリアはスペシャルでしたね。今までで最もSな役の一つでした。ピン・ヒールを履きながらやってる感じですね。（後ろにいた日本から来たオタクたちが「ぜひともお願いします！俺たちドMです！」と絶叫）

14.11

Q: What does it take to become an amazing voice actress? A: Rather than actual skills, when she’s standing in front of a mic, she has to imagine standing by the sea. She suggests that people go to the sea and feel what it’s like. It might help in gaining the feelings to get the role. Spending time with friends helps too.

Q：神声優になるには何が必要ですか？A：技術というようりも、想像力、例えば海にいるシーンではマイクの前に立ってるときに海岸に立ってることを想像しなければなりません。実際に海に行ってみて、その感覚を五感で感じることです。それは役の感情を得るのに役立つでしょう。また友達と過ごすということも大切です。

14.09

Q: What was your big break? A: Usually in Japan, people who want to become a seiyuu have to go a school to learn to become one. However, when Miyuki was 13, she went to a normal school and auditioned for Di Gi Charat for a little sister role (Puchiko).

Q：なにが大きな転機だったのです？A：日本では普通、声優になるには声優養成所に通わなければなりません。でも、私の場合は１３歳のときに、普通の学校に通いながら、『デ・ジ・キャラット』のぷちこ（妹役）の役のオーディションに応募して合格しました。

14.07

Q: Why did you decide to be a voice actress? A: In primary school, she used to read a lot of books. Reading them, she realized she could become another person, which is one reason why she became a voice actress.

Q：どうして声優になりたいと思ったのですか？A：小学生のときにたくさんの本を読んでました。で、本を読んでるときに、自分が本の中のキャラという他人に成り切ることができるということを発見したんです。それが理由の一つで、声優になったんです。

14.06

Q: Where will she be traveling after the con? A: She likes going out to dinner.

Q：アニメ・エキスポの後、どこに行きたいですか？A：ディナーに行きたいです。

14.05

She also visited a supermarket and bought chocolate and cream for one of her friends—hasn’t found time to get something for herself.

スーパーマーケットにも行って、友達のお土産にチョコレートとクリームを買ってきました。自分のための買い物の時間はまだ見つけてません。

14.04

She spent 2 weeks in PA for a long vacation, and goes to NY to see some musicals. She also visited the Getty Center, had some trouble pronouncing it…(then again Danny Choo did too)

ペンシルバニアで二週間の長いヴァケーションを取って、そしてニューヨークに行ってミュージカルを見てきました。また、ロスのゲティー美術館も行ってきました。（みゆきちは「ゲティー」の発音ができなかった。またイギリス出身のダニー・チューも発音できなかった。＊アメリカ英語とイギリス英語の発音は違う。）

14.03

Q: where did you learn English? A: She did some home stay in Pennsylvania and at university too.

Q：どこで英語を覚えたんですか？A：大学で習ってました。またペンシルバニアでホームステーもしてました。

14.02

“Hey guys, konnichiwa! I woke up now. I couldn’t wait for this day, because it’s my dream to visit a convention abroad. I’m so glad to see your faces, guys! I’m going to enjoy this time with you, so enjoy with us, please. Thank you!”

やあ、みんな！こんにちわ！今、起きたところ。この日はとても待ち遠しかった。だって、海外のコンベンションに行くことが私の夢だったから。みんなに会えてとても嬉しい。今、みんなと過ごしてるこの時間をとっても楽しんでるよ。なので、みんなも、私たちと楽しんでね。お願い。サンキュー！

14.01

Q: When did you arrive in LA? A: She left Japan on Wednesday, and went back in time and arrived on Wednesday. Awesome time traveling! She can speak a little English…..

ダニー・チューからの質問。Q：いつロスに着きましたか？A：水曜日に日本を発って、その日にアメリカに着きました。とても素晴らしい旅です。（みゆきちは日常会話レベルなら英語を話せる）

14.00

Miyuki is dressed in a kimono. “Very nice indeed,” Choo says. “How long did you take to put it on.” Folks who are good at it can do it right away, but it took her 30 minutes.

沢城みゆきこと「みゆきち」が着物を着飾っての登場。ダニー・チューが「素敵ですね！」とすかさずお世辞。「着物を着るのにどれだけかかったんですか？」ときく。みゆきち、「慣れてる人ならすぐだけど、私は３０分もかかっちゃいました。」

13.59

What the heck? Danny Choo is the MC for the panel…

ええええ！？なんでダニー・チューがみゆきちのパネルのMCなの？

13.55

Sitting next to @Kylaran right now too. Rome and @Shinmaru are elsewhere. I gave him some of my trail mix.

キララン@Kylaranとロームとシンマル@Shinmaruと一緒に座って待ってる。ロームに自分の持ってるトレーラー・ミックス（ナッツ類の携帯食品）を少しばかりか恵んでやった。

13.52

Maybe I should use my literary creative writing skills to describe Sawashiro. 🙂

録画も録音もダメな今、ここが僕の作家としての腕の見せ所だな。(^―^)

13.50

First, the bad news: no photo or video of Sawashiro, even for press. This liveblog will be as exact a transcript as possible to make up for the lack.

最初にバッド・ニュース。ビデオ撮影、写真撮影はダメ。報道関係者ですらダメ。このライブ・ブログは、それらの不都合を埋め合わせるために可能な限り正確な筆記録として投稿します。

13.28

Hikaru: “I am very happy and didn’t expect this at all!”

13.27

Aha, it’s Hikaru’s bday tomorrow! We all sing happy birthday.

13.26

Hikaru: I was so surprised to see this many fans come to see us! Thank you for everything!

13.24

Keiko: this is the first time we can actually mingle with fans. This is overwhelming compared to Anime Boston. We are so happy and honored.

13.23

And it’s the end of the panel…the last word. Wakana: So many people came to see us! Thank you, come to our concert tomorrow!

13.19

My word, these are softball questions: “what’s the name of the producer who discovered them”? A guy with an orange lightstick got it….

13.18

Quiz: what anime uses their latest song, “Magia”? EVERY HAND in the room goes up. OMG, Madoka is going to be HUGE.

13.16

Now there is a quiz show, with prizes.

13.15

Correction: Hikaru loves string instruments, but personally she does play a little piano and drums.

13.14

Q: What are their favorite instruments? A: (Keiko): Guitar. Rock and roll! (Wakana): Flute. (Hikaru): “I touched a piano.”

13.13

Q: Inspiration for Black Butler 2 song? A (Hikaru, Keiko): for the costumes, Kajiura talked to the designers. They also looked at the storyboard of the anime.

13.10

Q: What are your hopes for the band going forward? A (Wakana): Performing more, around the world.

13.09

Hikaru: the Black Butler song. First time wearing long dress and long sleeves. Very inspirational, different.

13.07

Keiko: Magia. The costumes are strong, womanly, “hard,” and in-your-face.

13.07

Q: What was their favorite PV and the best costumes? A (Wakana): the first one, “Oblivious.” The costumes were all white; it’s her color.

13.03

Q: Do they have a favorite Kara no Kyoukai song? A: (Hikaru wrests microphone away from Keiko): They’re all inspirational, but she finds “Aria” more inspirational. She was so nervous that she started shaking when she sang it.

13.01

Q: Which song represents the way you look at the world? A (Keiko): We all treasure Kajiura-san’s songs. It’s hard to say which one is a favorite because each is so different. But the latest single, Magia, is very different…with Hikaru as the main vocalist, who didn’t do that before.

12.59

Q: Do you contribute the music in any way? A: Yuki Kajiura does it all. We stay true to her vision, that’s how we contribute.

12.57

Now it’s audience Q&A.

12.53

Q: What styles or brands do you like to dress in? A: No particular one, it depends on the song and its theme.

12.52

Q: anywhere specific they’d like to go in LA? Santa Monica Beach and Disney.

12.51

Wakana: excited to have a first West Coast concert! “Please come join us, I’m so excited.”

12.50

Kalafina is in! Apparently this is the second time at an anime convention.

12.46

Cheers for “Magia.” Looks like Madoka has a lot of traction already. #ax11

12.45

Looks like they can’t decide whether to turn off the lights or not during the video…

12.45

Video clip of Kalafina now showing.

12.43

No video, but photography yes. No surprise there. We will send someone to do Miyuki soon too.

12.38

Press is PACKED compared to Furukawa’s panel. Not surprised. They’re playing Kara no Kyoukai songs on the PA.

12.36

We’re inside now. Second row, directly in front of the microphones. Looks like we’ll have a very good shot.

12.13

OK, it seems press does have to clear the room. We will be back shortly

12.10

INFO: Furukawa’s autograph session is at Booth #1111 from 3-4 pm.

12.08

Whoa. He draws well…a really good sketch of Piccolo.

12.07

Answer: Ataru is so opposite of me, I can’t kiss a girl and grope another’s butt at the same time—but he just motioned it. Apparently he’s a devout Christian? “A decent human being wouldn’t do that…” 🙂

12.06

Our own Jeremy asks him the last question: “how did you get such a lecherous role like Ataru from Urusei Yatsura?”

12.05

I think I just saw the Kalafina entourage walk in the back door.

12.00

Furukawa is wrapping up now, the Kalafina panel liveblog will be here. Stay tuned! (Everything is running late; we’re going to send another staff member to Miyuki Sawashiro if it overlaps.)

11.57

Looks like just 5-10 minutes left. Kalafina is next!

11.55

Just did a Lupin III voice. And a sad voice.