The Curious World of J-Pop & Sub-culture

This year, New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and New York Comic Convention (NYCC) will team up and celebrate the best of popular culture on both sides of the Pacific. NYAF features exclusive and extensive anime screenings, guests from America and Japan, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, fashion, food, and the cultural treasures that gave birth to Japanese pop culture. NYCC hosts the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television as well as panels and autograph sessions. Here are highlights of the most exciting popular culture event.

Japanese Anime/Manga Guest List

Hideo Katsumata (Producer)

After producing the hit anime series Rurouni Kenshin and Tokyo Pig (Hare Tokidoki Buta), Hideo Katsumata, President and Executive VP of Aniplex Inc., established the foundation of Sony Music Entertainment-Visual Works, the former name of Aniplex. Katsumata brought Aniplex’s brand name to worldwide recognition by producing the popular anime, Fullmetal Alchemist. He also produced Big Windup (Ookiku Furikabutte), Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) and many other titles. Currently, he leads Aniplex’s production teams and brings more hit anime series to the fans, including Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist). He is appearing on the Aniplex panel and at the Madoka screening from 7:45 pm on Oct. 14 at American Airlines Theater.

Junko Takeuchi (Seiyu)

Junko Takeuchi is one of the most respected voice actors in the Japanese anime industry. Her most notable role is Naruto Uzumaki, in NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN. She has also portrayed Gon Freecss in HUNTER x HUNTER, Mamoru Endo in INAZUMA ELEVEN and many more captivating characters. Over the years, as a result of her passion for her profession, Takeuchi’s career has expanded from voice acting in anime, to voiceover roles in live-action shows and other international productions. Her appearance will culminate in the introduction to the U.S. premiere of the feature film Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds from 1:15 pm on Oct. 14 at room 1A22.

Koichiro Natsume (Producer)

As President and Chief Operations Officer of Visual Business Group at Sony Music Entertainment, Aniplex, Inc.’s parent company, Koichiro Natsume has been a powerhouse of many anime series and movies including hits like Gurren Lagann, Black Butler and Fullmetal Alchemist just to name a few. Most recently, Natsume introduced the highly popular series Madoka Magica and Blue Exorcist to the public. He is appearing on the Aniplex panel and at the Madoka screening on Oct. 14.

Hiro Mashima (Manga author)

Hiro Mashima is a Japanese manga author and artist most known for his fantasy titles Rave Master, published in Japan from 1999 to 2005, and Fairy Tail, ongoing since 2006 and adapted into an anime in 2009. In the world of Fairy Tail, sorcerers band together in Guilds to take on paid assignments, including hunting monsters, finding lost items, and running odd errands, for non-magic users. NYAF’s AMV (anime music video) contest will dedicate a category solely to Fairy Tail.

Makoto Shinkai (Anime director)

Makoto Shinkai’s first animated works were She and Her Cat in 2000 and The Voices of a Distant Star in 2002. Both animations were solo works — drawn and directed single-handedly by Shinkai. The Voices of a Distant Star won a number of awards in Japan and attracted international attention. Shinkai’s first animated feature film, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, was released in 2004 and it was followed by 5 Centimeters per Second in 2007. These works spread Shinkai’s name further in Japan and around the world. After 5 Centimeters per Second, Shinkai spent a year in London, then returned to Japan to create his latest film — Hoshi O Ou Kodomo: Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below.

Misako Rocks! (Graphic novelist)

Misako Rocks! is a Japanese graphic novelist from Brooklyn, NY. Her first break came when the Onion decided to use her illustrations for their now famous “Savage Love” column, which runs every week. Shortly thereafter, Misako scored a two-book deal with Hyperion, a three-book deal with Henry Holt and a writing gig for Archie comics. Misako has been featured in many media, including BBC and NHK. Recently, Misako was chosen as one of Nikkei Woman Magazine’s 15 Women of the year. Misako published her first Japanese children’s manga with a Japanese publisher Meijishoin. Also, she is now running a monthly comic column in AERA English Magazine in Japan!