Anime Expo 2011

Starchild Records Industry Panel

Starchild Records, the anime music production label of Japan's King Records, launched their first-ever panel at Anime Expo with blogger Danny Choo serving as the panel's translator and moderator. Yoshihisa Yamashita, a member of King Records and Starchild Records, presented information on the company, which launched in 1981— making 2011 its 30th anniversary —and has worked on over 200 animation titles since then. They also work with voice actors and live action films.

Providing exampes of the series Starchild has worked on, Yamashita presented the opening videos from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fruits Basket, Negima!, Toradora!, and Arakawa Under the Bridge. The panelists moved on to talk a bit about some of Starchild's music artists, which include Megumi Hayashibara, Yui Horie, and angela in their numbers. More recently they've started working with idol groups like Momoiro Clover, who starred in the next video clip presented to the audience.

Pingudoramu Kunihiko Ikuhara - Next they talked about upcoming productions, which include Brains Base and Utena director Kunihiko Ikuhara's Mawaru Penguindrum. The audience watched an unsubtitled trailer for the show, which featured a young woman trying to keep her pet penguin under control while walking down the street. Next came Shin Oonuma's C³, which will air this fall.Miniskirt Pirate, from Di Gi Charat and Martian Successor Nadesico's Tatsuo Satō and studio Satelight, although there was no video available for presentation at the convention. It'll be on Starchild's website "shortly." This season's gender-bending butler series Mayochiki is the last show they'll talk about, which starts next week in Japan. Danny Choo noted that his own mascot character Mirai-chan will appear in the series.

Last, the pair presented Starchild's official English website, which Danny Choo's company manages for them. Because the panel ran late there was no question and answer session.