News

Anime Expo Hosts Guests From Love Live! Sunshine!!, One-Punch Man

Los Angeles anime convention Anime Expo announced on Tuesday that it will host Anju Inami, Rikako Aida, Nanaka Suwa, Arisa Komiya, Kanako Takatsuki, and Ai Furihata from the Love Live! Sunshine!! idol group Aqours, as well as One-Punch Man anime director Shingo Natsume, voice actor Makoto Furukawa (Saitama), and opening theme song performers JAM Project. The convention indicates more One-Punch Man guests are planned.

The six Aqours members will participate in a special talk session and screening as part of ~Love Live! Sunshine!! Event: Nice to Meet You, We are Aqours!!~. The convention does not state whether the members will perform, or what will be screened during the event.

The convention will reveal more details on the "One-Punch Matsuri" event, which will feature a performance by JAM Project. Both events will take place at the convention's Main Events venue on July 2.

Both events are part of a new larger event named Anisong World Matsuri, which is debuting with Anime Expo this year from Lantis, Sony Music Entertainment Japan Inc., Amuse, Bandai Visual, Bandai Namco Live Creative, and Anime Consortium Japan. The Matsuri also features concerts by Eir Aoi, JAM Project, Luna Haruna, Minami, Sphere, T.M. Revolution, Yoko Ishida, DJ Kazu, FLOW, and OLDCODEX.

Anime Expo is aiming to open ticket sales within the next two weeks, but has not yet confirmed a time. Premier Fans will be eligible to participate in a pre-sale period.

Anime Expo will celebrate its 25th anniversary at its convention this year from July 1-4. Previously announced guests include Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano, Your Lie in April manga creator Naoshi Arakawa, singer Michi, and voice actress Chika Anzai.

Last year's Anime Expo set a new attendance record with 90,500 unique attendees, up 12% from 2014. This year's event will launch a Youth Protection Program. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the California-based non-profit organization behind Anime Expo, is partnering with the Nonprofit Risk Management Center to launch the program to protect young attendees at Anime Expo.

Update: Anime Expo does not yet have a definite window for when ticket sales will open.