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Anime Expo to Host Singer Yoko Takahashi, A-1 Pictures President Tomonori Ochikoshi
posted on by Kevin Pennyfeather
The organizers of Anime Expo announced on Friday that they will host singer Yoko Takahashi (pictured at right), A-1 Pictures president Tomonori Ochikoshi, producer Yuichi Fukushima, and planner Masanori Miyake.
Takahashi will participate in autograph sessions throughout the weekend, and in a live musical performance on Sunday, July 5 as part of a celebratory event for Neon Genesis Evangelion's 20th anniversary. Takahashi performed the opening theme song "Cruel Angel's Thesis" and one of the "Fly to the Moon" ending theme songs for the Neon Genesis Evangelion television anime series, as well as "Soul's Refrain," the theme song of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.
Takahashi has also performed theme songs for CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon, Pumpkin Scissors, Shakugan no Shana, Ah! My Goddess, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, and Aquarian Age the Movie. Most recently, she released a her new album 20th Century Boys & Girls 2 in April.
Ochikoshi (pictured at left), Fukushima, and Miyake will participate in an A-1 Pictures panel at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. Ochikoshi joined A-1 Pictures when it was founded, and he formerly held positions as the production group's general manager and the creative group's general manager. He became the new representative director and president of the animation studio as of April 1.
Fukushima joined the studio in 2009 as a production manager, and has worked as a producer since 2011 on shows such as Vividred Operation, THE IDOLM@STER MOVIE, Your Lie in April, and THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS. He is currently producing Dokyusei.
Miyake started working with A-1 Pictures in May of this year after working as a producer at ADK Inc. since 2002. Miyake has worked on planning and development on shows such as Eyeshield 21, Natsume's Book of Friends, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.
Anime Expo will also host Studio Trigger's Hiroyuki Imaishi and Yoh Yoshinari (who will present Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade), Danganronpa game writer and designer Kazutaka Kodaka, rock band Wagakki Band, Vocaloid diva IA, voice actresses Tomoyo Kurosawa and Yumiri Hanamori, idol group Momoiro Clover Z along with members of American rock band KISS, manga artist Julietta Suzuki, Cannon Busters director LeSean Thomas, Satelight's Thomas Romain, light novel illustrator Luna Tsukigami, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni creator Ryukishi07, Guilty Gear game developer Daisuke Ishiwatari, Spice & Wolf light novel author Isuna Hasekura, director Naokatsu Tsuda at the English dub premiere of his JoJo's Bizarre Adventure television anime, Visual Art's/Key artist Itaru Hinoue, voice actress Ayako Kawasumi, the staff of the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works television anime, Mega Man co-creator Keiji Inafune, Studio 4°C founder Eiko Tanaka, and Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches creator Miki Yoshikawa.
This year's Anime Expo will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2 to July 5.
