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Anime Expo to Host Macross Creator Shoji Kawamori

Los Angeles anime convention Anime Expo announced on Tuesday that it will host anime director Shōji Kawamori at this year's event. He will host a panel, and will also be available for autograph sessions throughout the event.

Kawamori is perhaps most famous for being part of the creative planning for The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series. He designed most of the franchise's iconic transforming "variable fighter" mecha, and oversaw most of the main installments in the franchise, including the latest, the currently airing Macross Delta. He studied at Keio University with Macross character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto and screenwriter Hiroshi Ohnogi.

Kawamori has also created the Aquarion, AKB0048, and Arjuna series, and has contributed mechanical design work to Patlabor: The Movie, Patlabor 2: The Movie, Eureka Seven, Outlaw Star, Ghost in the Shell, and more. He is credited as the original creator of The Vision of Escaflowne, Basquash!, and Nobunaga The Fool. He has worked in anime production as a director, screenwriter, mechanical designer, and storyboarder. Outside anime, he designed one of Sony's Aibo robot dog variants and contributed to the designs of Takara's Diaclone Car Robot toys, which eventually became Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, and other toys in Hasbro's Transformers line.

Anime Expo will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year from July 1 to July 4. The convention will also host Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano; Your Lie in April manga creator Naoshi Arakawa; singer Michi; voice actress Chika Anzai; Monster Musume creator OKAYADO; Castlevania: Symphony of the Night designer Koji Igarashi; Anju Inami, Rikako Aida, Nanaka Suwa, Arisa Komiya, Kanako Takatsuki, and Ai Furihata from the Love Live! Sunshine!! idol group Aqours; and One-Punch Man anime director Shingo Natsume, voice actor Makoto Furukawa (Saitama) and opening theme song performers JAM Project.

Other musical guests include Eir Aoi, Luna Haruna, Minami, Sphere, T.M. Revolution, Yoko Ishida, DJ Kazu, FLOW, and OLDCODEX. The convention will additionally host minori producer nbkz (Nobukazu Sakai) and CLOCKUP illustrator Shigeo Hamashima.