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Anime Boston to Host BONES President Masahiko Minami, Producer Wakana Okamura
posted on by Rai Kelly
Funimation announced on Friday that the Anime Boston convention will host BONES president Masahiko Minami (pictured at right) and producer Wakana Okamura at this year's convention to promote the premiere of My Hero Academia Season 2.
Minami originally worked for SUNRISE INC, where he helped produce titles such as Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner, City Hunter, and The Vision of Escaflowne. He founded BONES alongside former Sunrise staff members Hiroshi Ōsaka and Toshihiro Kawamoto in 1998, and their first work included collaborating with Sunrise on Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. He has been the president and producer for BONES ever since, and is credited as producer or planning for many of their subsequent productions, including the studio's first original feature-length anime film Sword of the Stranger, as well as Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka Seven, Space Dandy, Snow White with the Red Hair, Mob Psycho 100, and more.
Okamura is best known for her work as a producer on My Hero Academia, Haikyu!!, Psycho-Pass, and other anime. Anime Boston 2017 will be her first North American convention on the northern east coast.
Anime Boston also announced last month that it will host director Shingo Natsume and producer Hirokatsu Kihara (pictured at left) as guests.
Natsume's directorial credits include the Space Dandy and One-Punch Man television anime, the Hori-san to Miyamura-kun OVA, and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos movie. His most recent anime is ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.
Kihara previously did production work for Studio Ghibli, where he worked with director Hayao Miyazaki on films such as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. More recently, he has worked on horror movies and books.
Anime Boston will take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston from March 31 to April 2. Other announced guests include directors Naokatsu Tsuda and LeSean Thomas, Japanese voice actor Tohru Furuya, English voice actors Bryson Baugus, Cherami Leigh, Christopher R. Sabat, Greg Ayres, Kyle Jones, Lisa Ortiz, Patrick Seitz Robbie Daymond, Lex Lang, Johnny Yong Bosch, Michelle Ruff, Sandy Fox, and Brina Palencia, the PuffyAmiYumi music group, the band OKAMOTO'S, author Roland Kelts.
