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Anime Expo Hosts Votoms Director Ryōsuke Takahashi, Animators Tōru Yoshida, Moriyasu Taniguchi

Anime Expo announced on Tuesday that it will host anime director Ryōsuke Takahashi and animators Tōru Yoshida and Moriyasu Taniguchi as guests.

Takahashi directed and created the original concept for the 1981 anime Fang of the Sun Dougram, and the 1983 Armored Trooper Votoms anime. Both anime are iconic entries in the so-called "real robot" subgenre of mecha pioneered by Mobile Suit Gundam, characterized by robots as mass-produced military machines (with limitations in operation akin to real-life war machines) and gritty and grounded stories about war and its bitter costs. Throughout his career, Takahashi has continued to work on "real robot" mecha anime, including Panzer World Galient, Blue Comet SPT Layzner, Gasaraki, Flag, and OBSOLETE. He has also worked on non-mecha military stories, such as the "Knight of the Iron Dragon" short for The Cockpit anthology, and the Silent Service OVA.

Yoshida specializes in mecha animation and action effects, and worked as key animator and/or animation director with Takahashi on many of the anime he directed, and also worked on such anime as Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Fullmetal Alchemist, Zone of the Enders, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, IDOLM@STER: XENOGLOSSIA, Extreme Hearts, and Grendizer U.

Taniguchi has worked as an animator and/or animation director on numerous works, including Armored Trooper Votoms, City Hunter, and Samurai Champloo.

Anime Expo 2026 will take place from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Source: Anime Expo X/Twitter account (link 2)