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NY Anime Fest Hosts Hatsune Miku Makers, An Café Bassist
posted on by Gia Manry
The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) has announced that Crypton Future Media president Hiroyuki Itō and planner/producer Wataru Sasaki, co-creators of the Hatsune Miku virtual idol character (along with character designer Kei), will be present at this year's event on October 8. Sasaki and Ito are two of the guests sponsored by The Japan Foundation of New York; they will be joined on a panel by Toshihiro Fukui, editor-in-chief of Japan's ASCII magazine, pop culture diplomat Takamasa Sakurai, and shamisen-playing duo Oyama x Nitta.
Visual kei band An Café's bassist Kanon will also appear at the convention on October 9 to promote his mobile phone visual novel PinkyDistortion, in which the player manages a fictional Japanese band. Kanon also recently collaborated with singer and cellist Kanon Wakeshima, best known for her ending theme for the Vampire Knight TV anime, to perform an opening for this past summer's television anime Shiki under the name Kanon x Kanon.
The 2009 television anime Hipira: The Little Vampire, based on a picture book by Akira creator Katsuhiro Ōtomo and animator Shinji Kimura, will premiere at the New York convention as part of the show's Kids Day on Sunday, October 10.
Previously announced guests for NYAF 2010 include J-Rock duo Puffy Amiyumi, singer and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya voice actress Minori Chihara, electronic duo Boom Boom Satellites, and former Morning Musume member and current Hangry & Angry singer Rika Ishikawa. A screening of the Gundam 00 movie will also take place at the convention.
Images © Crypton Future Media; Katsuhiro Ōtomo / Shinji Kimura / Sunrise
