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Toronto's Anime North to Host Character Voices Mai Goto, Yumi Hara, Hidekatsu Shibata
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Organizers of Canada's Anime North convention announced this week that Japanese voice cast members Mai Goto, Yumi Hara, and Hidekatsu Shibata will be guests of honor at the event.
Goto is best known for voicing Fullmetal Alchemist's May Chang. She also voiced Airi Mizutani in Phi-Brain - Puzzle of God, Ritos Tortilla in Blessing of the Campanella, and Astarte in The Qwaser of Stigmata. She also sang theme songs for Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, ef: a tale of melodies, and Blessing of the Campanella.
Hara voiced Marielle in last year's Log Horizon anime series. She's reprising her role in The IDOLM@STER with the super-deformed PUCHIM@S 2 spinoff as Takane Shijō/Takanya. Funimation is streaming the series as it airs in Japan. Hara's other roles include Yūko Kanoe in Dusk maiden of Amnesia. This will be her first appearance at a North American convention.
Shibata will receive the convention's Momiji Award. He began working as a voice actor in the 1960s, starring in the wrestling anime Tiger Mask as Mr. X. His many notable roles include Baron Ashura in Mazinger Z, Mitsuru Kiruda in Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Dragon in One Piece, Sarutobi in Naruto, Fuhrer King Bradrey in Fullmetal Alchemist, Mars in Saint Seiya Omega and Fairy Tail as the narrator.
The convention is also featuring lolita model Misako Aoki and Japanese indie band DaizyStripper. The band performed the ending theme "Setsubō no Furījia" for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal anime series. The band previously performed at Baltimore's Otakon convention in 2008.
Anime North will be held May 23-25 at the Toronto Congress Center.
