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Animazement to Host Voice Actors Kikuko Inoue, Ryusei Nakao
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Animazement announced last week that voice actors Kikuko Inoue and Ryūsei Nakao will attend its anime convention with the band ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D and producers Shinichiro Kashiwada and Masao Maruyama in Raleigh, North Carolina on May 22-24.
Inoue is a prolific voice actress having appeared in hundreds of roles over the course of her career. She is the voice Belldandy (Ah! My Goddess), Cecile Croomy (Code Geass), Goei (Ikki Tousen), Grace O'Connor (Macross Frontier), and Kasumi Tendo (Ranma ½). She is currently starring as Michael in Maria the Virgin Witch and Yuriika in Yuri Kuma Arashi.
Nakao made his anime debut in 1965 and has since voiced many notable roles including Frieza in Dragon Ball Z, Baikinman in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise, Isami Nishimura in Touch, Caesar Clown in One Piece, and Kurotsuchi Mayumi in Bleach.
ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D is an alternative rock band that consists of four members. The band's debut single "Complication" was used as the second opening theme song for the Durarara!! anime series. The band has also performed the second opening theme song "In My World" for Blue Exorcist, the ending theme song "Song for..." for Bleach, and "Reclimb" for Yowamushi Pedal. They returned to perform the ending theme for the Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road anime series. The band previously performed at new New Jersey's AnimeNEXT convention last year and at California's Fanime convention in 2013.
In addition to serving as a chief producer for Sword Art Online, Kashiwada was also an associate producer for other Aniplex titles such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Oreimo, World Conquest Zvezda Plot, The irregular at magic high school, and Nanana's Buried Treasure. Seattle's Sakura-Con convention is also hosting Kashiwada in April.
Maruyama was involved in the establishment of MADHOUSE in 1972. Since then, he has nurtured talents such as Tetsuro Araki, Atsuko Ishizuka and the late Satoshi Kon. Among the anime he has produced are Unico, Ninja Scroll, Card Captor Sakura, Monster, Death Note, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Paprika, Redline, and Supernatural the Animation. In 2011, Maryumama left MADHOUSE and formed MAPPA, whose first major project was 2012's Kids on the Slope television anime series.
