Anime Expo Announces Ghost in the Shell: Arise Director Kazuchika Kise as Guest of Honor

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 6th, 2013 – Anime Expo proudly announces Ghost in the Shell Arise Director and Character Designer Kazuchika Kise as a Guest of Honor for AX2013!

Mr. Kise started his career at Anime R immediately after graduating high school. He debuted as a key animation supervisor on Episode 23 of Red Photon Zillion. He then worked for Studio Mu, and is currently one of the main character designers and animation supervisors at Production I.G, Inc. He made his directorial debut on Drawer Hobs in 2010. His credits include Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Blood+, xxxHOLiC, Evangelion: 1.0, Miyamoto Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, Sengoku Basara – The Last Party, Blood-C: The Last Dark, and most recently, the eagerly-anticipated Ghost in the Shell Arise as Director and Character Designer.

Anime Expo is excited to welcome Kazuchika Kise as a Guest of Honor to AX 2013, where attendees can connect with their favorite artists, voice actors, and musicians from Japan, display their amazing cosplay and other artistic creations, and enjoy the best in Japanese anime and pop culture. Connect. Create. Culture. All at Anime Expo!

About Anime Expo
Hosted annually in Los Angeles, Anime Expo is North America's largest celebration of Japanese culture. Anime Expo 2013 will be held July 4 - 7, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register, or for more information, please visit the Anime Expo website.

About the SPJA
The SPJA ("Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation") is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the American public about Japanese entertainment culture, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. For more information, please visit the SPJA website.