Guests to host panels, hold autograph sessions throughout convention weekend

Los Angeles anime convention Anime Expo announced on Tuesday that it will host voice actor Junichi Suwabe and BONES studio president Masahiko Minami. BookWalker also announced on Wednesday that Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto creator Nami Sano will attend the convention as the company's second special guest.

Suwabe will participate in a panel and hold autograph sessions throughout the weekend, and will also host a special panel for Premier Fan pass holders. Minami will hold a panel and autograph sessions. This will be Sano's first North American convention, and she will hold her first ever autograph sessions.

Suwabe has voiced characters in such anime as One Piece (Vergo), X (Fuuma Monou), Fullmetal Alchemist (Greed), Fate/stay Night (Archer), Trinity Blood (Cain Nightroad), NANA (Kyosuke Takakura), Lovely Complex (Kuniumi Maitake), Black Bulter (Undertaker), Vampire Knight (Akatsuki Kain), The Prince of Tennis (Keigo Atobe), The Tatami Galaxy (Jōgasaki), Mushibugyō (Yukimura Sanada), Yowamushi Pedal (Toji Kanzaki), Kuroko's Basketball (Daiki Aomine), My Hero Academia (Shota Aizawa), and Uta no Prince-sama - Maji Love 1000% (Ren Jingūji).

Minami worked in production advancement/animation runner in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam , and then as production manager/desk in such Sunrise anime as Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner , City Hunter , The Vision of Escaflowne , and Cowboy Bebop . He founded BONES alongside former Sunrise staff members Hiroshi Osaka and Toshihiro Kawamoto in 1998, whose first work included collaborating with Sunrise on Cowboy Bebop: The Movie . He has been the president and producer for BONES ever since, and is credited as producer or planning for many of their subsequent productions, including the studio's first original feature-length anime film Sword of the Stranger , as well as Fullmetal Alchemist , Eureka Seven , Space Dandy , Snow White with the Red Hair , and more.

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is Sano's debut series. Sano launched the series in Kadokawa's harta manga magazine in 2011, and ended the series in December. Seven Seas Entertainment is publishing the manga in North America, and the company released the third volume on March 8. Sano is currently working on concepts for her next series.

Anime Expo will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year from July 1 to July 4. The convention will also host Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano; Your Lie in April manga creator Naoshi Arakawa; singer Michi; voice actress Chika Anzai; Monster Musume creator OKAYADO; Castlevania: Symphony of the Night designer Koji Igarashi; Macross creator Shoji Kawamori; P.A. Works CEO, founder, and producer Kenji Horikawa; FLCL 2 guests Kazuya Tsurumaki and Mayumi Shintani; voice actor Tetsuya Kakihara; minori producer nbkz (Nobukazu Sakai); CLOCKUP illustrator Shigeo Hamashima; Anju Inami, Rikako Aida, Nanaka Suwa, Arisa Komiya, Kanako Takatsuki, and Ai Furihata from the Love Live! Sunshine!! idol group Aqours; and One-Punch Man anime director Shingo Natsume, voice actor Makoto Furukawa (Saitama) and opening theme song performers JAM Project.

Other musical guests include Eir Aoi, Luna Haruna, Minami, Sphere, T.M. Revolution, Yoko Ishida, DJ Kazu, FLOW, and OLDCODEX.

The convention will also host a P.A. Works 15th Anniversary Exhibit at this year's convention in the Entertainment Hall, presented by Kenji Horikawa. Additionally Anime Expo will host a "Cowboy Bebop Jazz Cat Experience" performance event.