News

ACen to Host Gunsmith Cats' Sonoda, A-ko's Moriyama

Anime Central has announced that it will host Gunsmith Cats creator Kenichi Sonoda, Project A-ko co-creator Yūji Moriyama, Macross singer Mari Iijima, Solty Rei designer Shujirou Hamakawa, Brave Story manga artist Yoichiro Ono, comic artists Jeffrey Moy and Philip Moy, and Sonoda's editor Hiroshi Tada at the May 16-18 convention in Rosemont, Illinois.

Sonoda designed a number of ARTMIC projects including Bubblegum Crisis and Gall Force before creating Riding Bean and later Gunsmith Cats. Sonoda set the bounty-hunting story of Gunsmith Cats in Chicago (not far from Anime Central), and last appeared at Anime Central a decade ago in 1998. Gunsmith Cats: Burst manga editor Tada will join Sonoda on this trip.

Moriyama co-created the Project A-ko parody movie and would go on to direct the three sequels. He later directed 801 T.T.S. Airbats, Exper Zenon, Geobreeders, Jungle de Ikou!, Madara, and Shrine of the Morning Mist.

Iijima rose to fame in her first starring role as Lynn Minmay in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross robot romance anime. She has since contributed songs to later Macross projects and had her own independent music career.

"Shuzilow.HA" Hamakawa designed and co-developed the Solty Rei anime series. He also worked on Crystal Triangle, Planetes, and Yukikaze.

Ono drew the manga version of Miyuki Miyabe's Brave Story novel and Revenge of Mouflon.

Comic book artists and illustrators Jeffrey Moy and Philip Moy drew several titles for DC Comics — Legionnaires and CMX's Star Trek Voyager for Jeffrey, and Powerpuff Girls, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, Samurai Jack, and the Blue Beetle for Philip. Jeffrey is now a senior concept artist for Raven Software who has worked on Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, X-Men Legends 1 and 2, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.