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Otakon to Host Madhouse Founder Masao Maruyama
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The organizers of Otakon announced on Thursday that Madhouse anime studio founder Masao Maruyama will return to the July 27-29 convention in Baltimore. Otakon will also host director and producer Shin Sasaki.
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.
Maruyama recently worked as a creative producer on the currently-running Hunter x Hunter television anime series and the recently-ended Kids on the Slope series. Otakon first hosted Maruyama in 2001 and he has since returned every year except in 2004 and 2007.
Sasaki started his career at Sunrise in 1997. He has worked with various Gundam projects since 1999. He has been involved in publicity for the Cowboy Bebop film, Gundam Seed, and Gundam Seed Destiny. He has also worked as a producer for Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer fillm, and is currently working as a planning producer for the Mobile Suit Gundam AGE television anime series. He also currently works as a director at Sunrise and at Namco Bandai Live Creative Inc.
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