Anime Expo Announces GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE Director and Producer as Guests of Honor

Source: Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation press release Official Site: anime-expo.org

Kazuchika Kise. Photo courtesy of Anime Expo.

Anime Expo proudly announces GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE Director/Character Designer Kazuchika Kise and Producer Mitsuhisa Ishikawa as Guests 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 +, xxx HOLIC, EVANGELION: 1.0, MIYAMOTO MUSASHI: THE DREAM OF THE LAST SAMURAI, 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. Mr. Ishikawa revolutionized the anime industry as a founder, and current C.E.O. and President of animation studio Production I.G., Inc.

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa. Photo courtesy of AX.

?Born in Tokyo in 1958, Mr. Ishikawa joined Tatsunoko Productions after graduating from college, and later established his own company Production I.G., Inc. As a Producer, his credits include GHOST IN THE SHELL, KILL BILL Vol 1, BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, as well as GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, which was the first anime to be nominated at the Cannes International Film Festival. He is currently working on GHOST IN THE SHELL: ARISE as the Executive Producer, along with many other titles that are going to premiere at this year’s Anime Expo. Anime Expo is excited to welcome Kazuchika Kise and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa as Guests 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, SPJA event 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 anime-expo.org.

About the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation

The SPJA 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 spja.org.