Source: FanimeCon press releases Official Site:
fanime.com Special Thanks to Milton Le FanimeCon 2011 takes place this Memorial Day weekend (May 27-30, 2011) at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center (150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, CA 95113). Registration opens 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 27, and Closing Ceremonies ends at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 30. In between, the fun continues nonstop for people with full-weekend memberships (available for $60 at the convention). Guests of Honor for 2011 include GAINAX co-founder Hiroyuki Yamaga, Japanese rock legend Yoshiki, popular idol Halko Momoi, musical performer Yuya Matsushita, pop band FLOW, prolific voice actor Tohru Furuya, designer GASHICON, manga creator Ryusuke Hamamoto, anime director Seiji Mizushima, and animator/artists Takahiro Yoshimatsu, Fumio Iida, and Mamoru Yokota. FanimeCon has provided some last-minute updates for this year`s show...
FanimeCon 2011 Announces Japanese Rock Icon Yoshiki as a Guest of Honor FanimeCon 2011 announces surprise Guest of Honor, Yoshiki. The talented co-founder of X Japan will hold a panel and autograph session in the evening on Saturday, May 28, 2011 at the San Jose Convention Center. Yoshiki and vocalist Toshi formed X Japan (originally named X) in 1982. Since then, X Japan has sold more than 30-million albums, singles and videos, becoming the most successful rock band in Japanese history. The heart of X Japan, Yoshiki has written popular hits such as “I.V.” from Saw IV and “Forever Love” from the X/1999 movie. He also plays drums, piano, guitar, bass, and trumpet. Beyond X Japan, Yoshiki has produced some of Japan`s most influential bands, including Dir En Grey and Glay. Yoshiki is also an entrepreneur and a true renaissance man. He has a line of jewelry, his own wine, and a line of kimonos. In July, 2010, Yoshiki launched the
Yoshiki Foundation America, which has already helped organizations including The Grammy Foundation, Make-a-Wish, and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. After the March 2011 earthquake in Japan, the foundation has partnered with the Japan America Society of Southern California and is focusing on disaster relief efforts. Yoshiki will be at FanimeCon 2011 for only a few hours on Saturday, May 28, and
fanime.com will have more details about his appearance.
Librarians and FanimeCon 2011 Offer Free Panels to the Public FanimeCon invites the public to two free panels, "Anime for Parents" by Gilles Poitras and "Storytime @ Fanime" by Ruth Boyer.
"Anime for Parents" is on Friday, May 27, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in the Salon I-II rooms on the second floor of the San Jose Marriott hotel. Gilles Poitras is a librarian at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, as well as the author of
The Anime Companion and
Anime Essentials: Everything a Fan Needs to Know. In the panel, Mr. Poitras will give parents an introduction to anime and will answer questions people may have about what anime their children are watching. "Storytime @ Fanime" invites kids of all ages to experience "songs, stories, rhymes, and fingerplays, all with a Fanime twist" on Saturday, May 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Salon I-II rooms on the second floor of the San Jose Marriott. Ruth Boyer is a librarian in the Contra Costa County Library system and has presented weekly storytimes over the past year. Anime conventions are normally geared towards teens and adults, and this is the first panel at FanimeCon designed for younger children. When asked what inspired her to create this unique panel, Ms. Boyer said that she was "deeply impressed by the spirit and energy" of FanimeCon while "one of the best parts of working in a public library is getting to do storytimes with children". She explained, "The panel idea came from a melding of these two things that I love so much, storytimes and Fanime".
About FanimeCon
FanimeCon is Northern California’s largest anime convention. Packed with videos, costumes, music, games, parties, tournaments, panels, and guests from around the world, this annual celebration of Japanese art and popular culture entertains a colorful spectrum of fans and friends. FanimeCon is “By Fans, For Fans”, and over 16,000 enthusiasts joined FanimeCon 2010. FanimeCon will return to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center during Memorial Day weekend, May 27-30, 2011. For more information, please contact FanimeCon Marketing at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit
fanime.com.
For more information on FanimeCon 2011 please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan:
Rock star Yoshiki will attend for a panel and autograph session on Saturday, May 28th.
FanimeCon provides free panels aimed at children and their parents, including a presentation by author Gilles Poitras.