It’s been a long road to get there but Otakon 2023 kicks
off tomorrow, well if you’re doing Pre Reg anyway (officially it begins Friday
but yeah anyway). I am beyond psyched to
return to DC once again for one of my favorite Conventions, to see good
friends, thousands of cosplayers and get some much sought merch. One thing I have noticed about 2023 in
particular is that while there always are a large number of Guests in
attendance, a lot of them are people I wouldn’t actually mind waiting in line
to get an autograph with or just say hello to in passing. Normally it’s maybe one or two notable names
but in this case, I’ve found five. So
enjoy this epic prelude to my big weekend adventure with my Top 5 Guests Coming
to Otakon 2023 and be sure to check back Next Wednesday for my Top 5 Otakon
2023 Moments as well.
Mr. Tenjin is a bit of a legend in the Mecha Anime Community.
He’s provided the mechanical are designs for
shows such as Aquarion, Hellsing and Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2205
and has been heavily involved in the Macross franchise since Macross Zero.
For me though, because I’ve been getting more
into model making and figure collecting, Mr. Tenjin’s concept art for Model
Kits from the Macross and Mobile Suit Gundam franchises would be something I’d
love to talk to him about.
My Otakon
Dealers Room wish list is mainly comprised of Gunpla anyway so he could
probably give some good suggestions of his own.
#4-Shinji Aramaki
This Anime Director is unique in that he specializes in
one particular style of Anime and has been working to improve continuously over
the last couple of decades. Aramakis biggest initial splash was in 2004 with
Appleseed, an entirely 3DCG Anime feature. Since then he’s become the godfather
of that franchise with 2 sequels and a TV adaptation. In more recent years
Aramakis been working on high profile titles like Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045
and Blade Runner: Black Lotus, both of which he co directed with Stand Alone
Complex creator Kenji Kamiyama. Whereas most 3D Anime can look kind of meh,
Aramaki is one name you can count on the make it look gorgeous as heck
#3-Justin Cook
The list of voice roles for this guy includes some of the
biggest and most beloved Anime of all time including Attack on Titan, Fullmetal
Alchemist, Attack on Titan and Ouran High School Host Club just to name a few.
For me and some very special friends, one role stands above them all: Yusuke
Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho. I love his rough and hilarious portrayal of the
high schooler turned Spirit Detective and it would be a huge win if I could get
a photo with him and my friends for whom Yu Yu Hakusho means a great deal.
#2-AmaLee
This lovely VA rose to prominence on YouTube thanks to
her incredible singing talents. Her English covers of many Anime themes from
Evangelion to Fate/Stay Night to Demon Slayer are the stuff of legends. But
arguably most important of all is among her very impressive voice acting
credits is one for a very much beloved Anime Cosplay girl. I’m talking about
the ultimate Waifu bestie Marin Kitagawa from My Dress Up Darling. AmaLees
performance as Marin both excited and melts the heart at the same time and I’m sure
I’d be left speechless if I ever got to meet her
#1-Shoji Kawamori
This announcement took me totally by surprise. How often
does he come stateside for a convention?
It’s rare and might be rare enough to go for an autograph even if it
costs an arm and a leg. For those not in the know Shoji Kawamori is a pioneer
in the Mecha genre thanks to a little known Anime classic you might have heard
of called Super Dimension Fortress Macross and several of its subsequent
sequels. He’s also responsible for the match made in Heaven of Mecha and
Fantasy known as The Vision of Escaflowne. Point is, Kawamori is a legend and
it’s a huge honor to have Otakon host him this year.
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