LOS ANGELES (June 21, 2011) – Anime Expo 2011 has announced Tetsuro Araki, Masayoshi Tanaka and Kentaro Hashimoto of Madhouse Studios as Guests of Honor. The trio will be present for a special July 2nd screening of the acclaimed zombie apocalypse series Highschool of the Dead and will host a creator’s panel at Anime Expo, when it returns to the L.A. Convention Center from July 1 — 4, 2011.

Tetsuro Araki has engaged with a number of animated TV series, including Di Gi Charat Nyo and Gungrave, as a Madhouse staff. He makes a shocking directorial debut, with the animation adaptation of the comic series Death Note. Since then he has directed the vampiric saga Kurozuka and adapted the zombie apocalypse Highschool of the Dead. Mr. Araki is now working with Production I.G on his new series Guilty Crown.

As an animator, Masayoshi Tanaka has worked on popular series such as X, Chobits, Eureka 7, Honey And Clover and many more. As character designer and chief animator, his most famous works include Toradora!, the animated adaptation of the Shonen Jump series Reborn! and Highschool of the Dead. He is currently working on Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai at A-1 Pictures.

Kentaro Hashimoto has produced mega-hit animated television series like Death Note and Kurozuka. Mr. Hashimoto has brought out new animated interpretation of the classic literature by Ango Sakaguchi in Aoi Bungaku: In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom. His newest series is the acclaimed zombie apocalypse action animated series Highschool of the Dead.

The roster of Anime Expo 2011 Guests of Honor includes Japanese pop trio Kalafina; singing sensation Maon Kurosaki; techno pop band NIRGILIS; LASTEXILE -Fam, The Silver Wing- production team Koichi Chigira, Makoto Kobayashi, Takaaki Suzuki and Hiroyuki Birukawa; Japanese TV Host and blogger Danny Choo; voice actress and singer Miyuki Sawashiro; voice actors Toshio Furukawa, Vic Mignogna, Toshiyuki Morikawa and Taliesin Jaffe; stars of the Power Rangers series and movies; video game developer Sohei Niikawa; Crypton Future Media CEO Hiroyuki Itoh and Producer Wataru Sasaki; Vocaloid songwriter Onyx Kobayashi; manga artists Izumi Matsumoto and Fred Gallagher and anime director Seiji Mizushima. Anime Expo has also announced Hatsune Miku as its first ever Virtual Guest of Honor. Themed the “Year of the Fan,” Anime Expo 2011 will fully immerse guests into the world of Japanese animation, manga (comic books), music and fashion. Anime Expo is a non-stop marathon of Japanese pop culture that’s been likened to Halloween in July.

Chris Arrant

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