Anime NYC Announces Schedule of Events for 2021 Japanese Pop Culture Celebration
Three Days of Panels, Screenings, Performances, and More At The Javits Center Nov. 19-21
New York, NY – Anime NYC powered by Crunchyroll, one of North America’s largest dedicated anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture conventions, will present three days of entertaining and educational programming focused on Japanese culture, the anime industry, gaming, and more, all under one roof at New York’s Javits Center (655 W 34th St) from November 19-21. Highlights include special industry panels from publishers and artists across the anime and manga industry such as Funimation, hololive, Aniplex, Crunchyroll, GKIDS, Qubic Pictures, and many more.
Over 50,000 fans are expected to gather at Anime NYC to share exclusive screenings, talks with iconic creators and industry leaders, Japanese games, and incredible live concerts. With over 200 hours of programming planned, fans are sure to fill the three days with unforgettable experiences as they gather again safely for the first time since 2019.
Anime NYC Guests
Anime NYC welcomes guests from across the US and Japan. An updated list of attending guests this year has been announced and the current guest list can be found HERE. Recent additions to the exciting lineup include:
Doug Erholtz, American voice actor best known for his performances as Inspector Zenigata from Lupin the 3rd, Gin Ichimaru from Bleach, TK Takaishi from Digimon Adventure 02, Squall Leonhart from the Final Fantasy series and the Kingdom Hearts series, Asuma Sarutobi and Kankuro from Naruto, Jean Pierre Polnareff from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, and Hamrio Musica from Rave Master.
Lex Lang, award-winning voice actor and director who has voiced over 400 characters in anime, video games, animation, TV, and Hollywood blockbusters over the last 25 years. Some of his iconic fan-favorite roles include Dr. Neo Cortex from Crash Bandicoot, Jagged Stone in Miraculous Ladybug, Goemon Ishikawa in Lupin the 3rd, Suguru Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen, Firelord Sozin in Avatar the Last Airbender, Wargreymon in Digimon, and many more.
Michelle Ruff, a voice actor known for many iconic and favorite anime and video game characters like Fujiko Mine from Lupin the 3rd and Rukia in Bleach. She’s thrilled to be in NYC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lupin the 3rd marking a first-time ever panel appearance with all her fellow castmates.
Richard Epcar, a legendary voice actor awarded Gamepur’s voice actor of the year, having voiced over 600 characters in games, animation, and anime. Best known as the voice of Jigen in Lupin the 3rd, Raiden in Mortal Kombat, The Joker in several Batman games including Injustice: Gods Among Us, and more.. Epcar was also voted one of the Top 20 Video Game Voice Actors of all Time and Top 20 Anime Actors of all time by IMDB.
Jason Liebrecht, an actor and performing artist who has voiced quite a range of characters including Qrow in RWBY, Champa in Dragon Ball Super, Dabi in My Hero Academia, Beast Titan & Zeke Jaeger in Attack on Titan, Yato in Noragami, Suwa in Orange, Dr. John Watson in Empire of Corpses, Souhei in Wolf Children, and Takizawa in Eden of the East.
Tony Oliver, named to IMDB’s top 20 all time Anime Voice Actors list, began his career as an actor on stage and camera performing in several feature films and dozens of plays. He found success as a voice over artist, lending his voice to one of the first foreign made animated features to receive wide US release (“The Sea Prince and the Fire Child”). He is well known as Rick Hunter in Robotech, Lancer in Fate, and Lupin in Lupin the 3rd.
Media interested in scheduling interviews ahead of Anime NYC with any featured creators, voice actors, culinary guests, or the show’s founder Peter Tatara can direct inquiries to LRA PR at AnimeNYC@lindarothpr.com. On-site interviews can be requested as well, but must be received by Friday, November 5 for consideration.
Anime NYC Programming
There are a variety of scheduled events throughout the three-day celebration for Anime NYC. All events take place at the Javits Center unless otherwise indicated. Full details on programming can be found HERE on the website or see below for a highlight overview.
Friday, November 19
hololive English -Council- Anime NYC Special Panel (2:30-3:30PM - Main Stage Hall 1D)
VTubers are one of the biggest trends in the anime world now, and five of the most popular global figures will be at Anime NYC including the Speaker of "Space", the Keeper of "Nature", the Warden of "Time", the Guardian of "Civilization" and the "Chaos."GET OVER ー JAM Project The Movie (4:00-6:00PM - Panel 4 Dedicated Screening Room 1E16)
The first documentary film to celebrate the 20th anniversary of JAM Project's formation. The film closely covers the group over a period of 15 months, starting from their anniversary live in 2019.
Funimation Presents Attack on Titan Final Season (4:30-5:30PM - Main Stage Hall 1D)
Celebrate the end of Attack on Titan with two lead cast on stage. Join Bryce Papenbrook (English voice of Eren Jaeger) and Jason Liebrecht (English voice of Zeke Jaeger) as they discuss their characters and their complex relationship, particularly during Attack on Titan Final Season Part 1 and the upcoming Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2.Shinji Aramaki Panel (5:00-5:45PM - Panel 2 1E13)
Shinji Aramaki is a film director and mechanical designer who will be conducting a rare live appearance. He has been directing anime films since the 1980s and is currently working on the CG anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus (co-directed with Kenji Kamiyama) which will appear on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll.
Saturday, November 20
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Event (12:00-1:30PM - Main Stage Hall 1D)
All three lead voice actors will be on a stage for the first time this year. Aniplex of America is proud to present the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Event at Anime NYC! Join special guests Zach Aguilar (Tanjiro Kamado), Aleks Le (Zenitsu Agatsuma), and Bryce Papenbrook (Inouske Hashibira) and look back on the TV series and Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, plus the new Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles game.LUPIN THE 3rd: Prison of the Past (3:30-5:30PM - Panel 4 Dedicated Screening Room 1E16)
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the gentleman thief Lupin’s first animated series with a trivia contest hosted by the dub cast along with awesome prizes and a world premiere screening.
Qubic Pictures: Forging a bridge between anime creators and Hollywood (4:00-4:45 PM - Panel 3 1E15)
Join one of the most innovative companies in the anime space. Justin Leach and Kanako Shirasaki will share their personal journeys, company history, past projects as well as their approaches to working with Japan. Gain insights as they discuss some of the challenges and joys of creating high quality anime for a global audience.
Kentaro Miura Memorial Panel (6:00- 6:45PM - Panel 2 1E13)
Kentaro Miura, creator of the manga epic Berserk, passed away suddenly this year at the age of 54. Now is the time to pay tribute to both the past and future of Kentaro Miura’s creative legacy by learning more about the person and the artist. Join anime industry veterans Ed Chavez and Patrick Sutton to honor Miura-sensei through a discussion of his life, work, influences, and the impact he made upon other creators, the industry, and the possibilities of manga itself as a medium. This panel is co-organized with The Japan Foundation, New York.
Sunday, November 21
Pompo The Cinephile (12:00-1:30PM - Main Stage Hall 1D)
Join the East Coast premiere of Takayuki Hirao's Pompo The Cinephile.
Zombie Land Saga LIVE (2:00-4:30PM - Panel 4 Dedicated Screening Room 1E16)
Get ready for the biggest live event in Zombie Land Saga history with a special virtual appearance from Kana Hanazawa, who appeared in Zombie Land Saga: Revenge as Franchouchou Number 7, Maimai Yuzuriha.
BELLE (2:30- 5:00PM - Main Stage Hall 1D)
See a special advance screening of Mamoru Hosoda's biggest film ever, BELLE, before it hits theaters on January 14, 2022.
For Anime NYC’s full schedule, special guest list, and information on tickets, visit www.animenyc.com. For the latest news and updates, follow Anime NYC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnimeNYC and on Twitter and Instagram at @AnimeNYC.
ABOUT ANIME NYC POWERED BY CRUNCHYROLL
Anime NYC powered by Crunchyroll is New York City’s anime convention! A showcase of the best of Japanese pop culture in the biggest city in America, Anime NYC brings anime fans and publishers together for three days of unique exhibits, exclusive screenings, extensive panels, and appearances by some of the biggest creators in Japan. This year’s event takes place November 19-21 in New York’s Javits Center, and we invite you to join over 50,000 fans for a celebration of Japanese animation, manga, cosplay, movies, food, fashion, travel, technology, toys, and games in the heart of NYC! For more, visit animenyc.com.
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