Press Release: 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 Bokutachi 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.

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About Anime Expo
Held annually in Los Angeles, Anime Expo is North America's largest anime and manga celebration. Anime Expo gives fans the rare opportunity to meet and hear from some of the most famous anime, manga and musical artists from Japan and get into the action through everything from costume play, karaoke and video competitions to exclusive screenings, non-stop video gaming competitions and the wildly popular Masquerade, in which fans transform themselves into their favorite characters through creative costuming, accessories and make-up and put on their own show before an audience of thousands. AX 2011 will be held July 1 - July 4, 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. To register or for more information, please visit www.anime-expo.org.

About the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property, Anime Expo®. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.