Virtual Crunchyroll Expo announced another massive lineup of guests this week, including the legendary horror artist Junji Ito, a lineup of professional athlete anime fans, the creative staff and voice actors from The Rising of the Shield Hero and One Piece, among many others.
Junji Ito (Tomie, Uzumaki, Gyo)will attend V-CRX to give fans a glimpse into the lives of Yon and Mu, the iconic horror manga artist’s beloved cats and stars of his self-parodying autobiographical series Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu (Kodansha; 2008-2009).
The creative staff behind The Rising of the Shield Hero will gather to discuss the show and make a very special announcement! The panel features Keigo Koyanagi (series composition), Masahiro Suwa (character design) and Junichiro Tamura (producer), with special messages to fans from voice actors Sarah Emi Bridcutt (voice of Myne), Kaito Ishikawa (Naofumi Iwatani), Asami Seto (Raphtalia) and Rina Hidaka (Filo).
An exciting One Piece panel from Toei Animation will feature Japanese voice actors Mayumi Tanaka (voice of Monkey D. Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Roronoa Zoro), Ikue Otani (Tony Tony Chopper) and Hiroaki Hirata (voice of Vinsmoke Sanji).
Crunchyroll Games will also be bringing a slate of special guests to V-CRX, including Masayuki Yamaigishi (Yama-P), the NextNinja CEO and producer of Crunchyroll Games title Grand Summoners; Erik, Global Lead of Grand Summoners; Kensuke Mita, Producer of Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes from Bandai Namco Entertainment; and David Cai, Co-Founder of Gaudium, the studio behind the upcoming Crunchyroll Game Grand Alliance, which is coming soon from Crunchyroll and VIZ Media.
Crunchyroll also revealed the stellar lineup for the “Professional Athletes of Anime” panel, which will be hosted by Jacki Jing and will include Aries Merritt, Olympic Gold Medalist for Team U.S.A. in track and field; Cole Anthony, rising star in the American basketball scene, playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels; and Miro, streamer and professional wrestling champion (appearing on WWE under the name Rusev).
Additional guests announced this week include character designer Miho Tanino (Tower of God), voice actress and singer Minori Chihara (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Violet Evergarden), and musician TeddyLoid.
Panels will be available to stream live in the Theater District at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, and will be uploaded to the V-CRX On-Demand section periodically throughout the weekend to ensure fans can catch up on any of the action they might have missed. The complete schedule for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo can be found here.
Virtual Crunchyroll Expo will have a series of districts available for fan enjoyment: the Theater District will house panels, premieres and screenings; the Super Arcade will house fan activations and activities (including the Onyx Equinox scavenger hunt, MAPPA gallery tour, and Yuzu’s Cat Cafe, among others); the Anime Arts District will be home to the V-CRX artist alley; and the Central Shopping District will house the exhibitor hall.
International registration for V-CRX is open at crunchyrollexpo.com. The global anime community is encouraged to sign up for a free pass for this year’s event to catch all the action, announcements, guest panels, and more.
Virtual Crunchyroll Expo is a digital take on Crunchyroll’s yearly flagship convention that brings together the anime community to celebrate the best and brightest in Japanese animation. V-CRX will be streaming from September 4-6 only on crunchyrollexpo.com.
