Mr. Yoshinori Kanemori graduated from Tokyo Design Institute with a degree in Animation. During the 1980s, he worked at Toei Doga. Since the 1990s, he has been working at Studio Mad House as an animation director and character designer. One of Mr. Kanemori's well-known works is "Record of Alexander War", which was shown at the Tokyo International Fantasy Movie Festival in 1998. As a character designer and an art director, he has worked on "Sen-nen Joou", "Patalliro", "X (TV series)", "Hanada Shonen History", and others. He has also made an anime based on his city's professional baseball team, "Hiroshima Toyo Carp".

Ms. Rica Matsumoto is a multitalented, well-known Japanese voice actress. She is an active singer, radio show host, and TV personality. Her most popular roles are Satoshi ("Pocket Monsters") and Futaba Aoi ("Taiho Shichauzo"). She also sang many of the theme songs from "Pocket Monsters". Ms. Matsumoto's stage acting includes roles in the musicals "New Wizard of Oz", "Kero Kero Chime", and many others. Her hobbies are Japanese dancing, skiing, javelin throwing, traveling, and is an avid dog lover. This is her first appearance at Animazement. Due to her busy schedule, Ms. Matsumoto will arrive at the convention on Saturday afternoon.

Anime Producer Toshifumi Yoshida got his start in the anime and manga world during the late 1980s as a founding member and staff translator of the gone-but-not-forgotten smartass anime mag, "Animag", although of course he grew up watching the stuff as a wee spanker living in Shizuoka, Japan.

For over a decade, Toshi has been a video producer for VIZ Media, working at the home office in San Francisco and at the recording studio in Vancouver, Canada. As of last year, Toshi completed the recording of the entire "Inuyasha" TV series for both Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and for home-video release.

In October of 2004, Toshi left his full-time position at VIZ to continue his career as a contract translator, writer, and producer-for-hire. This allows him to work from home and spend more time with his wife, guest Trish Ledoux, and with their new son, other guest Hajime (Animazement will be his tenth anime convention). Working from home or no, Toshi is still quite active in the anime and manga industry, currently working as translator on the "Negima!" manga series from Del Rey, as well as on manga and anime projects for other companies. As always, if you're looking for Toshi try the bar first.

... and first-time mom Trish Ledoux fell down the anime rabbit hole some 20 years ago and hasn't been up since. Beginning with "Animag" in the late 1980s and continuing, most recently, with an adaptation of "Negima!" for Del Rey, Trish has done just about anything "anime" there is to do (except for art, and organizing cons).

She is the founding editor of "Animerica", writer of hundreds of ADR scripts, the voice of Princess Kahm in "Outlanders", co-author of the "Complete Anime Guide", producer of " Trouble Chocolate" and "Project Arms" on DVD and, both under her own name and that of a handful of pseudonyms, is either the editor, translator, and/or rewriter of many popular manga titles including "Ranma", "Inuyasha", "Maison Ikkoku", "Ceres", "Kaze Hikaru", "Here is Greenwood", and "Rurouni Kenshin" (Vols. 1-18).

Nowadays, Trish is supremely content to be able to spend time with her famous spouse Toshi and their "Anime Personality of the Week" baby, Hajime.

R. Bruce Elliott has been acting professionally on stage and screen for over twenty-five years, recently expanding into the anime field with voice work for the good people at FUNimation. His very first anime job was as the voice of Detective Richard Moore in "Case Closed". That was followed by the roles of Kambei in "Samurai 7", General Basque Gran in "Full Metal Alchemist", The Narrator in "Burst Angel" and Shibukawa in "Baki the Grappler". Other occasional appearances are in the series "Yu Yu Hakusho" (as King Yama), "Dragonball Z", "Galaxy Railways" (Akatsuki), "Basilisk" (Rousai), "Desert Punk", "Moon Phase" (Vigo), "Speed Grapher", and "Trinity Blood" (Narrator). Sharp-eared computer game enthusiasts may also hear him in a couple of roles in the game "BloodRayne 2" and as the voice of The Keeper in the "Aeon Flux" game. On the big screen, Mr. Elliott can be seen (if briefly) in the feature films "JFK", "Fletch Lives", "Dr. T and the Women", "The Case", "Carried Away", "Finding North", and "The Anarchist Cookbook". His television appearances include the shows "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Barney and Friends", "Dangerous Curves", and the CBS mini-series "Murder in the Heartland". As a stage actor he has worked in New York City and across the country as well as his home town of Dallas, Texas. Equally comfortable in comedy, drama, and musical theatre, he has played Polonius in "Hamlet" (opposite Austin Pendleton), Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire", Judge Turpin in "Sweeney Todd", the big guy roles in the two-man play "Greater Tuna", Eddie and Dr. Scott in "The Rocky Horror Show", King Henry in "The Lion in Winter", Mr. Cladwell in "Urinetown, the Musical", and most recently Governor Danforth in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", among many other roles over the years. He performs regularly at several Dallas-Ft. Worth area theatres and has received three Dallas Theatre League awards for acting since 2002. A proud graduate of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, Mr. Elliott still claims that he will never grow up (whatever that means!) and, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, holds stubbornly to his beliefs in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and True Love. He is delighted to be making his first ever convention appearance at Animazement!

Chris Cason is a writer, director, and actor for FUNimation Entertainment. Beginning in 1998 (as the original Tien Shinhan and Mr. Popo in "Dragonball Z"), Cason has had the opportunity to be associated with many exciting properties. He has voiced characters such as Gluttony in "Full Metal Alchemist", Babbitt in "Kodocha", Chamo in "Negima", Wano in "Desert Punk", Shu in "Dragonball", Miyamoto in "Yu Yu Hakusho", and Kazamachi in the upcoming "Basilisk" series. He can also be heard as characters in "Fruits Basket", "Samurai 7", "Case Closed", "Speed Grapher", "Trinity Blood", "Burst Angel", and "Galaxy Railways". His ADR Directing and Assistant ADR Directing credits include "DBZ Uncut", "Case Closed", "Galaxy Railways", "Baki the Grappler", "Yu Yu Hakusho", "Dragonball", "Dragonball GT", and most recently, "Negima". This is Chris's first ever appearance at a con, and he is honored to be a part of Animazement 2006.

Sasha from "Star Blazer", Lala Sun from "Gundam", Prof. Uchikido from "Pocket Monster", Luna from "Sailor Moon", Atsuko Kawada from "City Hunter", and so on. Ms. Han is an instructor at Tokyo Media Academy. She has published five books about the western horoscope.

Makito Ozu (Magi Ranger: Green) from "Magi Ranger" ("Power Ranger: Mystic Force" in US). His appearance was in these movies: "Eiji", "Shonen Tachi 3", "Sakura Saku made", and so on.

Series of Kamen Rider: "Kamen Rider Kuuga", "Kamen Raider Agito", "Kamen Rider Ryuki", "Kamen Rider 555", "Kamen Rider Blade", "Kamen Rider Hibiki", "Tokusou Sentai Deka Renjaa", "Magi Ranger", etc.

Caitlin Glass is a voice actress and ADR director for FUNimation Entertainment. She first started working for FUNimation in January of 2004 after being hired while on a tour of the studio! Her first roles were bit parts on "Case Closed" (Detective Conan). She has since gone on to voice such memorable characters as Hiyono in "Spiral", Triela in "Gunslinger Girl", Takane in "Burst Angel" (her favorite), and most notably, Winry Rockbell in "Fullmetal Alchemist". Other roles include Natsumi in "Kodocha", Ai in "The Galaxy Railways", Erica in "Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris", Ellen in "Lupin III: Island of Assassins", and a variety of characters in other Lupin movies. Currently, Caitlin is voicing Chachamaru and Chisame in "Negima". In late 2005, Caitlin was thrilled to begin ADR directing, starting with a few "Case Closed" episodes and assisting with "Negima", and currently assistant directing "Trinity Blood". Caitlin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Texas at Arlington. A some-time theatre teacher, Caitlin continues to pursue acting professionally in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and also leads worship at her church. This is her first Animazement and she is totally excited to be here!

Started acting in "Ultra Q" when he was a child. Radio personality, singer, and voice acting such as Mayuri and Kurotsuchi Mayumi from"Bleach", Freeza from "Dragonball Z", Eric from"One Piece", Baikin-man from "Anpanman", etc.

As an animation director he has directed "Sangokushi", "Mikuroido", "Majinga Z", "Majinga Z vs Devil Man", "Majinga Z vs Ankoku Daishogun", "Saibogu 009", "Star Blazer", etc. He did the original design on "Oyayubi Hime", "Dai Yamato", and served as the assistant director for "Galaxy Express 999" and "Yamato Forever". He was the art designer for "1000 nen Jyoo oo", etc. A professor at Seian University of Art Design and Toei Animation School.

Kogoro Mouri from "Detective Conan" ("Case Closed"), Roy Fokker from "Macross", Ryo Saeba from "City Hunter", Kyusaku Natsume from "Bannou Bunka Neko-Musume", Kenshiro from "Fist of North Star", Shutaro Mendou from "Urusei Yatsura", Prof. Tomoe from "Sailor Moon S", Ashram from "Record of Lodoss War", etc.

Kyle is best known as the voice of the Narrator and teen Gohan from "Dragonball Z" and was recently cast as Kiba in the English dub of "Naruto". He can be heard on numerous anime from FUNimation (Falman in "Fullmetal Alchemist, Karasu in "Yu Yu Hakusho", Takei in "Fruits Basket", Hanayama in "Baki the Grappler"). In the fall of 2005, Kyle moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a career in animation voice-over. He also has provided episodic and background characters for "Mermaid Forest", "Daphne in the Brilliant Blue", and "The Melody of Oblivion". He co-hosts a weekly podcast dedicated to geek culture called "The Big Bald Broadcast", which can be downloaded from his website at http://www.kylehebert.com/.

Produced:
TV animation: "City Hunter" 1987, "Rayearth" 1994, "Case Closed" ("Meitantei Conan") 1996, "Black Jack" 2003.
Movies: "City Hunter" 1989-1990, "Case Closed" ("Meitantei Conan") 1997-2004, "Inuyasha" 2001-2004.

A master of the art of dialogue replacement, Houle's projects include the English language versions of "Lupin III", "The Fuma Conspiracy", "Baoh", "Spirit of Wonder", "You're Under Arrest", "Ah! My Goddess", and "Crusher Joe".

While a veteran of live theater, commercials, and independent films, Ms. Weidner says her true love is honestly Anime voice-over. Among her credits are "Ah! My Goddess", "Vampire Princess Miyu", and "You're Under Arrest".

In 1963 he started as an assistant director at Toei/Tokyo Satsueejo, later transferring to the Production Department. He produced "Wolf Boy Ken", "Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro", "Getter Robo", "King Kong", etc. Later he became an anime picture producer, producing titles including "Candy, Candy", "Story of Maple Town", "Tatsu no ko Taro", etc. As chief of the production section, he produced "Sailor Moon". He is a founder of the Toei Animation Research Center. In 1996 he started researching the digital anime making process for the Japanese government. He is also an adjunct professor at Tokai University.

Ms. Kyoko Hikami's most popular role is Usada Hikaru form "Di Gi Charat". Hikami's other roles include: Cyberdoll Sara in "Hand Maid May", Masako in "Blue Seed", Cacao in "Lamune & 40 Fresh", Hikari from "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy" (TV), and "Samurai Gun".

Keiko Han is not only a voice actress but also and author and an instructor at Tokyo Media Academy. She has published five books about the western horoscope. Her numerous roles include: Sasha in "Yamato yo Eien ni" (Be Forever Yamato), Lala Sun in "Mobile Suit Gundam", Prof. Uchikido in "Pocket Monster", Atsuko Kawada in "City Hunter", and Luna in "Sailor Moon".

Mr. Takeshi Kusao was born on November 20 in Saitama. Mr. Kusao is interested in sports, especially volleyball and swimming. Mr. Kusao played Kai in "Akira", Hanamichi Sakuragi in "Slam Dunk", Trunks in "Chibi Trunks", Gotenks in "Dragonball Z", Pam in "Record of Lodoss War". He dubs Billy in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" and he was a voice for Smoky in Japanese "Power Ranger Mystic Force".

Anime roles include: "Oh! My Goddess", "You're Under Arrest", "Virtua Fighter", "Blue Submarine No. 6", "Shinesman", "Princess Rouge", "Crusher Joe", "Earthian", "Voogie's Angel", "Elf Princess Rane". Film/TV roles include: NBC's "Surface", WB's "One Tree Hill" and "Dawson's Creek", "The Dress Code" directed by Shirley MacLaine, and "Star Trek; The Next Generation".

Kara Edwards is most well known as the voices of Goten and Videl in "Dragonball Z". Other roles include Murugu in "Yu Yu Hakusho"; Gotenks and Lime from "Dragonball Z"; Upa and Pocawatha in "Dragonball"; Razzles in the upcoming US version of "Raggs"; plus many more!! Kara moved to North Carolina in 2001 to pursue a career as a radio morning show co-host, but left the show in late 2006 to focus once again on voice acting. Her latest role is the voice of Celica in the recently released "Solty Rei". Kara works from a studio in her home in Charlotte, NC and her voice can be heard on the radio, Internet, and television globally. Her website is http://www.karaedwardsvo.com.

She first started working for FUNimation in January of 2004 after being hired while on a tour of the studio! Her first roles were bit parts on "Case Closed" until she landed the role of Hiyono in "Spiral". She then went on to voice Triela in "Gunslinger Girl", Takane in "Burst Angel" (her favorite), and most notably, Winry Rockbell in "Fullmetal Alchemist". More recent roles include Chachamaru, Chachazero, and Chisame in "Negima", Miss Anderson in "Crayon Shin-chan", Saya in "Black Cat", Axela in "Solty Rei", and Chiemi Kuniyoshi in "BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad", in which she also sings! She can also be heard in "Kodocha", "The Galaxy Railways", "Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris", and the "Lupin III" OVAs. Caitlin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Texas at Arlington. A some-time theatre teacher, Caitlin continues to pursue acting professionally in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This is her second Animazement and she couldn't be more excited about returning!

Kyle Hebert is an LA-based voice actor currently heard on Cartoon Network as Sosuke Aizen and Ganju Shiba on "Bleach", Kiba on "Naruto", and Ken Goh on "Eureka 7". He is best known as the Narrator and teen Gohan on "Dragonball Z". Other credits include "Fullmetal Alchemist" (Falman), "Fruits Basket" (Takei), and "Yu Yu Hakusho" (Karasu). Video game voice-over credits include "Desperate Housewives", "Baten Kaitos: Origins", and the upcoming "Devil May Cry 4" and ".hack GU pt. 2". You can download his Internet radio show dedicated to news on everything geeky ("The Big Bald Broadcast") from his official website, http://www.kylehebert.com.

A master of the art of dialogue replacement, Houle's projects include the English language versions of "Lupin III", "The Fuma Conspiracy", "Baoh", "Spirit of Wonder", "You're Under Arrest", "Ah! My Goddess", and "Crusher Joe".

While a veteran of live theater, commercials, and independent films, Ms. Weidner says her true love is honestly Anime voice-over. Among her credits are "Oh My Goddess!", "Vampire Princess Miyu", and "You're Under Arrest".

Some of her roles are Belldandy from "Oh! My Goddess", Kasumi from "Ranma 1/2", Anju Kitahara from "Marmalade Boy", Mizuho Kazami from "Onegai Teacher", and Rune Venus from "El Hazard".

Kogoro Mouri from "Detective Conan (Case Closed)", Roy Fokker from "Macross", Ryo Saeba from "City Hunter", Kyusaku Natsume from "Bannou Bunka Neko-Musume", Kenshiro from "Fist of North Star", Shutaro Mendou from "Urusei Yatsura", Prof. Tomoe from "Sailor Moon S", Ashram from "Record of Lodoss War", etc.

... and first-time mom TRISH LEDOUX fell down the anime rabbit hole some 20 years ago and hasn't been up since. Beginning with "ANIMAG" in the late 1980s and continuing, most recently, with an adaptation of "NEGIMA!" for Del Rey, Trish has done just about anything "anime" there is to do (except for art and organizing cons). She is the founding editor of "ANIMERICA", writer of hundreds of ADR scripts, the voice of "Princess Kahm" in "OUTLANDERS", co-author of the "COMPLETE ANIME GUIDE", producer of "TROUBLE CHOCOLATE" and "PROJECT ARMS" on DVD and, both under her own name and that of a handful of pseudonyms, is either the editor, translator, and/or rewriter of many popular manga titles including "RANMA", "INUYASHA", "MAISON IKKOKU", "CERES", "KAZE HIKARU", "HERE IS GREENWOOD", and "RUROUNI KENSHIN" (Vols. 1-18). Nowadays, Trish is supremely content to be able to spend time with her famous spouse Toshi and their "Anime Personality of the Week" baby, Hajime.

The president and producer of many anime films by Madhouse, a premier Anime company.

Chika Sakamoto, a voice actor for anime, games, and dramas is famous for voicing Nuriko in "Fushigi Yuugi", Mei in "My Neighbor Totoro", Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer in "Sailor Moon Stars", Tendon Man in "Anpanman", Kisaragi Shun in "Koko wa Greenwood", and many others. She likes singing with her band and watching pro-wrestling. She has released several CDs in addition to her voice work.

Produced: TV animation: "City Hunter" 1987, "Rayearth" 1994, "Case Closed (Meitantei Conan)" 1996, "Black Jack" 2003. Movies: "City Hunter" 1989, 1990, "Case Closed (Meitantei Conan)" 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, "Inuyasha" 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.

As an animation director he has directed "Sangokushi", "Mikuroido", "Majinga Z", "Majinga Z vs Devil man", "Majinga Z vs Ankoku Daishogun", "Saibogu 009", "Star Blazer", etc. He did the original design on "Oyayubi Hime", "Dai Yamato", and served as the assistant director for "Galaxy Express 999", "Yamato Forever". He was the art designer for "1000 nen Jyoo oo", etc. A professor at Seian University of Art Design and Toei Animation School.

Kari Wahlgren is excited to be making her first appearance at Animazement. Anime fans were first introduced to Kari as the voice of the guitar-bashing, Vespa-riding alien Haruko in the popular series "FLCL". Since then, she has gone on to voice numerous characters, including Robin in "Witch Hunter Robin", Cher in "Wolf's Rain", Fuu in "Samurai Champloo", Anemone in "Eureka 7", Satomi and Luca the Cat in "IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix", and Saya in "Blood +". Kari also provided the voice of Scarlett in the anime feature film "Steamboy" and was the voice of Ariel in the recently-released movie "Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles". Wahlgren has also worked on several video games, most notably the character Ashe in "Final Fantasy XII" and Shelke in "Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus". Her other game credits include "Tales of Symphonia", "Dead or Alive Extreme 2", and all three "Xenosaga" games. Kari is also active in original animation, voicing Saturn Girl and Triplicate Girl on the Kids WB's "Legion of Superheroes" and the yellow monkey Nova in "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!" For more info, check out http://www.kariwahlgren.net.

In 1963 he started as an assistant director at Toei/Tokyo Satsueejo, later transferring to the Production Department. He produced "Wolf Boy Ken", "Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro", "Getter Robo", "King Kong", etc. Later he became an anime picture producer, producing titles including "Candy, Candy", "Story of Maple Town", "Tatsu no ko Taro", etc. As chief of the production section, he produced "Sailor Moon". He is a founder of the Toei Animation Research Center. In 1996 he started researching the digital anime making process for the Japanese government. He is also an adjunct professor at Tokai University.

TOSHIFUMI YOSHIDA got his start in the anime and manga world during the late 1980s as a founding member and staff translator of the gone-but-not-forgotten smartass anime mag, "ANIMAG", although of course he grew up watching the stuff as a wee spanker living in Shizuoka, Japan. For over a decade, Toshi has been a video producer for Viz Media, working at the home office in San Francisco and at the recording studio in Vancouver, Canada. As of last year, Toshi completed the recording of the entire "INUYASHA" TV series for both Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and for home-video release. In October of 2004, Toshi left his full-time position at VIZ to continue his career as a contract translator, writer, and producer-for-hire. This allows him to work from home and spend more time with his wife, guest Trish Ledoux, and with their new son, Hajime (Animazement will be his tenth anime convention). Working from home or no, Toshi is still quite active in the anime and manga industry, currently working as translator on the "NEGIMA!" manga series from Del Rey, as well as on manga and anime projects for other companies. As always, if you're looking for Toshi, try the bar first.

Some of her roles are Kagome Higurashi from "InuYasha", Mutsumi Otohime from "Love Hina", Milly Thompson from "Trigun", and Kaname Chidori from "Full Metal Panic".