Kawaii Kon's Guest Announcements for 2016 Show
Honolulu, HI – March 28, 2016 – Kawaii Kon adds more guests to the roster for the 2016 show!
Natsuko Hara – Seiyuu
Natsuko Hara is the lead seiyuu for the anime "JK Meshi!" and is sure to liven up the anime industry. As a
seiyuu, she gives it everything she has, going beyond the boundaries, to show how great Anime is. At Kawaii
Kon Natsuko will be giving a mini live, singing anime songs, bringing excitement to the weekend.
Yumiri Hanamori – Seiyuu
Up-and-coming voice actress Yumiri Hanamori already has a slew of impressive credits.
Her roles include Sachiko Umemoto in “Ace of Diamond”, Chiaya Misono in “The Rolling Girls”, Uritan in
“ETOTAMA”, and Remo in “Garakowa -Restore the World-“. She is also well known for her exceptional talent
as a singer, having sung character songs for “The Rolling Girls”, “ETOTAMA”, and “Garakowa -Restore the
World-“.
Yumiri's career even extends to being a radio personality and video game voice actress.
Her credits include Gin Minowa in “Yuki Yuna Is a Hero: Memory of the Forest”, Amu in“REBELLION BLADE”,
and POPO in “CRUSADER QUEST”.
Asami Shimoda – Seiyuu
Asami Shimoda is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Arts Vision. She was born in Tottori Prefecture on
January 30 Shimoda is most well known for her role as Ami Futami and Mami Futami in THE IDOLM@STER
as well as Rin Kagamine and Len Kagamine from VOCALOID2.
Other notable roles include Chika Koizumi from Kyo no Go no Ni, Ameri Kawai from Tayutama: Kiss on my
Deity, Huang Lingyin from IS (Infinite Stratos), Haruomi Ginbei Sawatari from OniAi, Anya from Dragonar
Academy, Saori Nishifukai from Futsū no Joshikōsei ga Locodol Yattemita, and Kotomi Tsuda from Seitokai
Yakuindomo.
Kouichirou Natsume – Director
Kouichirou Natsume is a prominent figure that has played a pivotal role in the growth of the Japanese Anime
Industry over the years, such as representative director and president of Aniplex and representative director of
A-1 Pictures. He is the top planner that knows everything about the behind the scenes of Anime production
being involved with popular productions such as Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica, anohana, etc. Kouichirou will
be doing a panel with Natsuko discussing the happenings of the anime industry and sharing behind the scenes
stories of productions he has been involved in.
Toshio Maeda – Manga Artist
Toshio Maeda, the self-proclaimed “tentacle master,” is a prolific Japanese hentai manga artist and one of the
most influential artists of the 1980s and 1990s. He writes hentai manga for both men and women, and many of
his works; including Urotsukidoji, La Blue Girl, Demon Beast Invasion, and Adventure Kid, have received anime
adaptations.
Lisle Wilkerson – Voice Actress
Lisle Wilkerson grew up in Tokyo, Japan. She is the powerhouse behind some of the gaming industry's most
popular female fighting characters, such as Nina Williams and Christie Monteiro, Sarah Bryant from Virtual
Fighter, as well as Shenmue II.
This summer Lisle was very involved in the Shenmue kickstarter that was announced at E3, which ended up
breaking all kinds of records. Lisle acted alongside Bill Murray in the Academy Award winning Sofia Coppola
film “Lost in Translation”, and had a lead role in the award winning indie film “Kamataki”. Lisle speaks fluent
Japanese, and her voice work is done in both English and Japanese.
She not only does video game voices, she also does the voice of Batz Maru (of Hello Kitty) and commercials
for such internationally renown companies as Nissan, Panasonic, Sony, etc. After finding herself entangled in
various culture shock experiences when she moved to the US a few years ago, she started a blog “Memoirs of
a 6ft. Blond Geisha”. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she continues to do voice work, and also works
as an interpreter, working with many of the big film studios, red carpet events, as well as working with the
Japanese government and tourism board.
Lisle has interpreted for everyone from Keanu Reeves to best-selling author Marie Kondo to visiting
government officials. She is also a local media correspondent for Japan, covering high-profile events like The
Grammys, Academy Awards, Emmys and Golden Globes. Lisle is also the assistant producer of the upcoming
film, “Black Hat”. Most of Lisle's panels are focused on Japanese culture, as well as about the VA world and
working in Japan. (and yes, OF COURSE that includes many Engrish stories!!) Lisle is also excited about the
2020 Olympics being hosted in her home city, Tokyo, and has recently started doing some work related to that.
When Lisle isn't busy working or running around the country doing cons, you might find her in her pink boxing
gloves trying to save the world Nina Williams-style or spending her time at home with her adorable jet-setting
“bilingual” cat, Princess Genki.
Jessica Nigri – Professional Cosplayer
Jessica Nigri is an American model and correspondent best known for her cosplay, YouTube, and fan
promotional work. She voiced Cinder Fall (RWBY, RoosterTeeth), and Super Sonico in the English adaptation
of Super Sonico, the Animation. Jessica first gained notoriety in 2009 at the San Diego Comic-Con when she
dressed up as a unique version of Pikachu. Since then she has cosplayed many other characters from different
anime and video games. She has worked for many notable companies such as UBISOFT, WARNER
BROTHERS GAMES, GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURER, CARBINE STUDIOS, and more.
Jessica is ridiculous, down to earth and sometimes super annoying (Her words, not mine). She loves spending
way to many hours on her computer and making sexy versions of things that really should not be sexy. She
also really likes Mexican food.
“Cosplay. Have fun. If you aren't having fun, you are not doing it right.”
Pungdeng-E – Recording Artists
DO YOU KNOW PUNGDENG-E?
PUNGDENG-E is a three member KPOP girl group from Korea consisting of members Heejin “Red”, Gahee
“Blue” and Eunbi “Yellow”.
The group made their music debut on December 2013 and live television stage debut on February 2014.
They originated with a satori concept meaning each member represents their own unique regional dialect of
Korea.
Pungdeng-E has released a total of 3 albums with the most recent having been released on October 2015.
The group's most well-known songs include Baechu Bossam (2014) and PPIPPIPPAPPA (2015).
Both songs along with others have been promoted on Korean TV programs such as Simply Kpop and Show
Champion.
Curtis “Takahata101” Arnott of Team Four Star
Discovered buried in a block of ice up in the Northwest Territories of North-North America (otherwise known
domestically as Canadia), Curtis “Takahata101” Arnott (otherwise known as Internet Heartthrob Takahashi~)
was brought into this world with the soul intention of spreading laughter and protecting his heartland. After
acclimating to the world of today and putting on his first pair of women's jeans, he became Captain North-North
America (again known domestically as Captain Canadia) and aimed to be a world renowned voice actor,
entertainer, and cosplayer! He is currently a co-creator, co-writer and voice actor for Team Four Star, as well as
a voice for many other parody series. His most notable roles include Nappa, Bardock and Super Kami Guru,
along with many other Dragon Ball Z Abridged characters, along with Dartz and Krump in YGOTAS. His
professional gigs include the Sake Sake monster in the dub of ZETTAI MUTEKI RAJIN-OH and the Soldiers in
Dust an Elysian Tail.
Also including a list of industry guests – Good Smile Company, FAKKU!!, Pony Canyon, GameStop, Animate, Aniplex, Funimation, Crunchroll
About Kawaii Kon: Kawaii Kon is dedicated to creating a broader awareness of, and appreciation for Japanese animation by celebrating the richness of this art form. Through cooperation with the community, Kawaii Kon hopes to facilitate growth of the anime, manga and related industries in Hawaii and beyond. In addition to providing a central event for fans and enthusiasts, Kawaii Kon seeks to become a vehicle for sharing and disseminating industry information. Kawaii Kon also provides the community and related industries the opportunity to network and conduct business.
Kawaii Kon will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center from April 8th – 10th, 2016. For more information please visit: www.kawaiikon.com
