Opening Ceremonies

Opening ceremonies officially kicked off Anime Expo 1999, introducing the gala of guests to the fans. A dancing troupe of a local anime club was part of the festivities and as the ceremony ended, the rest of the convention took off like a rocket. Each of the guests were introduced, and greeted with enthusiastic cheers. Especially surprised by the fans' reaction was Guest of Honor Kanno Yoko, who said, "I was really surprised when they all cheered for me like that."
As the official Anime Expo 99 Daruma was brought out, veteran Guest of Honor Ishiguro Noboru was asked to fill in the eye as a wish for a good convention. Mr. Ishiguro had Iijima Mari assist him with this task. And as soon as that was done, the convention was declared open.

Guest of Honor Iijima Mari fills in the eye of the AX99 Daruma.

A local dance group livened up the opening ceremonies.

Industry and fan panels, video and film screenings, guest focus panels, a video gaming room, karaoke and, of course, the Exhibit Hall filled in the AX schedule completely. Other special events like Iijima's and Kanno's live performances and Guest of Honor autograph sessions highlighted an already full weekend. Programming seems to have out-grown its limitations, since Anime Expo 2000 has already been announced as a four-day event.
"Anime Expo has run out of programming slots for the numerous events we stage each year," SPJA CEO Mike Tatsugawa explained. "We have been preparing for the four-day format for the ten year anniversary, but the shortages of time we had this year encouraged us to move our timeline up by one year."

Meet The Guests Reception

Another popular event is the Meet the Guests reception held Friday evening. Getting the chance to meet the Guests of Honor in an informal setting has always made the reception a well-attended event. As in past years, AX instituted a rotating table policy, in which attendees were to switch tables every 30 minutes, the idea being that every fan would get a chance to meet and talk with as many guests as possible.

	Clockwise, from top left: (1) Kanno Yoko's table was always full. (2) Scott Frazier and Guest of Honor Kamimura Sachiko talked with fans about all types of animation. (3) Guests of Honor Tadano Kazuko and Matsushita Hiromi discuss—what else—Sailor Moon with the fans. (4) Guest of Honor Kikuchi Yasuhito and returning Guest Ohnishi Nobuyuki share an interesting story.

While all the Japanese guests were popular, Ms. Kanno's table stood out, being constantly surrounded by attendees—oftentimes with standing room only. The chance to meet the composer behind the memorable soundtracks of MACROSS PLUS, ESCAFLOWNE and COWBOY BEBOP proved irresistible.
"I was so surprised to hear that Ms. Kanno doesn't listen to other music or outside influences for inspiration for her compositions. She comes up with it all in her head," raved Dan Bogle of Woodland Hills, CA.