Chicago Con Guests 2012

Greg Ayres (2012)

Greg Ayres can usually be found rockin’ out somewhere, whether animated or not. From the loud-mouthed Hideki in Nerima Daikon Brothers, to Koyuki, singing with the the band in Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad, he’s always glad to shake things up a bit. He is thrilled to be able to add the roles of Uesugi Kenshin in Sengoku Basara, Seikechi Tayama in Oh Edo Rocket, and Abe in Big Windup to his list of new roles. He can also be head as Son Goku in Saiyuki, Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Kaoru Hitachiin in Ouran High School Host Club, Yuki in The Wallflower, Leo in Ghost Stories , Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Kaworu Nagisa in the Director’s Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Negi Springfield in Negima, Heihachi in Samurai 7, Jr. in Xenosaga:The Animation, Tsujido in Speed Grapher, Roan in Ragnorok The Animation, Yamazaki in Welcome to the NHK, Nowy in Glass Fleet, Gau Ban in Shadow Skill, Pope Alessandro XVIII in Trinity Blood, and a bunch of other titles he’ll probably forget to mention. Funimation has recently announced that Greg will voice the role of Kouta Tsuchiya in it's upcoming release of Baka and Test.

When he’s not in a booth with headphones on, you can usually find him sporting headphones of another variety behind "the decks". A veteran nightclub DJ of many years, Greg has really enjoyed the opportunity of doing something else that he truly loves at conventions. From packed rooms at anime conventions, to the legendary stage of The Knitting Factory (NYC), Greg never misses an opportunity to share his love of music with anyone who will listen.

Shinichi "Nabeshin" Watanabe (2012)

Shinichi Watanabe (aka “Nabeshin”) is known to anime fans as a larger-than-life, iconic figure with an outrageous sense of humor. He directed the comedy anime series Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers, and Puni Puni Poemy, which feature frenetic pacing and appearances by his animated alter ego, a mysterious, recurring character with an afro and distinctive outfit who is tangential to the story. Nabeshin has also served as series director for The Wallflower and Tenchi Muyo! GXP, and he can be found in these series as well, in cameo or supporting roles.

Nabeshin has been quoted as saying that he places great importance in making viewers laugh. Stating that he values laughter as much as tears, his preference is to motivate viewers to have fun and enjoy a show. He reasons that his success stems from provoking the same, strong emotional investment—in a humorous way—as a traditional, sentimental story does.

Nabeshin has also written lyrics for the opening songs of Excel Saga and Tenchi Muyo! GXP, and has served as storyboarder and episode director for a variety of other anime series. Nabeshin will be doing numerous panels at AniMinneapolis, including "Friday Night in Tokyo (18+)", "Q&A with Nabeshin's Afro," and more!

Jamie Marchi (2012)

Jamie Marchi is not only the lead writer for the script adaptation of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, but also the voice of Panty! Some of Jamie's other very popular roles are from Hetalia (Narrator), Soul Eater (Liz Thompson), Witchblade (Masane Amaha), Sgt. Frog (Aki Hinata), YuYu Hakusho (Juri), Fruits Basket (Motoko Minagawa), Black Cat (Rinslet Walker), Spice and Wolf (Chloe), Rin (Mimi), Blassreiter (Amanda Werner), Negima(s) (Haruna), Burst Angel (Meg), Claymore (Helen), One Piece (Miss Valentine), Strike Witches (Shirley), The Tower of Druaga (Fatina), Ga-Rei-Zero (Mei), Ouran (Chizuru Maihara), FMA (Rebecca, Rick), as well as the unforgettable Miss Polly from Shin Chan. A few of her more recent roles include Rosario + Vampire (Ms. Nekonome), The Sacred Blacksmith (Penelope), Sekirei (Uzume), Legend of the Legendary Heroes (Milk), Sengoku Basara (Matsu), Baka and Test (Shouko), and Heaven’s Lost Property (Mikako Satsukitane).

Jamie has behind the scene experience whipping out script adaptations for several shows including Hetalia, Hetalia: Paint it White, Spice and Wolf, Sgt. Frog, Yamada’s First Time, Baka and Test, Okamisan, Oh! Edo Rocket, Strike Witches, and Negima?! amongst other "yet to be announced" ridiculously awesome titles. She’s also directed Hetalia (Season 3), Spice and Wolf, Sgt. Frog and Negima?!.

Ian Sinclair (2012)

Ian provides the voice for Dallas Genoad in Baccano!, Toraji Ishida in Bamboo Blade, Douglas Rosenberg in El Cazador de la Bruja, Sobi Nakajima in Linebarrels of Iron, Haruki in Master of Martial Arts, Akoz in Casshern Sins, Kaoru Seo in Sekirei, Shinze Kamiu in Shikabane Hime, Liam in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Ginei Morioka in Rosario + Vampire , Marc Cole in Spice and Wolf II, Toyama in Oh! Edo Rocket, Bora in Fairy Tail, Romano in Hetalia, Shu Koibuchi in Princess Jellyfish, Tatsumi in Shiki, Bardroy in Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler), recently Ryner Lute in Legend of the Legendary Heroes, and most recently Chuck in Panty and Stocking. Additionally, Ian can be heard as the voice of Baron Flynt in the video game Borderlands, and as the "Cool" custom voice in Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi. Ian has worked as a director on Initial D, Spice and Wolf II, both seasons of Black Butler, and a few others he can’t talk about... yet.

Ian got his first voice work when he visited Funimation Studios as a college student in 2004, and a director asked him if he'd like to jump in the booth for a one-liner. Unbeknownst to that poor director, that insignificant character ended up being an extremely small, yet still recurring, role, and Ian had to be called back in. He continued at Funimation, gradually working his way up from one line characters until his break as Dallas Genoard in Baccano!

Joel McDonald (2012)

As a director, Joel has worked on shows including Initial D, Tsubasa Chronicles,, Heroic Age, Kenichi, Spice and Wolf, Big Windup!, Legend of the Legendary Heroes, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl, and Sgt. Frog. He has also written for shows like Claymore, Big Windup!, Ga-Rei: Zero, STRAIN, DBZ: Kai, D. Gray-man, Sands of Destruction, and Linebarrels of Iron. Joel's acting credits include Okami-san (Ryoshi), Sekirei (Minato), Big Windup! (Hanai), Baccano! (Jacuzzi Splot), Nabari No Ou (Yoite), Initial D (Takumi), Rin (Mary), Chrome-Shelled Regios (Haia), D. Grayman (Jasdero), Baka and Test (Kubo), Linebarrels of Iron (Yajima), and Heroic Age (Iolaos).

Since age 7, Joel was acting in plays at school and church, which led to community theatre, high school theatre and speech tournaments, which somehow turned into a BFA in Acting and Directing from Sam Houston State University. From there, Joel began acting professionally. In 2006, after years of freelance stage work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Joel stumbled upon voice acting. And to everyone's surprise, he was a passable ADR director and adaptive screenwriter, and has worked in some capacity on over 80 titles to date.

LittleKuriboh (2012)

LittleKuriboh (AKA Martin Billany) is the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged series and the godfather of the abridged age. He has thus far produced no less than 52 episodes, a spinoff, a prequel, a christmas special and two movies, creating a cultural phenomenon in the anime world. In addition to playing nearly every character in his own series, he has made cameos in the Death Note, Naruto, Sonic X, Trinity Blood, Pokemon, Fullmetal Alchemist and Sailor Moon abridged series. With a mission to revitalize interest in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise and make it more accessible to Joe Public, LittleKuriboh will continue the original abridged series providing us with priceless entertainment for many years to come. All-round nice guy and community fan-favourite, he is also associated with TeamFourStar (the group behind Dragon Ball Z Abridged, for which he also supplies voices) and has made guest appearances on comic-book video review series Atop the Fourth Wall.

Random aka MegaRan (2012)

Random, aka MegaRan, personifies with Hip-Hop should be: Spontaneous, fun, and true. Every album, starting with "Mega Ran" in 2007, conveys a different theme, a different vibe, and a different emotion. "Mega Ran" was a collection of sampled 8-bit beats from the hit "Mega Man" video game series, which was quickly discovered by CAPCOM. Instead of shutting down this hit music, CAPCOM offered Mega Ran a special licensing agreement and booked him to perform at Comic-Con and other special events. Since then he's released albums including "RANDOMONIUM" and "FOREVER FAMICON" and "Black Materia," and has toured with acts such as mc chris and MC Lars, playing in the US, UK, and Japan. He's appeared in Playstation: The Official Magazine and Game Informer. Fans can learn more about Ran and download free songs at his website, megaran.com.

Listen on Youtube • Splash Woman • Dream Master • Aerith • Tifa • Sephiroth

The Pillowcases (2012)

The Pillowcases are the number one Pillows cover band in the world. For many, that's all we need to say. But if not, let me ask: do you like FLCL? Of course you do. And that means you like the band the Pillows, who made the soundtrack for that anime. The Pillowcases are on a mission to rock out every con in the country and spread the joy of the music of the Pillows to everyone. Along the way, you'll hear covers of some of nerd fandom's favorite songs just to mix things up a bit. So get your butts down to see the show, it's going to be awesome.

Listen on Youtube • Ohayocon Footage

V is for Villains (2012)

V is for Villains is a new breed of entertainment. Mixing the visual styles of Steampunk, Carnival and Noir, with the musical taste of Nine Inch Nails, Prodigy, and your favorite film score; V is for Villains will take you on a journey through the imagination that your mother couldn't prepare you for. Most groups often say that they intend for "world domination"... V is for Villains might actually mean it....

Listen on • MySpace Music Player • Official Website

Level Boys (2012)

The Level Boys are a rap duo with an Otaku flavor. They use their lyrical talents to infuse animes from Dragon Ball Z to Air Gear. Using their creativity and musical skills, they have the ability to transform any anime into Hip Hop madness. With this musical beast living inside of them, their talents are going over 9000.

Listen on Youtube • Naruto Flow • Swag Over 9000

FanService Renji (2012)

FanService Renji began his creative journey in Jr. High where he excelled in writing and had a passion for music. After spending his free time writing and recording on a homemade setup built on old stereo equipment from friends and family, Renji pursued his dream career in audio and entertainment Renji attending and graduating from Full Sail University with a degree in Recording Arts. After a short stay for college in Orlando, FL he returned home back to Michigan.

After returning home he co-founded an independent record label, Northern Exposure Records (NER), to create a local entertainment scene in a market that was labeled hopeless. With NER by his side Renji expanded his resume to include recording engineer, event producer, promoter and artist manager. Being a nerd at heart, Cosplay quickly became a new love in his life. Not wanting to live in two separate worlds, Renji shifted his entertainment focus on the the Anime/Otaku world. Now he is a performer at various anime conventions across the U.S. You can catch him live singing his original brand hip hop, dancing on stage at the rave as one of the official dancers or rocking out in one of his music videos on youtube.

Listen on Youtube • Drift Away • Watch Me Rock This Cosplay • Level Up - or Facebook

Ick by Industrialkitty (2012)

Ick by Industrialkitty is a classic Lolita style clothing line independently manufactured in Chicago, IL. Ick offers a wide variety of sweet hand-made Lolita items to meet your tea-time needs! You can see and experience Ick's designs and styles at Anime Midwest's fashion show on Sunday morning.

See more on the • Official Website • Apply To Be A Model

mossbadger (2012)

mossbadger is an independent clothing and textiles company, specializing in silk-screened and digitally printed designs. Their limited edition garments and accessories are influenced by symbology, folklore, history, and magic. You can see and experience mossbadger's designs and styles at Anime Midwest's fashion show on Sunday morning.

Apply To Be A Model

Midwest Karaoke Madness (2012)

Midwest Karaoke Madness is an eclectic group of veteran con-goers that noticed a distinct lack of revelry at conventions. These plucky young people decided that it was their calling, nay, their duty to amuse and entertain their fellow attendees. So, that’s exactly what they do...with the power of music!

This troupe has delighted the masses at many conventions, such as Anime Central and Anime Milwaukee. They bring as much music as their binders can contain (somewhere around 10,000 songs) ranging from Anime and Disney to 80’s Pop and Party Rock.

Rave Dancers (2012)

Renji will be joined by Shana Mostella in performing as official on stage dancers at the Anime Midwest EDM Rave Dance. Shana Mostella, originally born in Ann Arbor, MI, moved to Chicago, IL at a very young age. While living in a not-so-desirable part of the city, she avoided all the negativity by focusing on the arts. She loved to create, whether it be drawing, writing or playing the piano. Also a tom boy, Shana was fascinated by video games and multiple forms of Japanese media including music, fashion, and anime. Naturally, that later became a huge source of inspiration in forming her own fashion design company, Candy Bats.

Shana not only takes on costume commission but also has her own fashion line in the works. Shana's is also recognized for her modeling and gogo dancing. Her resume includes performing at multiple anime conventions across the country, modeling for promotional media, music videos and has even graced the runway of a H. Naoto fashion show.

Party Monster DJs (2012)

Party Monster includes an Illinois based DJ and producer duo that plays all things EDM. They rock it from big shows to big house parties with drumstep, electro, Dubstep, moombahton, moombahcore,house, dnb, ect.

Listen on • SoundCloud

DJ Jeffito (2012)

House music has been flowing through the veins of this up and coming Chicago DJ since growing up. Starting in 2009, Jeffito has already performed at numerous clubs, raves, house parties, and even anime/gaming conventions including Anime Central and A&G Ohio. In February 2012, Jeffito successfully ran his first convention rave, Anime Milwaukee's Rave Factory 103, with glowing reviews. Jeffito's passion for EDM is unbreakable and it shows. With his laptop in hand and headphones on, the sky’s the limit!

Listen on • SoundCloud

DJ Oso (2012)

Started as an underground DJ for house party's and other raves, DJ Oso got his first gig at Medusa Chicago a year after starting to DJ. Oso has since been a DJ at cons ever since his first opportunity at Anime Midwest in 2011.

DJ Bad Corey (2012)

This fresh face to the live scene has hit the ground running and hasn’t slowed down yet. Based in Chicago, and often working side by side with DJ Jeffito, he started mixing in March of 2011, and landed his first gig at GeekKon in September 2011. Since then, he's played the likes of NerdPow!, A&G Ohio, and was 2nd in command of the wildly successful Rave Factory 103 at this year's Anime Milwaukee. A true lover of the hardcore sound, and never content to idly play out a track, he's always been one to give the mixer a bit of a twist, making his sets an exciting and unique experience. Some people say the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans because he punched it, and that his pulse hasn’t dropped below 180 bpm since 1994. All we know is, this DJ will make you sweat.

Listen on • SoundCloud