The team behind the annual Sydney Manga and Anime Show (SMASH!) in collaboration with the Japan Foundation of Sydney have announced that they have invited Japanese voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi to attend as a special guest during this years festivities held during August 9th and 10th 2014 (In 100 Days, 10 hours, 40 minutes time to be exact).
Kotono Mitsuishi has been involved in the voice acting scene for a quarter of a century and has been renown for her role as Usagi Tsukino in the original (and upcoming reboot) of Sailor Moon. Some of her other roles include Misato Katsuragi in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Excel in Excel Saga.
While the Japanese dub of Sailor Moon has never been aired within Australia and Madman Entertainment still seem to be struggling to re-acquire the rights to the franchise, voice actress Sakura Tange attended SMASH! a few years ago when the anime publisher acquired the rights to Cardcaptor Sakura… perhaps this will be the year that fans have been waiting and continually asking for.
Jessica Chow | Japan Foundation, Sydney
The Japan Foundation, Sydney is delighted to support SMASH! again this year to help bring Japanese pop-culture to Australia. We are proud to be sponsoring Mitsuishi-san, particularly as it is her first visit to Sydney. These big names in the industry are always more than happy to visit Australia because they recognise Australia’s love for Japanese pop-culture. This is a great opportunity for fans to meet high-profile talent from Japan, which fits perfectly with our mission of ‘Bringing Japan to You’.
Ray Elinon | SMASH! President
We are incredibly thankful to have JPF Sydney on board as a principal sponsor again, and we would like to thank them for making this opportunity possible. Last year, we had voice-actor Masakazu Morita come all the way from Japan, and this year, JPF Sydney will be bringing Mitsuishi-san to this year’s convention. We’re sure many Sailor Moon fans will be ecstatic to see her at SMASH! 2014.
