Danica Davidson
March 10, 2023 
MEGACON Orlando, which boasts being the biggest comics, sci-fi and anime convention in the southeastern part of the country, will be back March 30 to April 2. In addition to things related to American pop culture, it will have specific otaku interests, like a maid café, Wasabi Anime’s Japanese Video Game room and an Itasha Car Exhibit. But what especially stands out is that it will have Hirokatsu Kihara from Studio Ghibli. While many cons have things like maid cafés, it’s not so often you have the opportunity to meet someone from Japan’s most famous anime studio.
MEGACON Orlando explained:
“Throughout the weekend, take advantage of a unique opportunity to meet Hirokatsu Kihara, former Chief Production Officer at Studio Ghibli. Admission to this intimate VIP experience is $50, and includes a private Q&A where fans can view key pieces of his animation artwork collection. Kiraha-sensei is making a rare U.S. appearance to help educate fans about the art and history behind the process of classic anime. He possesses one of the largest private collections of hand drawn artwork by artists from Topcraft and Studio Ghibli in the 1980s. This includes artwork from Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, My Neighbor Totoro. Fans will also be able to receive an autograph and take a photo with Kiraha-sensei.”
In addition to this, there will be a lot of voice actors to meet, including Christopher Sabat, Justin Briner, Zach Aguilar, Sonny Strait, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Luci Christian, Kellen Goff, Ian Sinclair, Aleks Le, Abby Trott and Suzie Yeung.
MEGACON Orlando is produced by FAN EXPO HQ. If you’re interested, they’re selling tickets on their website. If you buy before the end of March 15 you can get money off through advanced pricing.
Source: Email correspondence
Photo Credit: MEGACON Orlando
____
Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
