Animation Kobe Director Award winner, Hiroyuki Imaishi and 7th Annual Tokyo International Anime Award recipient, Atsushi Nishigori, are now announced as official Anime Expo 2009 Guests of Honor at the nation’s largest anime and manga convention held July 2-5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Hiroyuki Imaishi

After graduating from Tama Art University, Mr. Hiroyuki Imaishi, was hired as an animator for the Gainax Company, Limited. His first work was the animation that many critics considered a social phenomenon NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. Since then, Mr. Imaishi has worked on storyboards and as art directors for such hit anime series as HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES and FLCL. Mr. Imaishi made his directorial debut with the OVA DEAD LEAVES. Mr. Imaishi has also worked on RE: CUTEY HONEY and TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGGAN franchise. Mr. Imaishi was also the recipient of the 12th Animation Kobe
Director’s Award.

Atsushi Nishigori

Character designer Mr. Atsushi Nishigori has worked on many titles including MAHOROMATIC, THIS UGLY YET BEAUTIFUL WORLD, HE IS MY MASTER, OVER THE TOP! 2 and serves as the character animation director for the TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGGAN franchise. Mr. Nishigori was also the recipient of 7th Annual Tokyo International Anime Awards’ Individual Character Design Award category.

Mr. Imaishi and Mr. Nishigori join Daisuke Ishiwatari, Yosuke Kuroda, Toshimichi Mori, Morning Musume, Yasuhiro Nightow, Satoshi Nishimura and Kari Wahlgren as official Anime Expo 2009 Guests of Honor.