An online digital convention serving 2 days of content featuring top creators from Japan's expansive pop-culture landscape!
GUESTS
TOSHIHIRO NAGOSHI
VIDEO GAME PRODUCER
Toshihiro Nagoshi was born on June 17th, 1965. After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University as a film major, he joined SEGA in 1980. The first game he oversaw as a producer, Daytona USA (1994), was a worldwide hit.
He’s also been the creator behind such popular games as the Yakuza series, Super Monkey Ball series, Binary Domain, and Judgment.
He was appointed representative director of Amusement Vision Co., Ltd. when the main SEGA development team was split up in the year 2000. He is currently working at SEGA as the CCO (Chief Creative Officer).
Notable Works:
SHINGO NATSUME
DIRECTOR
Born in 1980, Natsume Shingo is an animator, producer, and director.
After working for a game company, he started working with the animation production studio, J.C. STAFF. He is now working as a freelancer after working for Shin-Ei Animation.
He's created a strong name for himself as an animation director with "Welcome to N.H.K.!"(2006) and "Bokura No" (2007). In 2012, he made his directorial debut with the OVA "Hori-san and Miyamura-kun".
He also directed Space☆Dandy (2014) and "One Punch Man" (2015) where the passionate illustrations and unexpected direction in action scenes extremely enhance the productions reputation.
He is taking strides as an up-and-coming young director with ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. in 2017 and Boogiepop at Dawn in 2019.
Notable Works:
DAI SATO
SCREENWRITER
Dai Sato was born in 1969. He is a screenwriter, musician, and president of Story Riders, a scenario writer’s office.
He began his career as a broadcaster, lyricist and music writer at the age of 19, and made his animation scriptwriting debut in 1997 with the anime “Eternal Family”. He also wrote the screenplays for “Cowboy Bebop” and “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex”, and in 2005 he worked on the series composition of “Eureka Seven”.
His knowledge of music led him to establish an indie label called “FROGMAN RECORDS” in the 1990s, which pioneered techno music in Japan. At the same time, he established a style of interpreting musical elements into anime stories. This is evident in his latest release, LISTENERS (2020).
Notable Works:
YOKO KANNO
COMPOSER/ARRANGER
In addition to providing music for leading Japanese artists, production, and producing for commercials, she is also active in game music.
In the fields of film and anime music, she has worked on "COWBOY BEBOP", "Genesis of Aquarion" and "Macross F", which have been extensively supported by foreign fans.
From pop to rock, jazz, funk, techno and classical music.
In July 2009, she performed at "TANABATA Sonic" with her band "Seatbelts" to a total of 150 people, including the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, on stage. It was a spectacle for the attendees.
Eleven years later, on July 7, 2020, Seatbelts will once again present at the Online TANABATA Festival.
Notable Works:
KENJI KAMIYAMA
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER
Animation director, screenwriter, and entertainer. Co-CEO of Crafter, Inc. His major works include the "Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C." series (since 2002), "Eden of the East" (2009) and 009 RE: CYBORG (2012).
He was one of the first to work on full 3DCG expression in animation, and in 2019 he teamed up with another 3DCG anime guru, Nobushi Aramaki, to produce "ULTRAMAN".
He also worked as a double director on the current series, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.
Notable Works:
SHINJI ARAMAKI
DIRECTOR/MECHANICAL DESIGNER
Animation director and mechanical designer. His major works include "Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01" (1988), "Megazone 23 Part III" (1989), and "APPLESEED" (2004).
In 2010, he established SOLA DIGITAL ARTS Inc.,A video production company which focuses on full 3DCG productions.
He has also worked on "Starship Troopers Invasion" (2012) and "Captain Harlock" (2013).
Notable Works:
YUITO KIMURA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/VIDEO GAME PRODUCER
Yuito Kimura is the executive director of Cygames. Yuito is the producer of Granblue Fantasy and is one of the founding members of the company.
Along with producing the digital card game Shadowverse, and the anime RPG Princess Connect! Re: Dive, he is also the producer of titles in-development. Shadowverse is one of the leading e-sports titles in Japan, drawing players from around the world to compete in tournaments held in 2018 and 2019 that featured a prize pool of one million dollars.
Yuito is deeply involved in all facets of operations, from the management side to video game development.
Notable Works:
TETSUYA FUKUHARA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Tetsuya Fukuhara is the creative director of Granblue Fantasy. Starting off as a freelance designer, Tetsuya joined Cygames in 2012.
After working as a game designer for Rage of Bahamut, he became the creative director of Granblue Fantasy when the project began. Tetsuya shapes Granblue from multiple angles, such as worldbuilding, game design, and supervising the expanding multimedia franchise.
Tetsuya is also the creative director of the fighting game Granblue Fantasy: Versus and general director of the A-RPG title Granblue Fantasy: Relink.
Notable Works:
PARU ITAGAKI
MANGAKA
The mangaka Paru Itagaki was born on September 9, 1993. Paru Itagaki made her debut in 2016 with “BEAST COMPLEX” a high-profile seralization in the “Weekly Shonen Champion magazine by Akita Shoten. In the same year, she started the serialization of “BEASTARS”, a manga depicting the symbiosis of herbivores and carnivores in a coming-of-age drama. The series has been published in Japan and has received several manga awards. Her unparalleled authorship has brought her to prominence, and in October 2019, BEASTARS received a TV anime adaptation.
Her autobiographical short home-drama “Paruno Graffiti” is also serialized in Kodansha’s “Kiss”.
Notable Works:
SEIJI MIZUSHIMA
DIRECTOR
After working on "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995), he directed "Generator Gaul" (1998), which was his debut as a director. His major works include "Shaman King" (2001), "Fullmetal Alchemist" (2003), "Oedo Rocket" (2007), "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" (2007), "UN-GO" (2011), and the 2014 film Expelled from Paradise. Expelled from Paradise was an original project and was screened in only 13 theaters. It was an overwhelming hit, earning over 170 million yen.
Notable Works:
HIROSHI HAMASAKI
DIRECTOR/ILLUSTRATOR
Animation director, project director, animator, illustrator.
His major directorial works include “TEXHNOLYZE” (2003), “Sigurui” (2003) (2007), “STEINS;GATE” (2011), and Terraformers (2014), among others.
His most recent work is “Blade of the Immortal - IMMORTAL” (2020). He has also worked on many films as a character designer and animator.
Notable Works:
MAMORU MIYANO
VOICE ACTOR/SINGER
He was born on June 8, 1983, he is a voice actor, actor and singer, and made his voice acting debut in 2001. Since then, he has garnered attention for his roles "DEATH NOTE" (2006) and "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" (2007), and has since played the lead role in a number of high-profile films. In recent years, he has dubbed for many films including "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" as well as anime series. He has also worked as an actor, playing leading roles on stage and in musicals, and as a singer. He has also released 19 singles and 6 original albums through King Records.
Notable Works:
SHIGETO KOYAMA
DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR
Born in 1975 in Tokyo, Japan. He is a designer and art director. His notable works works include "HEROMAN", "STAR DRIVER", "Evangelion", "Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt" and “Big Hero 6”. He worked on the character design for the original TRIGGER-produced theatrical anime PROMARE, which was released in 2019. He is also a member of the planning and design group "GEEKBOAT" along with Hiroyuki Imaishi and Hiromi Wakabayashi
Notable Works:
HIROMI WAKABAYASHI
CREATIVE PRODUCER
He is a Creative Producer as a member of TRIGGER. His notable works include “Gurren Lagann”, “Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt”, “Kill la Kill”, “Space Patrol Luluco”, as well as the “Momoiro Clover vs. KISS - Yume no Ukiyoimina music video”. He was the creative director of the original TRIGGER-produced theatrical anime PROMARE, which was released in 2019. He is a member of the planning and design group "GEEKBOAT" along with Hiroyuki Imaishi and Shigeto Koyama.
Notable Works:
KENJI NAGASKI
DIRECTOR
Born in Osaka on Feburary 12th, 1979 . After working as a production manager and director, he garnered attention for his participation in "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" (2007) as a director, storyboard designer and assistant director. After making his directorial debut in 2011 with "No.6", he has been working as a director and storyboard artist, while also consistently releasing content as a director. Other films he has directed include "Gundam Build Fighters" (2013) and "Classroom☆Crisis" (2015).
Notable Works:
MASAHIRO MUKAI
DIRECTOR
Masahiro Mukai was born in July in 1978, and he is from Hiroshima. He is an animation director. He has worked as a director and storyboard designer on numerous anime films, including " Blood Blockade Battlefront & BEYOND" (2017), as well as working as a director on "Hyperdimension Neptunia THE ANIMATION" (2013) and "TRICKSTER – Edogawa Ranpo Shonen Tanteidan Yori" (2017).
Notable Works:
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Toshihiro Nagoshi
Shingo Natsume
Dai Sato
Yoko Kanno
Kenji Kamiyama
Shinji Aramaki
Yuito Kimura
Tetsuya Fukuhara
Paru Itagaki
Seiji Mizushima
Hiroshi Hamasaki
Mamoru Miyano
Shigeto Koyama
Hiromi Wakabayashi
Kenji Nagasaki
Masahiro Mukai
OTAQUEST // PLUGGED IN was established in 2019 as our recurring series of streaming DJ/club events.
Originally held at the iconic Akihabara club MOGRA, we're hosting a 100% streaming version of the event with some of the best acts Tokyo has to offer as a part of OTAQUEST CONNECT.
Tune in Saturday night, August 15th as we bring the party directly to you!
☆Taku Takahashi
m-flo, block.fm, OTAQUEST
Formed m-flo with VERBAL and LISA in 1998.
As a solo artist, he has produced and remixed for domestic and international artists such as Calvin Harris, The Ting Tings, NEWS, Crystal Kay, Kato Miliyah, MINMI, EXID, etc., he also oversaw the soundtracks for various projects such as the anime "Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt", the drama and movie "Nobunaga Concerto", and the game "Lord of Vermilion III".
His remix “Incoming… TAKU Remix” placed number one on the D&B charts for the year on the worldwide dance music streaming site “beatport”. The song also won the "beatport MUSIC AWARDS 2011 TOP TRACKS" which includes superstars such as Underworld, Fatboy Slim and Justice. He was the first Japanese to achieve this accolade, proving that he is a world-class player in both name and reality.
With DJ activities both in Japan and abroad, he has gained tremendous support in the club scene, and has been ranked No.1 in the domestic division of LOUD's "DJ50/50" ranking for 3 consecutive years, and has become one of the top DJs in Japan. In 2011, he launched Japan's first internet radio station specializing in dance music called “block.fm", the starting point of a new music movement.
m-flo's latest album 'KYO' and the second single from the revival of the loves series, 'm-flo♡chelmico RUN AWAYS', are now on sale.
Alan Shirahama
EXILE, GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE
Alan Shirahama began activities as a DJ in 2015 and has performed at numerous events.
He plays a wide range of genres such as Hip Hop, Pop, House, Disco, etc., with the groove he has cultivated through dance, while also focusing on bass music such as Trap and Dubstep.
Alan also produces his own music and is expected to traverse the world.
November 2012 – Made his major debut as a performer in GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE
April 2014 – Chosen as a new performer member of EXILE, joined EXILE. He not only is the leader of GENERATIONS, but he also now has EXILE activities to participate in as well. Furthermore, He has also acted in the dramas “Sugarless”, “GTO”, “Shousetsuou”, “M Ai Subeki Hito ga Ite”, the films “Hirunaka no Nagareboshi”, “Confidence Man JP Princess”.
He also is active as a DJ, currently pursuing expanding his range on multiple fronts.
YUC'e
With her latest album "Future Cαke" achieving No. 1 on the Spotify Viral and iTunes Electronic charts, she is a remarkable female trackmaker who handles everything from songwriting and composition to trackmaking and singing all by herself.
During her high school days, she studied internationally and then majored in music classes.
In 2015, she began her career as YUC'e. In May 2017, she performed internationally at both Anime Central in Chicago as well as Anime Expo in Los Angeles.
Her international recognition continued into 2018 where she performed at OTAQUEST LIVE in LA, ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA 2018, as well as Comic Fiesta 2018 in Malaysia.
In May of 2020, she released her digital album “Romantic Jam”.
In addition to creating her own music, she has provided remixes for Dean Fujioka’s “Let it snow!”, m-flo loves BoA “the Love Bug”, as well as making tracks for the virtual singer YuNi, gradually expanding her influence on the industry.
Home Page // Twitter // Instagram // SoundCloud // Bandcamp // Spotify
KOTONOHOUSE
KOTONOHOUSE began writing music in earnest in 2016, immersing themselves in the creation of Kawaii Dance Music songs that shine with technical vocal cut-ups based on the Future Bass, Trap and Jersey Club sounds.
His tracks, which were released on SoundCloud, immediately caught the attention of domestic producers, and in 2016, he appeared at the 家-Yeah- event, which brought together some of Japan’s leading track makers. He was also selected as one of the “Best Music of 2016” in Gizmodo Japan’s 中の人＋α ranking.
In 2017, KOTONOHOUSE’s original song “good time” was featured on FREQUENCY BLITZ 5, a label compilation for Attack The Music, an independent label based in Los Angeles, California.
His activity crossed oceans to perform in the artist showcase “conXion” at the 2018 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, USA. In addition, he won first place in the Producer category of “Best of Japan DJs Ranking U-29” held by DJ MAG JAPAN in the same year.
Released in January 2019, “Marine Snow (feat. RANASOL)” is the next generation of the Japanese dance music scene, reaching #1 on the iTunes and electronica singles charts.
LADY'S ONLY
The DJ & sound team of AGELOW and Jacotanu.
They have had the opportunity to perform at big clubs in Tokyo such as ageHa in Shinkiba and Daikanyama UNIT, as well as in major cities throughout Japan such as Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Osaka, and Hakata, and they have always brought excitement to bass freaks across the country.
In 2018, they started focusing on releasing music. While their music is based around the UK-born genres of Bassline, Grime and Garage, their works, which include a variety of elements, are unique in that they have condensed their "sense of the scene" and have received support from many artists and DJs in Japan and abroad.
In September of 2019, they released their 2nd EP “PLOT ARMOR EP”.
Aside from this, they have also participated in label-sponsored compilations from Attack The Music and MEGAREX. They have also provided music and remixes for the Vsinger “AZKi” and will continue to work tirelessly to lead the bass music scene.
Home Page // Twitter // SoundCloud
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☆Taku Takahashi
TBA
TBA
TBA
YUC'e
KOTONOHOUSE
LADY'S ONLY
Alan Shirahama
SUNDAY CONCERT
Join us Sunday evening August 16th for a trio of performances from rising acts in the J-Pop and Japanese rock landscapes!
GIRLFRIEND
With all lyrics being created by the members, it’s hard to believe that the band has an average age of 19 years old.
GIRLFRIEND is a girl band from Osaka with musicality, performance, and looks!
Last year, they created the opening theme song "sky & blue" for the 8th Cour of the TV anime "Black Clover".
GIRLFRIEND is not only popular in Japan, but abroad as well!
Sasaki Rico
She has loved singing and music since she was a child, and grew up being exposed to a variety of music. When she was in the third grade, she saw the musical "Annie" and was so moved by it that she dreamed of being on the stage. When she was in the fifth grade, she won the lead role of "Annie" out of 9,000 applicants.
After graduating from high school, she moved to Tokyo to pursue singing and acting and is currently attending voice acting school and learning how to use her voice. She has a soulful voice that is hard to imagine resonating from her petite frame.
Chuning Candy
Pony Canyon / TV Asahi Music / Production Ogi
Formed in 2013 by Cat's Eye Talent School students in Okinawa, Japan. The name of the group was coined to represent the fact that the members with various personalities, like candy, work together to create music. They also use the shortened form of their name as “Chunican”.
They made their major label debut in 2018 with the single “Dance with me”.
They were chosen as the opening act for the “TOKYO GIRLS COLLECTION”, as well as being the first Japanese female group to perform on the popular Korean music program “SHOW CHAMPION”. Their popularity and attention continued to grow and they won the 60th Japan Record “New Artist Award”. They are regular members of TOKYO MX’s “OTOBOKE POPS” as well as on Radio Japan’s Chuning Candy Tune Up Party!, and FM Okinawa’s “KIREIMO presents Week’s End Cheer Radio Chuning Candy’s Cheer up!”
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GIRLFRIEND
Sasaki Rico
Chuning Candy
ABOUT
OTAQUEST as a project was born out of anime conventions in America. After iconic producer ☆Taku Takahashi (m-flo / block.fm) was invited to perform at the yearly SYNERGY party at Anime Central by event organizer Eddie Lehecka (Attack The Music, bemanistyle), the two teamed up to create something with the concept of connecting different aspects of the Japanese pop-culture world and its iconic creators more directly with fans in the United States.
The larger part of this mission is fulfilled by our website, which brings regular news across all aspects of Japanese popular-culture, but also has a monthly feature topic in which we interview creative teams & influential people across a variety of industries. But our presence on the internet is only one aspect of how we build this connection, with live events making up the other side of how we approach our mission.
Since our founding in 2017, OTAQUEST has also participated with conventions all over the United States, bringing musicians, artists, and other elements of Japanese pop-culture with them. From booth appearances in exhibit halls, to OTAQUEST LIVE, and Anime Central's SYNERGY event, we have been building up the ways in which we can bridge the gap between creators in Japan & fans in the US. OTAQUEST CONNECT is the next step in our continued use of live programming to compliment our daily news & editorial content.
We're teaming up with our good friends at Anime Central to bring you a lineup chock full of amazing members of the anime, gaming, and music industries in Japan to create a weekend packed full of streaming content for fans worldwide to enjoy from the comfort of their own home. Making use of Twitch & Discord to interact as a global community, we can't wait to connect with you all over the weekend of August 15 & 16th, directly from our base of operations in Tokyo, Japan. We hope you'll join us, and be sure to keep an eye out for more updates on the different kinds of programming we'll be hosting that weekend!
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