Ms. Takeuchi To Premiere New Naruto Shippuden Film At Anime Event During New York Comic Con
Norwalk, CT, August 1, 2011: The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and VIZ Media are proud to announce the Japanese voice of titular character Naruto Uzumaki in the global anime phenomenon Naruto and Naruto Shippuden — Junko Takeuchi — is coming to this October’s New York Anime Festival. The New York Anime Festival will take place October 13-16, 2011 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan as part of the sixth annual New York Comic Con (NYCC). NYCC, which attracted 96,000 attendees in 2010, celebrates comics, television, movies, toys, games, and the popular arts from around the planet. NYCC’s Anime Festival shines a specific spotlight on anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. NYCC has already announced guests including Kevin Smith, Felicia Day, and Robert Kirkman.
VIZ Media officially announced Ms. Takeuchi’s attendance at the New York Anime Festival on Friday, July 22nd as part of VIZ Media’s 25th Anniversary Panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA. Ms. Takeuchi will take part in a panel and signings at NYAF, and will introduce the U.S. premiere of the motion picture Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds at a VIZ Media event (details forthcoming). Ms. Takeuchi’s travel is provided by American Airlines.
Junko Takeuchi, a prolific voice actress (or seiyuu), originally hails from Saitama, Japan and has earned a large following internationally for her portrayal of Naruto Uzumaki — lead character in the Naruto franchise — and is also well-known for roles including Gon Freecss in Hunter x Hunter, Mamoru Endo in Inazuma Eleven, Metabee in Medabots, and Gomamon in Digimon. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens with more than 100 million copies in circulation to-date. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (Naruto rated ‘T’ for Teens, and Naruto Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) are among VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe, and South America.
At the New York Anime Festival, Takeuchi will speak on a panel and dedicate time to autographing, both public signings for general attendees and reserved autographing for NYAF VIPs. Her appearance will culminate in the introduction of the U.S. premiere of Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds. In the feature film, a group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.
“The New York Anime Festival is honored welcome Junko Takeuchi to New York City,” NYAF and NYCC Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “VIZ Media is responsible for the biggest manga and anime series in America, Naruto andNaruto Shippuden being among them, and we’re very excited to partner together to bring the voice of Naruto together with her fans in NYC. Of course, while we’re excited, our attendees will be absolutely, entirely thrilled.”
For Ms. Takeuchi’s bio and headshot, please visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com.
For more information on Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, please visit Naruto.viz.com.
Details around all of NYAF’s Naruto events and its full schedule will be announced later this summer. Tickets are available at www.newyorkcomiccon.com now. For the latest information, please follow @ny_anime_fest and @ny_comic_con on Twitter as well as read NYAF and NYCC’s official blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.
