Need assistance? athome@otakuthon.com 
AniMaple is an anime event collective based out of Toronto, Canada. Our motto is “Anime Events for Anime People”, and as that suggests, we’re here to have a little bit of fun, as we specialize in DJ and other music events. We’ve appeared at many cons and festivals, like Japan Festival, IFF Toronto, and Kimikon, and now we’re ready for a fantastic time at Otakuthon!
Antipode is an eccentric dance group that has combined their love of otaku/nerd culture with their love of belly dancing to create a unique form of dance known as geek belly dancing. Antipode performs throughout the year at numerous conventions. They were founded in 2006 and have performed all over the United States and even in the United Kingdom.
The group is currently made up of three dancers: co-directors Ayla, the choreographer; and Merika, the costumer; and member Kaiya, our quirky propmaster. Though primarily the three, Antipode has had multiple guest dancers grace their shows.
Fusing the theatrics of acting with a mix of cosplay, pop-culture, and off-beat humor Antipode brings the audience not just dance, but full geek entertainment.
Ken “Arto” (from his last name Artaud) started working in Japan at the start of the 2010s as an animator inside of studio Telecom and Satelight. After that, he joined studio Graphinica in 2015.
In 2017, he joined studio Yapiko. As a result, he is able to show his talent on shows like Space Battleship Yamato 2202, Megalobox, My Hero Academia, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Dragon Ball Super: Broly and City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eye.
At the end of 2019, he joins Studio 4°C to work on an unannounced movie. In addition, he gets to work on Jujutsu Kaizen and Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train.
Simultaneously a national library, a national archive and a public library of a major metropolitan city, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) collects, preserves and promotes heritage from or related to Québec. As a key player in the gathering of intelligence and a cultural hub, BAnQ strives to democratize access to knowledge. It carries out its activities in 12 facilities which are open to the public across Québec.
Every year, BAnQ participates in Otakuthon with fun activities and workshops. This year, they will present panels about origamis, mangas and Japanese legends!
BAnQ offers free digital mangas to all residents of Quebec. Go find your next page-turner to read at home now! To help you in your quest, scroll through the manga list prepared by la Grande Bibliothèque!
beatMARIO is a Japanese music producer, songwriter and vocalist. He created COOL&CREATE in 1998. Eventually this became his own doujin circle as he began producing remixes of music from the Touhou Project series of doujin games. Vocalist Amane (あまね) joined in 2003 and their first album together, STGxSTG, was released at Comiket 65.
He is well known for many famous Touhou songs, such as “Night of Nights”, “Help me! ERINNNNNNN!”, “USATEI”, “Last Brutal Sister Flandre S (U.N.Owen was her REMIX)”, among many others. He also has done work for game companies such as Konami and SEGA providing songs for various arcade rhythm games, and has even written songs for singers such as the famous seiyuu Uesaka Sumire and groups such as the VTubers group Hololive. Recently he has also started activities as a VTuber as himself in a female avatar drawn by the well known Doujin Artist Itou Life.
Take a look at his YouTube channel to see his creations!
Want to ask some questions to beatMARIO? You have until July 15, 2021 to fill our form.
Starting his theatre career in middle school and continuing it throughout his higher education, Bastien decided to go into voice acting after he graduated from Film Studies in university. Following this formation, he met people that gave him the opportunity to start a career. He is known in the anime world for his role as Eren in Attack of Titan, Genos in One Punch Man, Soma in Food Wars, and Deku in My Hero Academia. He has also done voice overs in films and series, and more recently in video games.
We are Cita & Feder, a cosplay duo formed in 2011 from Germany. We are the winners of the World Cosplay Summit Brother Award 2019 and the German Cosplay Championship 2019. Our favourite part in cosplay is being on stage and performing like there is no tomorrow! (Photographer is Iris' Lens Photography.)
Born in Nice, France, Cyril Coppini has been living in Japan since 1997. With a master degree in Japanese and Japanese literature from National French Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures (INALCO), he joined in Sept. 1997 the French Cultural Network in Japan (French Embassy – French Institute). In 2003, he started a translator career.
Since 2013, he specializes in Japanese manga and video games translation. Cyril Coppini is also a Rakugo performer (Japanese comic storytelling) and is now translating into French the manga that inspired the well-known anime about Rakugo Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. The Volume 1 will be released on August 18, 2021, by Le Lézard Noir.
Cyril will present to you, in French, one conference (30 min) about “Animals in Rakugo” and one demonstration (30 min) of 2 stories (in French and in English) depicting… animals!
CyberConnect2 Co., Ltd. is a video game development company with its studios in Fukuoka, Tokyo, and Montreal. They have developed the .hack series, the Little Tail Bronx series including Solatorobo, the Naruto “Ultimate Ninja” series, Dragonball Z: Kakarot, and others. Their latest work is their first self-published title, Fuga: Melodies of Steel, available from July 29, 2021.
Stéphane Ferrandez is an ethnologist and storyteller. For the last 20 years, he has travelled across the world, sharing stories and rhythms he’s gathered from his voyages across five continents. He is the 2009 Laureate of the Kujoyama Villa and he is the first French person trained by Japanese lyrical masters in their craft. He is currently working with his partner, the author Sandrine Garbuglia, with whom he co-founded the Compagnie Balabolka in 2006.
Sandrine Garbuglia is an author and director. As the 2009 Laureate of the Kujoyama Villa. She has met Japanese lyrical masters in Osaka and Tokyo and has gathered their stories, previously unknown to the francophone audience. Since then, she has adapted texts from the Rakugo directory. She is the author of four Japanese plays that are performed in Europe and Japan, two of which were made for a younger audience. You can learn more about her work in her book “Histoires tombées d’un éventail” in the collection Miroirs du Réel published by Éditions l’Harmattan.
You can get Sandrine’s news by following her partner Stéphane Ferrandez’s social media!
She is a Japanese Youkai. While she introduces Youkai with videos on YouTube, she uses history facts to convey the ancient traditions and culture of Japan. She also streams games and chatting sessions.
She lives in a public park near Shimanto River in the Kochi Prefecture. Foolish Humans, I’m here to scare you! Boo!
America Zarigani is a Comedy duo, formed in 1994 by Tetsuya Yanagihara (born September 1, 1972) and Yoshiyuki Hirai (born March 12, 1973).
Aside from various TV and event appearances, Yoshiyuki Hirai has also been a voice actor, being in shows such as Inazuma Eleven as Geki Honba, and also games such as Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan where he was a side character.
He has recently stepped into the Virtual World as a VTuber, and has been active as a VTuber since.
Hizaki is a Japanese Visual Kei musician, songwriter, band leader, composer and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the symphonic power metal band Versailles (reborn in 2016). He is a founding member of Jupiter, and also has a long and luxurious solo career.
Renowned as a skilled guitarist, along with his appearance of pursuing “beauty”, his popularity is extensive in North America, Europe and Japan. He has also taken his vibrant performances around the world. His previous album “Rosario” has recorded incredible sales, exceptional especially since it is an instrumental CD. It was highly anticipated not only by the Metal World, but also in various musical fields. Currently, while working simultaneously on 2 bands and his solo project, he has expanded his activities by producing for other artists.
The focus of Hizaki’s solo work is guitar instrumentals, creating the main melody with a guitar. His main idea is to replace the vocalist with a guitar. Rather than technical skill, his ability to create melodies is where he excels. Hizaki’s approach to guitar solos in a band is different from other guitarists; instead of trying to match the flow of the song and insert a solo, he tries to “bring the song into another dimension.” Instead of playing “on top of the hook,” Hizaki creates a song within a song.
Hizaki will be appearing in a concert showcase at 7:00 PM on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Otakuthon At Home. A Q&A session will follow. This performance is organized in association with J-rock North Promotions Inc. and LIVEEXSAM Inc.
JupiterVersaillesAria Kurokiri is a black cat who loves to sing and play piano! She is also a black cat familiar!
Her dream is to sing and dance in 3D, and she wants to be an idol who can play piano while singing.
She wants her songs to reach more and more people around the world, so please support her!
The Orchestre d’Anime de Montréal (L’OAM) is a Montreal-based mixed ensemble. Featuring a rock band, chamber orchestra, and vocalists, l’OAM specializes in anime music featuring your favourite OPs, EDs, and OSTs from a variety of genres. The orchestra had its debut performance at Otakuthon in 2019, performing for a full house of over 2,000 people.
L’OAM also has their first album out called “Volume I”. It features songs from their debut performance in 2019. Check it out on Spotify!
With added safety measures, L’OAM has been able to record and perform a full 60 minute performance at Alchemist Studios for Otakuthon At Home 2021. Look out for some of your favorite anime OSTs.
The date of tThe concert will be announced later.
Love anime music and want to support us? Give us a like on our social media platforms!:
Lame Genie is the premier video game music cover band (heavy rock/metal) in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Formed in 2013, Lame Genie has made a name for themselves through their polished, heavy video game covers and memorable live shows. Having recorded over 16 albums in their 8 year span, this is a band that doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Laurence Manning is a Quebec pianist, composer, and arranger, graduated with a doctorate in piano performance from l’Université de Montréal.
The pianist released in June 2019 her debut video game music album Game Music Piano Album which includes original arrangements from the soundtracks of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Mario and many others.
She regularly posts videos of her arrangements and compositions on her YouTube channel, which has more than 2 million views and is followed by more than 23,000 subscribers. Laurence’s original works are inspired by neo-classical, Celtic, neo-medieval music, video game music and film music. Her debut album of compositions Piano Mirror was released in December 2020 and is available on her website as well as major music streaming platforms including Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Google Music and Amazon.
Yūko Minaguchi (皆口 裕子, Minaguchi Yūko) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Bunkyō, Tokyo.
She is well known for portraying various famous anime characters, such as Sailor Saturn in Sailor Moon, Nadeshiko Minamoto in Cardcaptor Sakura, Pan and Videl in Dragonball Z/GT/Super, Akiko Minase in Kanon, and Portegas D. Rouge in One piece.
She is also well known for portraying various famous game characters, such as Nene Anegasaki in Love Plus, Fara Oersted in the Tales franchise, and Momiji in the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series.
You have questions for Yūko Minaguchi? You have until July 15, 2021 to fill our form.
Kenji Nojima (野島 健児, Nojima Kenji) is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo.
He is well known for portraying various famous anime characters, notably as Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon Crystal, Yuto Kiba in High School DxD, Jade in Ultimate Muscle, Nobuchika Ginoza in Psycho-Pass, Keisaku Sato in Shakugan no Shana, and Taihei Doma in Himouto! Umaru-chan.
He is also well known for portraying various famous game characters, such as Tohno/Nanaya Shiki in Melty Blood, Hikaru Ichijyou in the Macross games, and Wander in Shadow of the Colossus. Recently he is notably known as the voice of Albedo in the very well-received game, Genshin Impact.
You have questions for Kenji Nojima? You have until July 15, 2021 to fill our form.
Ryōtarō Okiayu (置鮎 龍太郎, Okiayu Ryōtarō) is a Japanese stage actor and voice actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka.
He is well known for portraying various famous anime characters, such as Treize Khushrenada in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hisashi Mitsui in Slam Dunk, Meisuke Nueno in Hell Teacher Nūbē, Kunimitsu Tezuka in The Prince of Tennis, Byakuya Kuchiki in Bleach, Yuu Matsuura in Marmalade Boy, Shigure Sohma in Fruits Basket, Dark in D.N. Angel, Toriko in Toriko and Kai Rhodan in Back Arrow.
He is also well known for portraying various famous game characters, such as Zero in the Megaman series, Terra in the Kingdom Hearts series, and Caesar/ Romulus/ Vlad III/ Phantom of the Opera in Fate/ Grand Order.
As a singer, he was one of the members for Entertainment Music Unit from 1995 to 2000. Since 2016, he has also been working as a stage actor in the theatre company Hero Hero Q Company.
You have questions for Ryōtarō Okiayu? You have until July 15, 2021 to fill our form.
Back because they have nothing better to do! The Otaku Comedy Show returns to the Otakuthon once again, but this time, just like you, they’re STUCK AT HOME. This Montreal based, anime-themed comedy group has been STUCK AT HOME in the last year with nothing else to do than watch anime, play video games, and cry. These comedians WOULD HAVE done a Live stand-up comedy show, but instead you can catch them at the Live Event where they will be hilariously smack-talking the pandemic, each other, and all of the terrible anime they’ve experienced while STUCK AT HOME.
For more information, you can contact them on Facebook or by email!
Category: Solar Sky Dragon
Profile: A sky dragon who came from the heavens closest to the sun. She has the kindness and receptiveness that makes the light of a sunny day fall equally on all.
Category: Forest Fairy
Profile: A fairy who lived in a lush forest. She is supple like a flower in the breeze, cheerful and optimistic.
She is the older sister of the Asano Sisters Project, which is a virtual ninja YouTuber group. She is a ninja that does not hide, and loves to sing and act. She is proud of the fact that she has the most credits as a VTuber voice actor in the VTuber industry. She loves to sing for long periods of time (longest being 8 hours continuously!).
Category: Tropical Mermaid
Profile: A mermaid who spends her time with tropical fish in the sea of coral reefs. She has a heart as clear and pure as the calm and beautiful sea.
Keith Silverstein is a veteran voice actor with an impressive and diverse list of credits. He’s the voice of Zhongli in the worldwide sensation, Genshin Impact, Torbjörn in Overwatch, Hisoka on Hunter x Hunter, Hawk Moth on the fan favorite Miraculous-Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Speedwagon in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Gouhin in Beastars, and Jetfire in the Netflix Original series, Transformers, War for Cybertron trilogy.
He can also be heard as Iyami in Mr. Osomatsu, En in Dorohedoro, and Vector the Crocodile in the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. Resident Evil fans know him as H.U.N.K., Soul Calibur fans will recognize him as Zasalamel, and in Persona 5 he voices the villainous Masayoshi Shido.
Not enough for you? Here are a few other titles under his VO belt: TMNT, Jujutsu Kaisen, Amphibia, League of Legends, Kuroko’s Basketball, One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Sailor Moon, Star Wars Squadrons, Bungo Stray Dogs, Fate/Apocrypha, Fire Emblem, Glitter Force, Bleach, World of Warcraft, Skate-Leading Stars, Dead or Alive, Call of Duty Black Ops, Gundam: The Origin, Danganronpa, and Big City Greens. Other notable credits include Lupin the IIIrd, and Dr. Wily in Megaman.
For more info on Keith Silverstein, visit his website, or check out his Instagram, and Twitter.
Laura Stahl is a Los Angeles based voice actor. You may know her as Ray from The Promised Neverland, Barbara and Xinyan from Genshin Impact, Dorothy from The Great Pretender, Iruma from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, as well as several other shows and games. Laura has also adapted scripts for anime such as Yashahime: Princess Half Demon, Fate Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia, Eden (Starring Ruby Rose Turner, David Tennant, and Neil Patrick Harris) and more. In high school, Laura was a Band Geek and loved fantasy novels and in college, she studied Musical Theater. She couldn’t be happier to have a career in anime and JRPG’s, because she always knew she was going to spend her life as a very proud nerd.
Areas of expertise: Operating Systems, Internet Technology, Media Experience, Content Literacy, Otaku Culture. Kazunori Sugiura received a PhD in Media and Governance from Keio University Graduate School of Media Design and Governance. He works on digital content application and innovation, including digital media content management and experience, media content collaboration, and core technologies such as Operating System architecture, Internet transport technology, ubiquitous environment technology, and global computing architecture.
He is heavily involved in Cool Japan’s innovative and creative content, including anime, cosplay, Kigurumi, manga, and otaku in general. Delivers the “Otaku Culture” course in cosplay and kigurumi.
Inoue Suguru is a Japanese Actor and Voice Actor.
His main credits are for Hitman Reborn as Yamamoto Takeshi, Prince of Tennis as Shiranui Tomoya, and The Garden of Words as Matsumoto.
He got into VTubers in August of 2020, and was attracted by the endless possibilities of the genre. Currently, he is designing his own VTuber.
He wishes to be the bridge that links the real world and the virtual world.
Sunrise is an 11 member girl group based in Montreal focused on recreating performances from the popular anime series Love Live. Their bright smiles and high energy dance covers are sure to warm your heart and cheer you up on gloomy days!
Sunrise’s motto is “Never give up!” and they show that very happy determination both in convention and in their shows! Find them on all social media as LoveLiveSunrise and let your mind rest a minute by following their daily adventures!
The PinkPopo, your favorite geek DJ! Still at it since 2008, you’ve seen her at Otakuthon, Nuit Blanche de Montréal, Anime North, Yeticon and much more. Now she’s ready to take over the world, The PinkPopo is here to amaze your ears with J-pop and chiptune electro beats like you’ve never heard before! Ichi, ni, san, Pātī!
Tortuga is a Montreal-based rock-metal musical group dedicated to bringing back to life video game classics while giving them a new dimension. The five musicians share the same passions: music, obviously, and video games. Each musician is able to bring a unique touch and distinct sound both in writing and in interpretation thanks to their accomplished musical careers. Sometimes heavy, sometimes melodious, Tortuga will take you from one universe to another so that your inner gamer will be filled with nostalgia.
A Virtual Hakata-girl YouTuber, she was born from the city of Maizuru, in Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. She is a VTuber who works hard to promote the prefecture of Fukuoka.
On her YouTube she uploads videos about food and events in Fukuoka, and she also streams games and other content. She is well known for using chroma key technology to do food reports with live food, which is rare in the VTuber world.
Her greeting is “OISA!”, which is derived from a chant from Hakata Gion Yamakasa. She’s always lively and full of spunk.
She is also part of the VTuber unit “Nippon Retttto” (日本烈島) as one of the members.
JOE ZIEJA is an ex-USAF officer, now a voice actor and author in Los Angeles. You’ve heard him in FIREEMBLEM THREE HOUSES (Claude Von Riegan), JUST CAUSE 4 (Cesar), STAR FOX ZERO, THE BATTLE BEGINS (Fox McCloud), FATE/APOCRYPHA (Achilles) and many other anime and video game roles, as well as sidekick Issei Hoshino in YAKUZA: JUDGMENT. He’s the author of the EPIC FAILURE TRILOGY, a whimsical, military sci-fi series described as “Terry Pratchett in space,” the third book of which releases in September 2019 from Simon and Schuster - an audiobook version is available which he narrates.
Joe also runs a YouTube channel where he teaches some VA basics as well as shenanigans, and a Twitch channel where he streams games he’s acted in and talks about voice acting with fans. You can connect with Joe on his Twitter/Instagram @JoeZieja and on Facebook @Joe Zieja - Author and Voice Actor or visit his website www.joezieja.com for links to his books or media requests.
