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News for All-Con 2011:

Anison Unison to be hosted by All-Con 2011

Three-Day Anime Song Celebration Features MIQ Concert, 24-Hour Medley, Karaoke Contest

DALLAS, TX and SHINJUKU, JAPAN - Dec. 13, 2010 - Bringing together anime song fans from around the world, first-of-its-kind festival Anison Unison has three delirious days of live performances and contests in store for attendees at All-Con 2011 in Dallas, Texas, March 18-20.

Headlining the celebration is the legendary anime songstress MIQ. Known prior to 2000 as MIO, this dynamic performer is famed worldwide for her theme songs for anime classics "Gundam 0083," "Aura Battler Dunbine," "Heavy Metal L-Gaim," "Area 88," "Bismark," "Xabungle Graffiti" and more.

She's also one of the most beloved performers on Japan's anime song concert scene. One of the three iconic stars of the first-ever Super Robot Spirits concert (with Ichirou Mizuki and Hironobu Kageyama), MIQ is a perennial headliner in what has become an annual event that draws thousands of anime song fans to Tokyo each spring. She's also one of the star attractions in Japan's growing number of Gundam-only concerts, and those not able to see her in person can find her on Japanese TV each New Year's Eve, leading a galaxy of fan-favorite stars in the men-versus-women Anison Kouhaku concert competition.

The queen of anime singers by day, and a renowned R&B and jazz performer by night, MIQ has agreed to make a rare trip from Japan to help make Anison Unison absolutely epic. She'll deliver a sizzling concert Friday night, March 18, meet fans afterwards for photos and autographs, and later serve up another unforgettable performance at the 24-Hour Endurance 1,000 Anime Song Medley. All are free for All-Con attendees.

To make her concert all the greater, MIQ not only will sing her classics, but also is allowing the very rare opportunity for requests to be made in advance. All are welcome to e-mail the titles of up to three songs (anime songs of any era, or any other song you'd love to hear her perform) for MIQ's consideration to [email protected].

Another highlight of Anison Unison will be the Six-Decade Samurai Anime Karaoke Challenge, in which contestants sing the TV-size versions of six different anime or live-action hero these songs of their choice: one each from the 1960s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s, and 2010-11. In this competition you don't need to be a great singer, just a great anime fan...and a slew of awards await, including a Grand Prize of $300 cash and the opportunity to open for MIQ in her concert! Contestants must enter in advance, and the number of entries is limited, so don't miss out.

The third jewel in Anison Unison's Triple Crown is Japan's ultimate event for anime otaku, the 24-Hour Endurance 1,000 Anime Song Medley. It was the talk of All-Con 2010, and they're powering up for an unforgettable return in 2011!

Celebrating its 17th year, the 24-Hour Endurance 1,000 Anime Song Medley is a nonstop show of anime and tokusatsu titles, scenes, and rarities, collected and presented on a theater-sized screen by the deeply knowledgable--and very funny!--Keisaku Kimura and Kazushi Hinoki. At their shows in Japan the duo is known as Otakuzake, but here they go by what that means in English: they're the "Fanboy Booze Brothers"!

Since his first All-Con appearance last March, indy filmmaker Keisaku Kimura has become a frequent sight on Japanese TV, earning media respect to go with his years of otaku cred with the publication of his new book, "Anison Baka Ichidai" ("An Anison-Crazy Lifetime"). The director and special effects creator for the 2009 live-action adaptation of "Famires Senshi Purin," he recently produced a documentary on Otakuzake's All-Con 2010 adventures.

Artist and robot toy collector Kazushi Hinoki, an assistant to Takeshi Obata on "Hikaru no Go" (1998-2003, Jump Comics), merrily continues to unleash his manga creations on the world. His works include "Chaos Gear" (2000, Magazine Z Comics), "Twin Tail" (2003, Young Champion Comics), "Famires Senshi Purin" (2003-06, Young King Comics), "Gun x Sword" (art only; 2005, Shonen Champion Comics), "Idol H: Himeko no Himitsu" (2008-09, GA Comics), and "Police Girl" (2009, Nichibun Comics).

This fresh new edition of the 24-Hour Endurance 1,000 Anime Song Medley will be held March 19-20 at All-Con's host hotel Crowne Plaza North Dallas' Addison Theater, complete with comfy tiered seating, special guest performers including MIQ, and a smorgasbord of anime- and tokusatsu-related loot up for grabs in contests held throughout the Medley, donated by sponsor HobbyLink Japan. Free for All-Con attendees!

More information on Anison Unison can be found at http://www.anisonunison.com and on All-Con 2011 at http://www.all-con.org .

Anison Unison
at All-Con 2011, March 18-20, 2011
Crowne Plaza North Dallas, Addison, TX

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