A look at the ULTRAMAN phenomenon from the character's creation in 1966 by Eiji Tsuburaya (creator of Godzilla) to its present incarnations. ULTRAMAN is a cultural icon throughout Asia on par with Mickey Mouse or Superman in the West. But he is little known in the US in spite of being one of the world's top selling merchandised characters. This panel will explain who ULTRAMAN is and why he is significant as well as present examples of ULTRAMAN on film both old and new, including an episode of ULTRAMAN MAX (2005) directed by Japan's maverick director Takashi Miike.

Pacific Media Expo 2006 and Avex are proud to sponsor the NANA Costume Contest judged by OLIVIA herself! The singing voice of Reira Serizawa from the hit anime NANA will be checking out if you're the best Nana Osaki, Nana Komatsu, Reira Serizawa, or even Ren! Come get dressed up and be in character! Just show up at Room Century AB on Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 11:00 AM. No signups required! Are you OLIVIA's chosen one? Let's find out!

They're young, they're gorgeous, they're the students of the Yazawa School of Design. Trendy fashion and torrid romance is the name of the game in "Paradise Kiss" from Geneon Entertainment. Hit the catwalk with anime fashion gurus Stephanie Sheh (Director of the English language dub) and DVD Producer Sawako Furuya, as they provide you with the latest runway news on this fresh and addictively entertaining anime series, along with insight on the production of the English language dub. Based on the internationally popular shojo manga of the same name by acclaimed creator Ai Yazawa (Nana, Gokinjo Monogatari), "Paradise Kiss" series features stylish animation, great theme songs and and some incredibly stunning gothic and lolita fashion designs. Following the panel will be a screening of the English language version of "Parakiss." (12 pm / Live Programming 2/Video 1)

Are you excited to watch the live-action Transformers movie coming out in July 2007? Come and talk with fellow excited fans at the Transformers Revealed-The Transformers Documentary panel! 

Filmmaker Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy continues to delve into the Transformer Fan Phenomenon with The Transformers Revealed-The Transformers Documentary. Kolodny-Nagy traces the popularity of the robots in disguise back to their historic origins while revealing personal and provocative stories from some of the franchise's biggest fans. Preview clips will be shown from the project.

This workshop will be about creating characters in an anime-influenced style. It will give tips and tricks about working with color. The demo will be done in PAINTCHAT online. Paintchat is a program open to everyone with internet access. Best of all, it's a well-known Japanese product!

Title: Polynesian Dancers
Presenter: Polynesian Paradise Productions
Description: Polynesian Paradise Productions brings to you beautifully choreographed dances from the Islands of Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, and Tahiti.  Come watch beautiful dancers sway to songs of aloha.  Get ready for audience participation!

General discussion: visit our Event and Panel Programming Forum.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Appearing at Pacific Media Expo / Sunday, October 29, 2006 only

Bang Zoom! Entertainment will be hosting a panel, "Adventures in Voice Acting Panel" focusing on the behind the scene of producing English version of Japanese Anime, sneak preview of our documentary with voice actors actually titled as Adventures in Voice Acting, fun clips, and new project announcements.

The Un-Birthday Party is a special opportunity to meet one of the most influential figures of Gothic and Lolita culture. Novala Takemoto is an author and fashion designer but he is best known for the novel turned movie Shimotsuma Monogatari which was released in the United States as Kamikaze Girls. He has also designed clothing and accessories for labels such as BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT and Sanrio.

It is Novala Takemoto's un-birthday and it just so happens that this is also your un-birthday too! Through Cosplay Oneesan and Pacific Media Expo, you are invited to this exclusive event: to have a real-life face-to-face tea party with Mr.Takemoto himself. Due to the intimate nature of this event, seating is very limited and advance tickets must be purchased in order to attend. This is a "White Tie Lolita" event; dress codes will be enforced for all participants and observers (including press).

PMX's Karaoke room keeps the crowds running away in horror and running back for more. Here is your chance to take your act out of the shower and onto the stage with a proper microphone! Sing along to your favorite C-pop, J-pop, J-rock, K-pop, OPM, or anime tunes. Bring your own CD or take a chance with our karaoke database of mystery.

M3 Production will be spinning at the PMX06 dance. Be prepared for:

“I just want to sing,” Ranella Ferrer told her parents as soon as she was able to speak. From her first stage performance of “Somewhere Out There” at the age of 3, her passion and talent were undeniable. From that moment on, Ranella knew that she wanted to share her gift to the world, and dreamed of becoming the future “Asian Superstar”. At 13, Ranella left behind her native land, the Philippines and moved to America with a vision of pursuing her natural born talent. 

Since setting foot in this country, Ranella’s relentless hard work has paid off--creating not only a buzz but also a presence in the Los Angeles music scene.  Opening for such acts as Twista, Murphy Lee from Nelly’s camp, Aaron Hall (formally of Guy), and most recently Keyshia Cole at The Vault350 in Long Beach, this 5’ 5”, thick, curly haired exotic beauty has her own unique style plus a voice with an impressive 5 octave range. Her lyrics come straight from seeking life’s true essence of happiness, falling in and out of love, learning to deal with pain and rebelling from those emotions, taking you back to days when people were really singing about something.  It’s undeniable--that this girl has pop, soul and some funk rolled up in a package ready for delivery.

Ranella will be appearing on Sunday only at 5p.m. for a special introductory panel. Other Universal/Def Jam Records talents will join in the fun.