June 28, 2011

Cast of Fairy Tail to appear at NY Anime Festival

Leads Of FUNimation Series Take Part In Anime Event At New York Comic Con

Norwalk, CT, June 21, 2011: The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and FUNimation Entertainment today announced that the leads of its new anime series Fairy Tail will be 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. Fairy Tail voice actors Todd Haberkorn, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Cherami Leigh, and Newton Pittman are today announced as guests and will appear at NYAF at NYCC for panel sessions, autograph signings, and an introduction to a premiere Fairy Tail screening.

Todd Haberkorn leads the Fairy Tail cast as the voice of Natsu, Colleen Clinkenbeard provides the voice for Erza, Cherami Leigh is Lucy, and Newton Pittman is the voice for Gray. The series, currently broadcast in Japan, is based on a manga by the same name by Hiro Mashima. The Fairy Tail manga is published in America by Kodansha Comics. In the world of Fairy Tail, sorcerers band together in Guilds to take on paying assignments, including hunting monsters, finding lost items, and running odd errands, for non-magic users. The story follows Lucy, an aspiring wizard who wants to join the most prestigious Guild around, Fairy Tail. And, when she meets the (literally) fiery Natsu, she's well on her way to joining the ranks of Fairy Tail.

FUNimation is currently streaming subtitled episodes of the series at www.funimation.com/fairy-tail and will release the complete series on DVD and Blu-ray later this year.

"The New York Anime Festival is excited to welcome Todd, Colleen, Cherami, and Newton to New York City," NYAF and NYCC Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "Fairy Tail already has a thriving fanbase in both America and Japan, and Todd, Colleen, Cherami, and Newton are an all-star cast! We're looking very forward to presenting a premiere Fairy Tail screening in English -- and couldn't be happier than to do so with the cast right here with the fans!"

For bios, headshots, and additional information on Todd Haberkorn, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Cherami Leigh, and Newton Pittman, please visit www.newyorkcomiccon.com.

Details around NYAF's Fairy Tail 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.

ABOUT FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT:
FUNimation® Entertainment is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:
The New York Anime Festival is a celebration of Japanese popular culture from the creators of New York Comic Con. NYAF conducts, promotes and is involved in anime and Japanese cultural activities year-round in New York City, including events at Kinokuniya Bookstore, Japan Society, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri. Our flagship event is the New York Anime Festival at New York Comic Con. Taking place at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan on October 13-16, 2011, the New York Anime Festival at New York Comic Con showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music and games as well as anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. (www.newyorkanimefestival.com)

ABOUT REEDPOP:
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

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