Looking into going to Anime Expo this year? Hoping to see someone interesting? Maybe you might bump into one of our GamingAngels while you are there! But if that isn’t quite what you were after then hopefully the announcement of the Guest of Honor will suit your taste!

The people at the SPJA (The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation) have let us know that the anime director and seiyu Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe will be an official Guest of Honor at 19th Anime Expo. For those of you who may not know him by name, some of his works include Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy, The Wallflower, Tenchi Muyo! GXP and Nerima Daikon Brothers. At the convention “Nabeshin” will appear on guest panels, at meet-and-greet sessions and sign autographs for fans.

You also might know “Nabeshin” as a character in some anime shows (such as in the picture above) which he provided his own voice for, and some of those shows were Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy, Dotto Koni-Chan, EyeShield, Hayate no Gotoku and Tayutama. He’s known to attend events in the red blazer and afro wig get-up, so keep an eye out for him!

Anime Expo’s Convention Chair Joyce Lim:

“Anime Expo is thrilled to have Mr. Watanabe join our line-up,” said Joyce. “We are looking forward the excitement that he will bring to our convention!”

If you want to attend Anime Expo® 2010, head on over to the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California from July 1st – July 4th. Pre-registration has begun, and it will cost you $65 right at this moment, and then from May 1st it will increase to $75. More pricing information, and regular news updates can be found at www.anime-expo.org. You can also follow their Twitter at @animeexpo, or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/animeexpo!