Cel Shaded Jason Yadao

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Statement a mystery to anime fans

An intriguing announcement popped onto the Kawaii Kon online forums on Tuesday.

"Giving everyone a big heads-up alert on a forthcoming new guest announcement which we are totally thrilled and happy about," convention director Stan Dahlin wrote.

Exactly who it is, he wouldn't say. He hinted that this guest had never been to a U.S. convention (sorry, fans of manga artists Rumiko Takahashi and CLAMP), and it's not popular longtime voice actress/singer Megumi Hayashibara.

That's all Dahlin has released publicly, saying the special announcement would be revealed "definitely before Thanksgiving."

I can give you an even more specific date on when and where this news will break: next Monday, right here.

Yes, I know who this person is. Yes, it's an exciting addition to the anime convention's guest roster for 2008. But I've also been sworn to secrecy on this matter, so I can't reveal it just yet.

This person has played a major role in several popular franchises, though, I will say that. This guest also hails from the Japanese side of the industry. Let the speculation begin ...

Christmas clubbing

Oahu Anime Explorer's annual Christmas party might be on Dec. 1, but it's never too early to start planning for it now. Besides, they'd like to know how many people are coming so they can plan appropriately.

The event, to be held in Salt Lake, will feature dinner, several games and a gift exchange. Gifts should be under $5 in value and wrapped in one layer of wrapping; no dated items like calendars or food, please.

After all that, the group will be heading out to Waikiki for karaoke at GS Studio. Yes, they did that on Halloween night, too. The Oahu Anime Explorers clearly love their karaoke.

To RSVP, visit www.oahu-animeexplorer.com or e-mail info@oahuanimeexplorer. com ...

Meeting roll call

» MangaBento: Remaining meetings this month for this group of anime- and manga-inspired artists are 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays at the Academy Art Center, 1111 Victoria St., Room 200. For more information, visit mangabento. googlepages.com ...

Random Pluggings

Mikako, dispatched to investigate the potential marriage partner for her older sister Megumi, ends up falling for him and moving in with him instead.

That's the summary of the first chapter of "Missile Happy," by Miki Kiritani, a new series being released stateside by Tokyopop, and that's all you really need to know about this first volume. It feels like this manga was written by picking standard shoujo (girls' comic) clichés out of a hat: spunky girl eternally insecure about her relationship with hot guy, male lead in conflict with parents, self-deprecating manga artist.

Check it out if you must, but you wouldn't miss anything earth-shattering if you skipped it ...