Anime St. Louis Guests

Welcome to the ASTL Guest page! We will be announcing guests gradually. Please look below for all the information and sites! Hope to see you soon.

Artist Guest of Honor - Dirk I. Tiede

Webcomics pioneer Dirk I. Tiede is the creator of the graphic novel series, "Paradigm Shift." In addition to publishing print collections, he serializes his comics online and is a founding contributor to premiere comics portal ModernTales.com. His work is also showcased in the books "Toon Art: The Art of Digital Comics" and "Webcomics," and appears in the documentary "Adventures In Digital Comics." His work has also appeared on NBC's Heroes. Dirk can be found at comic and anime shows around the country promoting his books. He relocated from Chicago to Boston's North Shore in 2008 where he continues to work as a professional cartoonist and freelance illustrator.

Sleeping Samurai

Sleeping Samurai is a company based around bringing Interactive Entertainment to conventions. We supply hand made foam weapons, made to simulate actual weapons with as much historical accuracy as possible. These weapons are created entirely by the staff of Sleeping Samurai. Most all of the weapons that we create are Asian inspired. We do have some European inspired weapons, though. So, whether you are looking for a foam Katana or a foam Hammer, you should find what you need in our wide array of weapons. Custom orders are always welcome! Sleeping Samurai was founded in 2007 and since that time we have brought our expertise to dozens of shows, so far. We travel across the U.S. to bring conventions our unique style of foam fighting. Not only do we offer con attendees the chance to participate in the foam battles themselves but we also hold instructional panels, historical panels, choreographed fight routine panels, training sessions and much more. At each convention we attend, we hold tournaments for con attendees to participate in (where available). The winner of each tournament receives their pick of one free item from our inventory. Foam weapons, parasols, hand fans, necklaces, prayer stones and sensual oils are just a few of the items that we carry. You can check out our web site for a full listing of the weapons that we create and for information on the conventions that we are scheduled to attend.

Voice Actor - Richard Epcar

Richard Epcar is well known to Anime and game fans, starting with the original Robotech series- in which he played BEN DIXON, LUNK, GREL, and now CAPT. VINCE GRANT, in the new original animated feature, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, which he also directed. He is the voice of BATOU in all things Ghost in the Shell including Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence, which he also adapted and directed into English. Some games youve heard him on: Kingdom Hearts 2, Chained Memories, Birth By Sleep as ANSEM / XEHANORT, ,Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe as The JOKER and RAIDEN, Transformers, Command & Conquer 4, Star Wars-Empire At War, Star Wars: Old Republic, DC Universe in which he plays GREEN ARROW, Star Craft 2 as DARK TEMPLAR, Red Faction Guerilla, Xenosaga I, II and III as ZIGGARAT 8, Ace Combat 6, Guilty Gears II, .Hack I, II and III, Blue Dragon, Naruto, Space Siege, Supreme Commander, Paraworld, Black Hawk Down, Robotech Invasion, Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors as DONG ZHUO, Warcraft III and World of Warcraft, Fall of Liberty, Street Fighters, Dantes Inferno and Star Ocean 1, 2, & 3. Most recently he can be heard on Bleach as KOGA and ZANGETSU, Narurto, Buso Renkin, Huntik as GRIER, Ghost Slayer Ayashi, Blue Elephant, Blaze of Glory, BOBOBO-BO-BOBO, MR. NOISY on The Mr. Men Show and Avenging Apes of Africa. He is currently the voice of INSPECTOR LUNGE on Monster and he plays MR. INVINCIBLE in Hero Hospital a new animated webisode series. Shows hes directed are Lupin the Third doing the voice of JIGEN, Noein, doing the voice of KOOYRAMA and the first season of Digimon doing ETEMON, MYOTISMON and APEMON and now MERUKIMON on Digimon Data Squad. An original animated movie with an all star cast. The Reef in which he played MOE. The series Fighting Spirit doing the voice of KAMOGAWA, Patlabor III, The Secret of Mamo, Zentrix, Toy Warrior, and Power Rangers doing many monster voices to name just a few. He also wrote for Transformers and did the voice of ARMORHIDE. Some of you remember him from X-Men as GLADIATOR, Lucky Star, Ghost Slayer Ayashi, Lain, Serial Experiment, Trigun, Wings of Honneamise, Fists of the North Star, Fushigi Yuugi as MITSUKAKE, GULD in Macross Capt. Harlock, Ninja Scroll as GEMMA, Curious George, Steroko, MAC in Teknoman, Bastard, Outlaw Star as DUUZ, Street Fighter, Daigunder, GTO, Samuri X, Rurouni Kenshin as SEIJURO HIKO, Macron and Macross I, II, III, Macross Plus, Eagle Riders, Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam, Witch Hunter Robin, The New Speed Racer- as RACER X, Count of Monte Cristo, Prince of Egypt, and Cyber Soldier 009-as BLACK GHOST, to name just a few. He was named Favorite Actor by DVD VisionJapan. Some games hes directed: Star Ocean 1 & 2, Blue Dragon, Vandal Hearts, Shadow Hearts II, Lupin III, Fighting Spirit and Victorious Boxers-Revolution in which he played KAMAGAWA in both, Vegas, Smack Down vs. Raw, Jack Ass the game, Dead Head Fred, co-directed Unreal Tournament 3 and co-cast the mo-cap for Quantum of Solace. Live action foreign films that he has adapted and directed into English are many, including Academy Award winners - Cinema Paradiso, Belle Epoque, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Fencing Master, Widow of St. Pierre, Betty Blue, Kill Buljo, The Emperor and the Assassin, Amores Perros, Mission Kashmir, Azumi I & II, The Returner, Omyoji, Oldboy, Shiri, and Fearless, with Jet Li, to name a few. As an actor he can be seen in a new International Coke commercial and will be soon seen in a new webisode series entitled, Operation-Nightshade. Hes recurred on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, On film he co-starred in Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Three Putts. On television hes done several shows, including Columbo, Diagnosis Murder, Guns of Paradise, Beverly Hills 90210, Matlock, Whos the Boss? and Cheers. He also does tons of voice work on many shows including: The Day the Earth Stood Still, Proposal, What Happens in Vegas, The Killing Room, Resident Evil 3, Ugly Betty, Street Kings, Gilmore Girls, Jag, Devils Rejects, Diagnosis Murder, Xena & Hercules, Gladiator, Independence Day, Inspector Gadget, Seven, Rumble in the Bronx, Man in the Iron Mask, Rounders, Crime Story, Hell Raiser III & IV, Hard Target, Operation Condor, Hopalong Cassidy, ER, Nash Bridges, Babylon 5, and many others. As an International Supervisor for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, Richards work has taken him all over the world supervising the foreign dubs and mixes of feature films such as: Gladiator, Madagascar, 'Galaxy Quest', Chicken Run, El Dorado and the 20th Anniversary release of E.T..

Voice Actress - Ellyn Stern

Ellyn began acting at the age of 12. She is a classically trained actress known for both her dramatic and comedic roles. Her career spans from film to television to stage. Her career in voice and voice directing began 30 years ago. She and her husband Richard Epcar have a company called Epcar Entertainment, Inc. Ellyns career in anime began with the original Robotech series- in which she played several characters. Most recently she can be heard as Yus Mom in Noein , Jacks Mom in Mar, and Ichigos mom, Masaki Kurosaki in Bleach. She voiced Haraway in Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence. She played Rosalind in Armitage III, Himeno in Fight!! Spirit of the Sword, Sayaka in Mental Fighter Miku, Moru in Vampire Princess Miyu Hiroshis Mom in "Zenki,Zentrix, Mini Pato, Digimon, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Parome in Genma Wars, numerous roles in Mobile Suit Gundam-The Movie Trilogy, Bushido Blade 2, Lupin the 3rd, Patlabor 3, and Fighting Spirit, to name just a few. Youve heard her on Shadow Hearts II as Veronica Vera and other characters. Other cartoons include Rosalind in "Wings of Honnesmise", Samurai X. all the female characters in The Little Punk, Honey Bee Hutch, Wisdom of the Gnomes, Macross I, II, III, Aunt Polly in Tom Sawyer, the cunning frog in Captain Schnauzer, Gigi and many others Aero Wings 1 and 2, Jade Cacoon, Super Magnetic Neo and Galerians are games she directed and also voiced. Among the other other CD Rom games she voiced are: Blue Dragon (Maru and Jirus Mom), Star Ocean 1 and 2, Inherit The Earth and Abby. On film she starred in Jessies Girls, co-starred in Duchess and The Dirtwater Fox, co-starred in Fatal Charm, and Prisoner in the Middle aka Warhead. Her television shows include, American Carrott, Charlies Angels, and recurring characters on General Hospital, Santa Barbara and Days Of Our Lives. She has voiced lead voices in many live action feature films that have been adapted into English including Academy Award winners Cinema Paradiso, Belle Epoque, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, Kika, Mostly Martha,Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Fencing Master, Widow of St. Pierre, Amores Perros, Mission Kashmir, Iron Monkey, The Emperor and the Assassin, Onmyoji-Ying-Yang Masters, Le Femme Nikita,Tae Guk Gi, Babbettes Feast and Shiri, to name a few. She directed Between Your Legs, Put A Man In Your Life, and co-directed Snowball (with Dom DeLuise), Marcellino Bread And Wine, The Last Emperor, Belle Epoque, to name a few. She just completed shooting and starring in the film THE WAITING ROOM. Other recent films she has completed and co-starred in are BOTH THUMBS, THE OTHER WAY, ELECTRONICA 2, ELDAD, and IMA. Of all the tv and films she has done, one which you might have seen is CLEAN SWEEP, which she and her husband, Richard Epcar were on. She also starred with Richard in Neil Simons hit play RUMORS at Theatre 40.in Beverly Hills. She starred at the Kirk Douglas, Center Theatre Group, playing Jacqueline Kennedy, in WELL NEVER BE YOUNG AGAIN. Ellyn recently starred in the award winning play APPLE, at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, where she received rave reviews. Immediately following APPLE, Ellyn starred in MRS. WARRENS PROFESSION, playing the role of Mrs. Warren at the famed Bistro Gardens to much acclaim.

Voice Actor - Troy Baker

Photo and Biography soon.

Voice Actor - Mike Reynolds

Mike Reynolds is a lifelong entertainer, as an actor, writer, singer, and composer. He has had guest appearances on many TV series including "The Twilight Zone", "The A-Team", "General Hospital", and "Curb Your Enthusiasm". On the big screen he’s worked with Kevin Costner, Ernest Borgnine, and Henry Ford, almost always playing the villain. His most well-known and consistent work, however, has been voice-acting. Known best for his work as Dolza in Robotech, Reynolds has a track record of playing villains and military officials in shows such as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Ghost in the Shell & Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Street Fighter II V. Other notable anime roles include Van in Cowbop Bebop, Dr. Koizumi in Cyborg 009, Guiseppe Maiyart in Wicked City, Ryu in Street Fighter II: The Movie, Old Gennai in Digimon Adventure, and Railspike in Transformers. Reynolds has also had a large presence in the American sentai scene, playing villains and monsters in Power Rangers, Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, and Masked Rider. Most notably as Captain Mutiny in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy. In addition to voice acting, Reynolds has also worked on many shows as a writer, including Bleach, Digimon Adventure, Gad Guard, Magic Knight Rayearth, Robotech, Samurai Pizza Cats, and Stellvia to name a few. ADR credits include Codename: Robotech, Robotech, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and White Fang. Direction credits include Maple Town Stories and Kerokko Demetan.

Internet Personality - Doug Walker

Doug Walker, from ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com, is best known for his character The Nostalgia Critic, who reviews bad movies and TV shows from childhood. He also plays the roles of That Guy With The Glasses, who answers the weirdest questions fans can come up with, Chester A. Bum, the hyper active bum who loves every movie ever made, and Dominic, a bar tender who has talked with some of the video game world's biggest stars. He's also noted for having a long standing "rivalry" with The Angry Video Game Nerd. Often his convention appearances end up turning into comedic videos featured on his site, so don't miss your chance to possibly be featured in one.

Filmmaker - Ed Glaser

Ed Glaser is a filmmaker, freelance videographer, and founder of Dark Maze Studios (darkmaze.com). He has produced and directed several microbudget movies including the acclaimed videogame spoof Press Start and the English language version of the 1986 Turkish film Rampage, better known to fans as the "Turkish Rambo". Ed owes his love of filmmaking to Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV series that subjected its protagonists to low budget "B" movies every week. In an ongoing mission to make better films with less, he has been striving to find a happy median between Hollywood...and Ed Wood.

Music Guest - Tadahisa Yoshida

Photo and Biography soon.

Video Gaming - GPX Gaming

Photo and Biography soon.

Tabletop Gaming - Black Pigeon Press

Photo and Biography soon.

Industry Guest - Anime Midstream

Anime Midstream is a small multimedia company located in St. Louis, MO. The company's humble origins stem from a few fans with industry experience who wished to see a better variety of Japanese animation titles here in this part of the US. They also recognized the vast, untapped talent of the region, and wanted to give those people trying to break into the industry a chance. Anime Midstream's vision is to bring a wide range of titles to the American audience, from recent releases to the influential titles of the 70s and 80s. Anime Midstream's dedication is the cultivation of new talent for the anime industry, and utilizing local resources, grounding all of their production right here in the St. Louis area. They are thrilled to be back at their home convention and look forward to sharing information about their series, Zettai Muteki Raijin-oh.

Masquerade - Archon

Photo and Biography soon.