Yoshiyuki Tomino: Yoshiyuki Tomino is one of Japan's best known sci-fi animation directors, and the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books. Since working on the Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy) series in 1964, he has directed or created some of Japan's top robot and fantasy-themed works, for television, theaters, and the original video anime market. Best known for the hugely popular Gundam TV shows, in recent years he has attracted attention for his works, Brain Powrd (1998), Turn A Gundam (1999), and Overman King Gainer (2002).
Frederik L. Schodt: Frederik L. Schodt is a translator and author of numerous books about Japan, including Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan. He often served as Osamu Tezuka’s English interpreter. In 2009 he was received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture.
Mark Simmons: Mark Simmons is author of the Gundam Official Guide.
Fluent in Japanese, Frederik L. Schodt is an author and translator of impressive breadth. He has written extensively on Japanese pop culture, technology, and history. His books include Dreamland Japan, America and the Four Japans, and Native American in the Land of the Shogun, which was a Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title in 2005. In 1998, Schodt translated and annotated Japanese immigrant Henry Kiyama's The Four Immigrants Manga, one of the first American original comic books; graphic novelist Will Eisner called the book "a treasure [that] belongs in every library."
In 2009, Schodt was awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Japanese emperor for his contribution "to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture in the United States of America. He is also a recipient of the Japan Foundation Award for 2017.
Schodt has lectured at venues worldwide, including San Francisco's Asian Art Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Art Gallery, Temple University Japan, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Tokyo University, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in San Francisco.
