Shoji Kawamori to Be Otakon 2023 Guest

By Justin D Williams

Shoji Kawamori will be a guest at Otakon 2023, according to Otakorp Inc. Kawamori is a creative visionary who handles animation directing, planning, concept creation, scriptwriting, video and stage directing, as well as mechanical design. While studying engineering at Keio University, Kawamori joined Studio Nue (a creative planning and production group) which has been a central force in the development of Japanese science fiction and animation. Shortly after joining Studio Nue and while still studying at Keio, he transferred to Takara (currently Takara Tomy). There, he participated in the initial design of the “Transformers” central robot character Optimus Prime, as well as the car robot of “Diaclone” and several other popular mechanical designs.

While simultaneously participating in several animation projects and mechanical design, he also participated in the development of “The Super Dimension Fortress Macross” (1982-1983) that was launched as a project with his friends from Studio Nue. As a primary team member, he was intimately involved in original story creation, mechanical design, script, and storyboard writing. At the age of 21, he independently developed "Valkyrie," the world's first fully variable three-stage fighter, which was the leading mechanism that appears in this work. He made his directorial debut at the age of 23 in the movie version of "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do you remember love?" (1984). In the subsequent "Macross" series, he still played a key role in the creative works, with original stories, directoring, and mechanical designs. Otakon 2023 will be held from July 28 to July 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.