What is Showbiz Japan!?
Showbiz Japan! @ American Film Market: the Japanese Anime meets Hollywood! Le Merigot Hotel, Santa Monica, California. Thursday, November 3, 2005 Showbiz Japan! consisted of a greeting from Mr. Keizo Tsuchiya from JETRO Los Angeles, keynote speaker Tom Yoda — a chairman of Gaga Communications — and a panel discussion on the new entertainment franchise Afro Samurai. The event was literally packed with people; approximately 200 guests showed up to the panel discussion, and 300 to the reception. It was coordinated and run by Entertainment Platform of Japan (EPJ), a newly established division of JETRO Los Angeles. Guests not only included the buyers and exhibitioners, but also entertainment lawyers, press, promoters, filmmakers, and even those from the world of finance, covering virtually every aspect of the entertainment industry. Japanese entertainment — these two words mean so much: state-of-the-art anime, cutting-edge movies, Kurosawas timeless classics, the unforgettable Pokemon cr