Sakura-Con 2017 – Making of The Reflection by Hiroshi Nagahama

This second panel focused on Hiroshi Nagahama’s upcoming work with Stan Lee, The Reflection. After attending his impassioned discussion on American comics in his first panel, I was excited to see how this second one would proceed. Instead of a projector, large posters for the new series stood on panels in front of the guest table. Promotional videos for DEEN and The Reflection appeared on the large side screen. Nagahama-san returned with his excited tone of voice to discuss behind the scenes details for the series.

I’ll be honest and admit that I am not the biggest fan of American comics. While I do enjoy the occasional U.S. film, I find the flood of superhero movies a bit overwhelming. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of an anime posturing as an American comic, but Nagahama-san convinced me otherwise. After listening to him, I am now looking forward to trying The Reflection. I don’t think I would have felt this way if I had not seen and listened to him in person, so thank you, Sakura-Con, for inviting him!

Sakura-Con 2017 – Hiroshi Nagahama and His Love for American Comics

Kicking off my Sakura-Con panels for 2017 was “Hiroshi Nagahama and His Love for American Comics,” where Nagahama-san gushed on for the full hour, showing us classic American comics and figurines on the overhead projector.

Nagahama-san is well known for his directing in shows like Mushishi, Detroit Metal City, and Aku no Hana, as well as his key animation in Fruits Basket (OP/ED), Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Birdy the Mighty (episode 1). In addition to discussing American comics, he also touched briefly on his upcoming work with Stan Lee, The Reflection.

Despite the majority of the panel running in the style of a lecture, I greatly enjoyed witnessing his exuberance for the topic. His passion shone through his voice and gestures. He did answer a couple of questions at the end of the panel. If you enjoy this transcription, please be sure to come back and read my coverage of his panel on The Reflection.