Producer Michihiko Suwa, who has been producing anime for three decades, has been confirmed as a guest for Otakon 2019. Among other projects, he is the supervisor for the current show “MIX.”

Born in the Aichi prefecture of Japan in 1959, Suwa graduated from Osaka University with a degree in Environmental Engineering. From there, he started working for Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, or YTV, in 1983.  He transferred to the Tokyo branch in 1985, where he soon started producing anime. 

Suwa’s first title as a producer was “Robotan” in 1986, soon followed by his first major title, “City Hunter,” in 1987, where he was also involved in the planning of the series.  Since then, he has planned and produced numerous titles, many of which have become major hit series, such as “YAWARA!,” “The Kindaichi Case Files,” “Inuyasha,” “Kekkaishi,” and “Black Jack.”  One such series is “Detective Conan (Case Closed),” which started in 1996 and is still running, as one of the most well-known anime series in Japan, as well as one of the longest running of all anime series.  

Suwa has been active in producing many movie titles, including over 20 movies from the “Detective Conan” series, as well as “City Hunter: Shinuku Private Eyes,” which was released in February 2019, three decades after the conclusion of the anime series. 

His accolades include a special award from the 32^nd Fujimoto Award for excellence in Japanese movie production in 2013, and being named We Love Toyota Special Supporter from his home town of Toyota in 2017.  While he continues to support current titles such as “Detective Conan,” and serves as a supervisor for “MIX,” this June, Suwa transferred to ytv Nextry Co. Ltd, the in-house production unit of YTV, where he is continuing his lifetime dedication to anime by launching new anime series. Otakon 2019 will be held July 26-28, 2019 at the Walter Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.