Tens of thousands of people descended on Anime Expo in Los Angeles during the first week of July. If you need a visual reminder of just how powerful a cultural force anime has become, the image of eager fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder outside the Los Angeles Convention Center to the point where local officials stopped letting them into the venue should do the job.
Among the show announcements and vendors, a pop group performed. SG5, short for Sailor Guardians 5, is a five-piece project geared toward international listeners and produced by Japanese entertainment company LDH. The group draws inspiration from beloved anime series “Sailor Moon,” and is the first outfit of its kind to officially use the intellectual property. Featuring members of existing units Happiness and iScream, at least some of their output will come courtesy of American producer BloodPop, known for his work with heavy hitters like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.
While not technically SG5’s first performance — the group appeared at Anime Central in Chicago a couple of months earlier — the sets at North America’s biggest anime convention served as its biggest step into the spotlight yet, complete with media attention from the likes of Rolling Stone magazine.
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