Anime Central 2026 is looking seriously stacked for anime music fans.
The U.S. convention, better known as ACen, has announced a wave of music producers and performers for this year’s event, and the list is not some random filler lineup. If you follow anime soundtracks, J-pop production, rhythm games, or IDOLM@STER culture, there are a few names here that should immediately make you go, “Okay, that’s actually big.”
ACen will host Taku Takahashi, best known as the producer of hip hop group m-flo. Anime fans may also recognise his work from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and Space Dandy, plus his performance on the Hyōge Mono theme song and arrangement work across various anime themes.
Also joining the music guest list is Hidefumi Kenmochi, producer for Wednesday Campanella and composer on theme songs connected to titles like Ranma ½, Chibi Godzilla Raids Again, and Red Cat Ramen.
For the rhythm game kaki, kors k is probably the name that jumps out. He is tied to Konami’s BEMANI scene and Dance Dance Revolution, which gives this lineup some proper arcade and music-game energy. In Malaysia and SEA, where DDR, rhythm games, and arcade culture still have that loyal niche crowd, this is the kind of guest booking that hits deeper than a normal anime panel.
The convention will also feature BANVOX, whose anime-related credits include theme song composition for Blue Miburo, Carole & Tuesday, and Beatless, alongside Sōichi Terada, an arranger connected to theme songs from Oedo wa Nemurenai! and Shin YAT Anshin! Uchū Ryokō.
But ACen is not stopping at producers. The event is also bringing six idols from The IDOLM@STER franchise. From 765PRO ALL STARS, the guests include Asami Imai as Chihaya Kisaragi, Akiko Hasegawa as Miki Hoshii, and Yumi Hara as Takane Shijou. From The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls, the lineup includes Ayaka Fukuhara as Rin Shibuya, Ayaka Ōhashi as Uzuki Shimamura, and Minami Tsuda as Miho Kohinata.
That is a pretty strong pull for longtime idol anime fans. Even if most Malaysian fans are not flying to Illinois for the weekend, these appearances matter because overseas conventions often become the place where performance clips, fan reports, and franchise momentum spill back online. For SEA fans, especially those who follow Japanese idol anime from afar, this is the kind of event that keeps the global fandom active.
ACen has also confirmed Yuki Kajiura and FictionJunction for the event, which is a major get on the anime music side. Kajiura’s music has shaped the sound of multiple anime generations, so her presence alone gives the convention serious prestige.
On the creator side, the director guest list includes Keisuke Shinohara of My Dress-Up Darling, Black Fox, and A3! Season Spring & Summer; Ayumi Moriyama, episode director on Pokémon: Journeys, Pokémon: Horizons, and Let’s Play; Yūsuke Yamamoto, assistant director on Bocchi the Rock! and unit director on Oshi no Ko; and Takushi Koide, director of Goodbye, Lara and assistant director on Shōjo Kageki Revue Starlight Rondo Rondo Rondo.
Kadokawa will also screen the U.S. premiere of the original anime Goodbye, Lara at the event. That is worth watching from Malaysia too, because early convention premieres can give fans a first taste of whether a title has international buzz before wider release plans become clear.
Anime Central 2026 will run from May 15 to 17 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center and Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.
Source: Anime News Network