Japanimation Celebration : From ‘Speed Racer’ to ‘Wicked City,’ Amine has die-hard fans. They meet in Anaheim starting today.

In 1992, Mike Tatsugawa spearheaded a new and unusual convention devoted exclusively to Japanese animation. The weekend event in San Jose attracted more than 1,200 fans, a robust turnout considering the medium’s underground status in the United States.

“We knew there were a lot of people who wanted the show, which is why we did it,” said Tatsugawa, who began planning the convention while a member of a Japanese animation club at UC Berkeley in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Since then, Tatsugawa’s annual Anime Expo has continued to grow along with mainstream interest in Japanese animation.

Last summer about 2,500 people attended the event in Los Angeles. Organizers are expecting more than 3,000 devotees to converge today through Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim Marriott for Anime Expo. (Anime is Japanese for “animation.”)

More than half a dozen such conventions are held in the U.S. each year. But none compare to Anime Expo when it comes to size, prestige and star power. As usual, a host of noteworthy figures from the world of Japanese animation will speak at this year’s Anime Expo.

Among the nearly dozen guests at the convention will be director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (whose credits include the noir-ish thriller “Wicked City”), filmmaker Mamoru Oshii (the creative force behind a number of animated features and a popular television series) and voice actress Yumi Takada.

Since that first event four years ago, the organizers of the event have established valuable ties with numerous Japanese entertainment companies and artists who are anxious to bring anime further into the American consciousness.

“We’re now at the point where most [Japanese] companies treat us as equals because we’re now a [nonprofit] corporation,” said Tatsugawa, head of the Hollywood-based Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, which sponsors Anime Expo.

“We travel to Japan and talk to these guests and try to discuss how we can promote their work. It’s gotten to the point where people in Japan are contacting us and saying, ‘We own the Japanese market, but it’s the U.S. market where all the money is. How can we work with you, and how can you guys help us develop these things?’

“On average,” he said, “we send at least one representative a month to Japan, and we have people who are in Japan who do full-time liaison work.”

One of the convention’s most popular attractions is the Exhibit Hall, where vendors deal in often hard-to-find anime souvenirs and goods, from laserdiscs and original production cels to posters and pencils.

“Most cities are lucky to have a comics store that carries anime,” Tatsugawa said. “So for a lot of fans, to have all the major retailers in one place is a [great opportunity]. Some fans come to our shows once every two years, because they spend so much money in our Exhibit Hall that they need to save enough money to come back.”

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An anime fanatic doesn’t have to come loaded with cash or credit cards to enjoy Anime Expo. Other events include a party and dance tonight; individual and team-oriented trivia contests; and a modeling contest involving various miniature anime-oriented models and characters made by fans.

Convention-goers also will get the chance to see about six full-length anime features on a large screen in the Convention Center’s 1,500-seat theater. (Anime is almost entirely a video and laserdisc medium in the U.S.)

The annual masquerade and costume contest is generally a convention highlight.

“It’s amazing how much work a lot of the fans will go through to duplicate their favorite costumes,” Tatsugawa said. “One guy made a full cardboard robot complete with blinking lights, and he wore it as his costume. It was like 7 feet tall. Fans go to great lengths. It’s very impressive how much hard work they put into it.”

Since the 1960s, a handful of Japanese cartoon series, including “Kimba the White Lion,” “Speed Racer” and “Star Blazer,” have found a home at various times on U.S. television. Still, most serious fans have had to buy imported or bootleg videotapes to quench their thirst for anime.

But Japanese animation has become far more visible in recent years as Japanese and American companies have begun to bring dubbed anime videotapes and laserdiscs to the U.S. in greater volume.

Many large video stores in Southern California now have entire sections devoted to “Japanimation,” which includes numerous sub-genres, from violent cyberpunk dramas to romantic fantasy adventures.

Though it’s struggled with poor ratings and time slots, the syndicated anime series “Sailor Moon” (which airs in Los Angeles and Orange County weekdays at 7:30 a.m. on KCOP-TV Channel 13) has generated rabid fan loyalty nationwide.

So what is the profile of a typical Anime Expo attendee?

Tatsugawa said it’s not unlike that of a devout follower of the various “Star Trek” TV series and feature films. That means they tend to be between 18 and 30, male, well-educated, computer-literate (the Internet plays a big role in spreading anime news) and with a high disposable income. But he also feels that the audience for anime is broadening to include more women, teens and preteens.

Anime Expo was once dominated by Asian American fans, but Tatsugawa said that’s changing too. “It used to be like 80% Asians and 20% Caucasians,” he says. “Now it’s pretty much a 50-50 blend. I just came back from a convention in Dallas, and it was like 90% Caucasian.”

Anime Expo is very much a fan-oriented project. More than 130 volunteers will be helping out this weekend, and at the end of the weekend a lengthy gripe session will allow fans to make suggestions. Additionally, an anime art auction benefiting the City of Hope will be staged Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Marriott.

“We’ve had people from Italy, the Philippines, Colombia and even Russia,” he said. “It’s a very diverse crowd. The fact we have a strong presence on the Internet helps to bring information about us to pretty obscure parts of the world.”

* Anime Expo takes place today through Sunday at the Anaheim Marriott, 700 W. Convention Way, and the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave. 10 a.m.-midnight daily. $20-$25 daily, $45 for a three-day pass. Registration begins at 9 a.m. each day at the Anaheim Marriott. (818) 441-3653.