he The manga exhibition opened its thirty-first edition The avalanche of otakus, the most passionate fans of Japanese culture, was amazing from first thing in the morning. There were some who came dressed as Mitsuri Kanroji, from the movie “Demon Slayer.” Others from … All Might, from My Hero Academia. Even Porco Rosso, the great Studio Ghibli character. Of course, there were hundreds of Son Goku, some Monkey D. Luffy from “One Piece” and a few Naruto Uzumaki. There were also two dressed as Spider-Man, and when they crossed paths they looked at each other strangely and said, “Maybe we’re in the wrong place.” But no, there were all the welcome costumes. The levels of colour, excitement and creativity are so high, and the sense of community so overwhelming, that the atmosphere created is so welcoming and downright wonderful, whether you’re a fan or not.
Inauguration of the space located in gallery gran via de hospitalet, It was carried out by Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who began hitting the barrel with a hammer until it opened as a sign of good luck. Surf, a traditional Japanese drink containing 15 degrees of alcohol, has been declared an intangible heritage by UNESCO, and toasts an edition that includes visits from authors such as Shinichiro Watanabe, author of “Cowboy Bebop”; Gou Tanabe, author of Japanese adaptations of horror master HP Lovecraft’s stories and novels; Or Satoru Nii, the mangaka (creator of the manga) responsible for “Windbreaker”. “Cambay!” Those present shouted.
At that time, all activities had already begun, from Origami workshops, advanced sushi classes, and aikido classes For whoever wants. Manga exhibition is not limited to just comics or anime, but aims to create a kind of pocket Japan with all its homogeneous ideas well represented. “The Barcelona Manga Fair is, along with the Paris Fair, the largest, most important and standard in Europe. It must be taken into account that manga is a very important gateway to reading for young people. “It’s culture, it’s creativity, it’s industry and we have to give a lot of value to it,” said Urtasun, who did not dress up but at least met Unachan, the fair’s official mascot.
The central element is still the physical comic, the manga, although there is an increasing space for anime, its audio-visual adaptation and, above all, for video games, which practically dominate half of the exhibition space. The great novelty of the last decade has been the growing presence of Spanish cartoonists and creators in a genre that couldn’t be more Japanese. “When I was young, I loved “One Piece”, “Dragon Ball”, and “Naruto” But when I was a teenager, I came across My Hero Academy on Facebook, and it changed my life with the quality of its drawing and the beauty of its stories,” admits Guillem Casasola, better known as Drill.
The success of the manga exhibition showcases Lovecraft and anime music in a unique atmosphere
Another of the great representatives of Spanish manga is Konata, who this year saw her work “Meaheim” published in Japan. “It has always been my dream and now I can say I have achieved it. Of course, now I would like to transfer my stories into anime, but people don’t know how many manga have been published. The competition is very tough and only the best gets their own animation. “I have my feet on the ground and I have no illusions, but yes, I would like to do it.”
The exhibitions also have their own space within the room, and one of the most interesting exhibitions, with original drawings, is the one dedicated to them Gou Tanabe and his adaptations of Lovecraft’s horror books. The fusion of American Gothic culture and Japanese sensibility creates a hybrid that is difficult to forget and gives greater depth to the Lovekratian mythology. “The biggest challenge was to recreate a believable world without damaging the environment in which it was created. The truth is that if everyday life were told realistically, the appearance of the supernatural would be more convincing. “I think that’s the biggest challenge and the biggest meaning of bringing Lovecraft’s work to life,” Tanabe says.
The ubiquity of the “Cowboy Bebop” soundtrack.
In the afternoon, another highlight of the 31st Manga Expo was scheduled, Seat belt block party. Led by Yoko Kanno, composer of the “Cowboy Bebop” soundtrack, the group is a benchmark when it comes to creating anime soundtracks, always playing in a heterogeneous field mixing rock with jazz, blues, pop and electronics. Even then, there were plenty of activities to entertain yourself, such as visiting the “Maison Ghibli”, where you can see all kinds of “promotions” from the legendary Miyazaki films. Or watch the history and development of giant robots from the anime “Gundam”. Or even dress up as a sumo wrestler and fight with your friends on the tatami mat. “We come every year and you feel a lot of freedom here. “They have to do it twice a year,” says Virginia, a young woman dressed as the female version of Link from The Legend of Zelda. This is what “cosplay” entails, which is a game of pure imagination and there are no valid rules.
In the next three days, the hall will host names such as Takashi Matsuyama, a great friend and confidant of Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball. Which became responsible for a large portion of the money from the legendary series starring Goku and the Dragon Balls. In addition, he will also visit the Tsutomu Takahashi Gallery, which will present new creations such as “Jumbo Max” and “Guitar Shop Rosie.” Finally, the highlight is the visit of Akemi Takada, the designer of characters such as Lamu, Creamy Mami or Madoka.