El Manga Barcelona Room It was opening its doors last weekend and doing it in a big way to celebrate a quarter century of success. It was on October 27, 1995 when the first Manga, Anime and Video Game Show in Barcelona was held, which then brought together 1000 visitors, far from the 152000 this year.
As a “passing fad”, this is how many described the fans as bringing together those who participated in that first festival. Many, have returned to queue at the gates of the Fira de Montjuic venue this year with your children to enjoy the many activities scheduled, keys to the success of the classroom year after year.
The Keys to Success
The exhibition at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) on Osamu Tezuka has been one of the keys to the success of this Manga Barcelona Salon. But they have also been the "otakus" and the great festive atmosphere that accompanies those who attend this festival of Japanese comics and culture each year.
The 'otakus'
The fans or "otakus" They are an essential part of the success of Salon Manga Barcelona. Those are especially those who grew up with 'Dragon Ball' or 'Akira' and who come back every year to share a hobby that makes them very active in networks but that on very few occasions have the possibility of celebrating in analog.
One more year the visitors returned to show off in the hall of good vibes and the joy that characterizes them. Many, as usual, came to the room in disguise. Son Goku or Pikachu were two of the most popular characters. Latex prosthesis, polyurethane foam, eva rubber ... they served as material for another year. the cosplayers to make your own costumes.
The exhibition dedicated to Osamu Tezuka
This year the exhibition of Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) -organized together with Ficomic, Tezuka Productions and the Angouleme Festival- dedicated to Osamu Tezuka was the star of the Show. Sponsored by the film director Macoto Tezka (Makoto Tezuka) it can be enjoyed until January.
The exhibition brings together 201 originals of works like Astroboy, The Princess Knight, Kimba, Black Jack or Adolf. These drawings are accompanied by texts by the exhibition's curator, Stéphane Beaujean, through which attendees will also be able to delve into the world of Tezuka,
Scheduled activities
The Manga Barcelona Salon programs numerous activities every year that celebrate the different manifestations of Japanese culture. This year, according to the salon director, Meritxell Puig, the most successful activities have been Manga Quest, a gymkhana in which the participants have obtained a limited collection of stickers, and the Manga Revival exhibition, a journey through the 25 years of the show in which the public was invited to contribute their memories. Memories and anecdotes that will be collected in a book.
The performance of the Charms, the talk by Jaime Ortega and Ester Gomà and the Challenges have also been key to the success of this festival. One of the challenges with the greatest participation has been the one aimed at achieving the cosplay conga longest in the world. Although there were also many who dared to dance to the theme of 'Fortune Cookie'. In addition to these, the attendees have also been able to enjoy other workshops, talks, editorial presentations and book signings or exhibitions, among others.
The guests
The distinguished guests They are also an important part of the room. This year we have seen Atsushi Ohkubo ('Fire Force'), Ryota Hayatsu ('The Wrath of Bahamut: Twin Heads'), Aya Kanno (' Requiem for the King of the Rose '), Mizuho Kusanagi (' Yona, Princess Dawn '), Elsa Brants (' Save me, Pythie '), Tsubasa Yamaguchi (' She and her cat ',' Blue Period ') and Sourya Sihachakr (' Red '), Homura Kawamoto (Kakegurui, insane players); also 'youtubers' like Yuko and Ernesto, from Nekojitablog, and 'mangatubers'.
Nor have they missed this event the japanese rock band The 5.6.7.8's, the group of 'idols' 4KB48, the team of the feature film 'One Piece Stampede', or the filmmaker Hideo Nakata who presented 'Sadako', among other artists.
These four are the keys to the success of an event as important as the one held by the Manga Barcelona Hall. A room whose next edition It will be held from October 29 to November 1, 2020.