The Manga Barcelona, the reference meeting point for the otaku world, is warming up for a new record edition, one year before celebrating its 30th anniversary, having become a public success that continues to grow. The event consolidates itself in this twenty-ninth edition at the Gran Via exhibition center, where it landed a year ago because Montjuïc had become too small for it. From Thursday, December 7, to Sunday, December 10, the fair's doors will open from 10 in the morning until 8 at night.
Just one week before its inauguration, the event, organized by the Federation of Professional Comic Institutions (Ficomic), has already sold out tickets for two of the four days it is held. Those for Saturday 9 sold out at the beginning of October, and those for Friday 8 did so this Wednesday. The director of Manga Barcelona and general director of Ficomic, Meritxell Puig, points out that this year there will be an increase in exhibitors, reaching more than 270, and the attendance record of 2022, when 163,000 visitors were reached, will be surpassed. "Fira de Barcelona hosts large events, but ours is unique in terms of public," explains its director.
To cope with the expected increase in attendees, the event will grow within the exhibition center, where it will occupy pavilions 4, 5, and 7, with entry from gate 4. Thus, it will have 85,000 square meters, 3,000 more than in 2022, with the aim that no one is left out and all visitors are better distributed, leaving behind the queues and crowds seen a year ago.
"We are learning how the new venue works. Growing in space in Gran Via has nothing to do with doing it in Montjuïc, that's why we want to do it little by little and see. For us, it is very important to give the public a good experience," remarks Puig. To this end, the organization has increased the programmed activities and has rethought the space allocated to foodtrucks, doubling the available stalls and separating food from drink stalls to better manage the rivers of people that gather at certain times.
A Manga with a lot of Miyazaki
The twenty-ninth edition, with a poster illustrated by Catalan artist Míriam Bonastre, will give special prominence to film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki, to whom an exhibition will be dedicated to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Japanese anime classic My Neighbor Totoro and another of Studio Ghibli cosplays. Beyond the world of the creator of characters like Mononoke, Chihiro, and Yubaba, there will also be an exhibition dedicated to the gastronomy that appears in manga and anime, from ramen to okonomiyaki, passing through dorayakis or mochis.
Among the guests, mangaka Hisato Murasaki, creator of the video game series Persona 5, will stand out, and no photos will be allowed of him. Also present will be artist Tokyo Genso, who has portrayed the city that gives him his name in an apocalyptic future and, for the fair, will present a creation dedicated to Barcelona.
Special mention for Bryan Lee O'Malley, author of the comic Scott Pilgrim, who has now collaborated with Barcelona native Abel Góngora for the anime series adaptation. This extension of Japanese culture beyond its borders will be present at the salon, with a prominent presence of local authors and mixtures such as the Catalan cream mochi conceived by Escribà. "Manga and anime are a language we have learned and now we know how to speak it," says the fair's content manager, Oriol Estrada.
Manga Barcelona will dedicate an exhibition to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Japanese anime classic My Neighbor Totoro and another of Studio Ghibli cosplaysAs every year, the Manga Barcelona program will not only include exhibitions and talks, but also editorial presentations, workshops on Japanese culture and on the creative processes behind manga and anime, and cosplay and karaoke contests. It should not be forgotten that sports are also practiced at this fair, from ping pong and baseball to martial arts and sumo, and K-Pop is danced and sung.
And the Manga Barcelona billboard will not be missing, screened in a larger auditorium than last year. Some of the most outstanding titles that can be seen will be The First Slam Dunk, a film based on the popular eponymous series that was seen years ago on the defunct K3, and One Piece, with the viewing of the four chapters marked by the last transformation of its protagonist, Luffy. Other classics such as Detective Conan, Digimon, Utena, and the eternal Totoro will also have their space.