Manga Barcelona is the most important event in Barcelona dedicated to manga, anime, cosplay and Japanese culture in general. In addition to the exhibitors who show their products or services in the stands of Fira Barcelona (ranging from those who sell figures of manga characters, to those who offer clothing, through organizers of manga events), Manga Barcelona organizes countless activities: exhibitions, conferences, film screenings (anime and otherwise), presentations of new publications, signings of prominent manga authors, contests, concerts, workshops, martial arts exhibitions and gastronomy among others.
The 2024 edition of Manga Barcelona
In the 30th edition of MANGA BARCELONA great surprises and very diverse activities await you. This year will be highlighted by the visit of great mangakas, among them, the author Naoki Urasawa, the guest of honor, who has also created the poster for this year's edition. His creativity has produced extraordinary works that have won major national and international awards. Mythical characters from his most important works (YAWARA!, MONSTER, Happy!, Billy Bat and 20th Century Boys) appear in the poster together with the Sagrada Familia.
Utaku culture
Fans of otaku culture will be able to enjoy a proposal that will include cultural activities, as well as the usual stands of publishers, distributors, bookstores, merchandising stores, fanzine area and artist alley.
The most outstanding guests of 2024
Musical groups, authors, cosplayers, singers... prominent names of the utaku culture visit Manga Barcelona every year. On stage or seated at a table, in this edition they will count with the presence of:
- Takeshi Kawaguchi: known for the manga series Terra Formars, co-created with Yu Sasuga, he is currently writing Fate/Grand Order - turas realta-, the manga based on the game Fate/Grand Order, in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. For the game, he designs the characters of Chokaku.
- Yûki Tabata: won the special jury prize at the Tenkaichi Awards with Grave Keeper Hakamori, and in 2004 received an honorable mention at the Tezuka Awards. He debuted in 2005 with Garance in Akamaru Jump. In 2011 he won the Golden Future Cup with Hungry Joker, which became a series in Weekly Shônen Jump. In 2015 he released Black Clover, his most successful work.
- PSYCHIC FEVER: PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE is a 7-piece boy band that was born in 2019. After their training at LDH dance academy, they debuted as PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE in July 2022. They quickly achieved fame and performed alongside established LDH artists and won numerous awards.
- Hiroshi Nagahama: one of Japan's most prolific anime directors. His best known work is Mushishi, but we must also highlight the disruptive Detroit Metal City, The Flowers of Evil, which mixed animation with rotoscoping, and The Reflection, a project in which Stan Lee was involved, and which unites the universe of anime with that of superheroes.
- MioMayo: cosplayer duo formed by Mioshi and Mamemayo who have represented Japan at the 2018 and 2024 World Cosplay Summit. This year they have won the Grand Champion award and have become the number one cosplayer in the world.
- Fooly Cosplay: Fooly Cosplay is a duo of cosplayers from Barcelona formed by Miquel Candela and Victor Fernandez. They have based their creations on Dragon Ball, Musculman, Mazinger Z, Dr. Slump, Transformers or AKIRA anime among others. They won the cosplay contest of the last Cómic BCN in the category of best armor or "prop".
- Sunghoo Park: of South Korean origin, Park is one of the most prominent anime directors today. He rose to fame thanks to his formidable work on the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen for the MAPPA studio. In 2021 he founded his own anime studio, E&H production, from which he has directed two productions: the new Ninja Kamui series for HBO Max, and Monsters: El infiernodel dragon.
- Carles Dalmau: author of Lucid Lucy and Calamari Kebab and, together with Fernando Llor, of Soma. Dalmau is the illustrator of the Magic Animals youth series and was in charge of creating the poster for the 27th edition of the Barcelona Manga Fair. He has also collaborated with several videogame companies and works for Massive Monster Studios in the artistic part of the videogame Cult of the Lamb.
The Cosplay
There will be no lack of Cosplay contests, so cosplayers will do well to get ready and put on their best clothes for the competition, or simply to parade in the Cosplay Parade. The K-Pop and Idols contests and Just Sing, the karaoke contest, will also be back. In addition, a new edition of the Otaquiz will be held. Likewise, as last year, the Spanish final of the K-Pop Dance Fight Fest choreography contest will be held. The winners of this competition will represent Spain in the European final scheduled for 2025 in Italy.
Anime
A selection of premieres and anime classics, organized by CineAsia and which has a prize at stake, the Auditorio Manga Barcelona award, which is obtained from the votes of those attending the screenings. The Auditorio Manga Barcelona will present the 27th Detective Conan film, "The million dollar pentagram", dubbed into Catalan, as well as Blue Giant by Yuzuru Tachikawa, which tells the story of a high school student who, despite not being able to read sheet music, wants to become the best jazz musician in the world. We will also be able to see 20th Century Boys. Chapter 1: The beginning of the end, Ghost cat anzu and the documentary Ishiro Honda: Memoirs of a film director.
Exhibitions
This year you will be able to see 3 exhibitions:
- The room of time: this year the big otaku party in Barcelona is important, so this exhibition collects the memories and experiences of our audience over thirty years. The protagonist of this exhibition is, therefore, the public. But it will also be a tribute to the pioneers and to remember the origins of Manga Barcelona have prepared their otaku room, taken directly from the 90s. It will be a trip to the past full of nostalgia.
- Crossing Borders: Manga and other horizons: this exhibition shows the work of Alba Cardona and Carlos Moreno, two young national authors who use the language of manga as a form of expression.
- Creating worlds by illustrating games: this exhibition presents the work of Bea Castillo, Ernest Sala and Mado Peña, authors who have grown up and worked surrounded by manga, but who currently create new worlds and characters in video game and board game universes.
Japanese Gastronomy
In the Japanese gastronomy space, Nihon Ryori, the workshops and showcookings of Roger Ortuño from Comerjapones.com await you, where you will learn (and taste) the secrets of Japanese cuisine. Note that there will also be Japanese restaurants and outdoor food trucks.
Japan Experience
Workshops to learn the basics of the Japanese language (spoken and written) and to make Japanese handicrafts.
Manga Kids
A space designed for children from 5 to 12 years old where they can participate in a workshop to create manga and craft workshops, paint the face of their favorite character, exercise with sports and read in the Mangateca.
Manga Sport
Proposals to enjoy sports and the Budo Experience section, with martial arts demonstrations and workshops. Baseball and sumo are some of the novelties presented in the space, but there are more.
Manga Academy
The Manga Academy room hosts lectures, panel discussions and other talks dealing with the otaku world's favorite topics. It is also a meeting place for authors and their fans.
Cool Japan
Fashion, cinema, society, music and literature are essential elements that make up Cool Japan, a space that immerses you in the most attractive aspects of Japanese pop culture.
The awards
This new edition will feature the usual Manga Barcelona Awards ceremony, which recognizes the best manga and anime works in different categories published in Spain during the last year.
Don't miss this new and exciting edition of Manga Barcelona, and remember that children under 5 years old get in for free.
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