© Chica Umino, HAKUSENSHA
©︎ Marco Kohinata / Mina Sakurai / Shogakukan
© SATORU NODA / SHUEISHA
© Waka Hirako
YAKUSOKU NO NEVERLAND © 2016 by Kaiu Shirai,Posuka Demizu / SHUEISHA Inc.
© Taiyo Matsumoto / Shogakukan Inc.
© Akiko HIGASHIMURA / SHUEISHA

MANGA, TIES AND BONDS

in association with Manga Barcelona

Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, 2021

Curatorial Theme

MANGA, TIES AND BONDS

Selection of award-winning manga from the Japan Media Arts Festival

In this exhibition, we select and present outstanding pieces of work from manga that rely deeply on human bonds and emotions. Comics can be entertaining but also motivating, emotive, and even, in some cases, life-changing.

Marc BERNABÉ Director, Japan Media Arts Festival Overseas Promotion Manga division

Event Schedule

Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021
Encounter with KOHINATA Marco
11:00 – 12:00 (CEST)
18:00 – 19:00 (JST)
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021
Round table on The Promised Neverland
11:00 – 12:00 (CET)
19:00 – 20:00 (JST)
Monday, Nov. 1, 2021
Interview with HIRAKO Waka
11:00 – 11:40 (CET)
19:00 – 19:40 (JST)
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
Round table on March Comes in Like a Lion
19:00 – 20:00 (CET)
27:00 – 28:00 (JST)

Feature

A moving tale of a shy and lonely young shogi wonder who discovers human warmth and family bonds.

© Chica Umino, HAKUSENSHA

March Comes in Like a Lion Sangatsu no Lion

UMINO Chica

24th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Grand Prize

March Comes in Like a Lion is a story about a lonely teenage shogi wonder who discovers the warmth of family when he encounters the sweet KAWAMOTO sisters.

Exhibition

Six award-winning manga works that rely deeply on human bonds and emotions.

© Marco Kohinata / Mina Sakurai / Shogakukan
Hei no naka no biyoshitsu (The Depth of the Sky)

KOHINATA Marco
Original Story by SAKURAI Mina

24th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Excellence Award

The Aozora (Blue Sky) Hair Salon, located inside a prison, is open to the public in order to give inmates like KOMATSUBARA Haru an opportunity to learn a job.

© NODA Satoru / Shueisha
Golden Kamuy Golden Kamuy

NODA Satoru

24th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Social Impact Award

Veteran soldier SUGIMOTO meets a young Aynu girl called Asirpa. This encounter will mark the beginning of a remarkable story of friendship, camaraderie and frenetic adventures in wild Hokkaido.

© Waka Hirako
My Broken Mariko My Broken Mariko

HIRAKO Waka

24th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division New Face Award

Mariko, a 26-year-old woman, falls to her death from her balcony after overdosing on sleeping pills. Her close friend Shiino suddenly feels the urge to take the urn with her remains and run away with it.

YAKUSOKU NO NEVERLAND © 2016 by Kaiu Shirai,Posuka Demizu / SHUEISHA Inc.
The Promised Neverland Yakusoku no Neverland

Story by SHIRAI Kaiu
Art by DEMIZU Posuka

21st Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Jury Selection

The action is set in a seemingly bucolic and carefree orphanage where many children live under the caring, loving wing of Sister Isabella. But… A very dark secret lies there!

© Taiyo Matsumoto / Shogakukan Inc.
Sunny Sunny

MATSUMOTO Taiyo

20th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Excellence Award

A moving story about several children who live in a foster home, either as orphans or simply left there by their parents. This manga is based on the autobiographical experiences of the hugely influential author, MATSUMOTO Taiyo.

© Akiko HIGASHIMURA / SHUEISHA
Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey Kakukaku shikajika

HIGASHIMURA Akiko

19th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division Grand Prize

A compelling and moving story that revolves around the relationship between an art teacher and his student. Only one thing can be done to improve: “Draw!”

Online Events

Online events with authors and experts exclusively organized for this exhibition.

Encounter with KOHINATA Marco

Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021
11:00 – 12:00 (CEST) / 18:00 – 19:00 (JST)

With her delicate penciling and accurate storytelling, KOHINATA-sensei adapts beautifully the original novel by SAKURAI Mina The Depth of the Sky. KOHINATA-sensei will be answering LIVE the questions of the public attending Manga Barcelona.

Round table on The Promised Neverland

Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021
11:00 – 12:00 CET (UTC+1) / 19:00 – 20:00 JST

The Promised Neverland is one of the biggest hits of the shonen manga panorama of recent years and its publication in Spain and the US has recently finished with a total of 20 volumes. In this round table we will have the editor in Spain for this work, a renowned expert on the manga scene and a manga artist exchanging their impressions about this megahit of a thriller.

© Waka Hirako

Interview with HIRAKO Waka

Monday, Nov. 1, 2021
11:00 – 11:40 (CET) / 19:00 – 19:40 (JST)

Exclusive interview with HIRAKO Waka, the creator of My Broken Mariko, one of the most striking manga of recent years and winner of the New Face Award at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Division. HIRAKO-sensei draws several illustrations especially for this interview.

Round table on March Comes in Like a Lion

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
19:00 – 20:00 (CET) / 27:00 – 28:00 (JST)

March Comes in Like a Lion is a delicate masterwork that has received four of the most important awards of the manga scene, one of them being the Grand Prize at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival. In this round table, a mangaka, an editor, a critic and an expert on manga will talk about the sensations they felt while reading this moving tale of a shy and lonely young shogi wonder who discovers human warmth and family bonds.

Credits

Director:
Marc BERNABÉ
Organization:
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Project administration:
Visual Industry Promotion Organization
Special Acknowledgements:
Hakusensha Inc., Kadokawa Corporation, Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc., Denpa, LLC., ECC Cómics, Milky Way Ediciones, Norma Editorial, Seven Seas Entertainment, VIZ Media, Yen Press.
Translation:
Marc BERNABÉ
Manga English Translations:
Zack DAVISSON (The Depth in the Sky)
Manga Spanish Translations:
Marc BERNABÉ (The Depth in the Sky, Blank Canvas).
Web Art Direction:
AKABANE Kyo, OKAZAKI Tomoe (glow)
Web Graphic Design:
ITO Shoko (glow)
Web Development:
OHFUSA Yuma (glow)
Onsite Production:
Manga Barcelona
Video Production:
TAKAHATA Atsushi (TFO LLC)
Streaming:
KIDOKORO Yuichi (Ca style)