Comic-book art from land of the rising sun
MANGA mania hit Doncaster when Waterstone's Frenchgate Centre store held an evening devoted to the Japanese comic book art form.
Hundreds of fans of the fantastic gathered at the bookshop to take part in activities including an art competition, quizzes and a fancy dress competition.
And experts in the field were not surprised to see interest in the style taking off.
Manga has seen its profile rising in Doncaster for a while - in 2006 Doncaster College used the style for its prospectus.
The college has its own expert in the art form in graphic designer Martin Stephenson, who is a regular at Manga events in the borough.
He is pleased to see the interest in the subject which was shown at Waterstones.
He said: "I'm not surprised Manga artwork has taken off in such a big way in Doncaster. I think with all the fantasy type video games from Asia being so popular, the artwork was always going to be popular too. The colours are what make the artwork so inviting and different."
Naomi Roots, aged 14, was among those at the bookshop event. She is not just an avid reader of Japanese comics but also an aspiring artist.
"I've always liked the style and enjoyed the comics but I've only been drawing since I was 11," she told The Star. "I've just always liked the style - it's a really cool way of drawing. I suppose boys are more into it than girls but I love it. Anyone can draw it, it's a very direct style."
Manga and its animated offshoot, anime, first became popular in the UK in the 80s and 90s, when books and videos of hit series like Lone Wolf and Cub and Akira first became available.
Since then they have established themselves as cornerstones of the comic book markets and have had a real influence on Western comic artists.
Waterstone's Leilah Skelton said: "The Manga evenings are absolutely crazy. We've had a couple since we opened and they just get bigger and better - I think we're going to have to pick a bigger venue for next time.
"The other thing that's great to see is the standard of entries to the art competition - Doncaster's always been very strong on that."
Luke Pinder, aged 18, attended the event dressed as character Watanuki from the Xxxholic comic. He started reading Manga when he was just seven.
"I don't know what drew me in," he said. "I was just amazed how detailed the artwork was. I've been to these evenings since the very first one - I think there were only about 12 people at that. I'm not surprised at how many people are here tonight though - there are more every time and I knew there would be loads of people turning up."
Andrew Whaley, who works for Manga publishers Tokyopop, agreed.
She said: "The Doncaster events are always a bit special and the entries for the art competition are always incredibly good. For the next one we're hoping to get an a UK-based Manga artist to come and do a workshop. That should make the artwork even more impressive in the future!"
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Friday 25 May 2012
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