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Friday, 21st September 2012
In Events In Japan,
Kyoto preparing for anime explosion
Ask people within the confines of the western world to name some of Japan's most memorable exports and while consumer electronics and automobiles are likely to feature, a fair few will undoubtedly point to anime and manga.
Manga is a type of comic book which conforms to a style of Japanese art that dates back to the late 19th century.
Since the 1950s, the medium has grown to become one of the most popular reading forms in the region with people of all ages indulging in manga in its various forms.
Genres range from action-adventure and romance to comedy, science, fiction, horror and even sexuality.
The rise of the literary form soon brought a new evolution – the animation form known simply as anime, which encapsulated much of the essence of manga in a new medium.
Soon enough, western audiences caught on to the craze of anime and manga, with comics translated into English and films either dubbed or subtitled for UK and US audiences.
The culmination of anime's rise came at the 2002 Academy Awards when the famed Studio Ghibli production Spirited Away picked up the honour of Best Animated Feature.
Since then, interest in anime has continued to thrive, making the upcoming Kyoto Cross Media Experience an intriguing prospect.
The three-month festival is a celebration of all things anime and manga with exhibitions, screenings and meet-and-greets planned.
According to a report from Japan Times, the festival will begin this weekend with the opening of a special exhibition at the Kyoto International Manga Museum showcasing the production history of anime studio Gainax.
Spanning over 30 years of filmmaking, the event is sure to be a fascinating one for those familiar with the subject matter and tourists to boot.
Other upcoming events include the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2012, which will be held in the Kansai region.
With some 40 different exhibitors set to attend, there is every reason to get animated about a trip to Japan over the next few months.
Posted by Graham McPherson
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