The year 2022 has brought the curtain down following the boom in new manga titles and sales in Spain (hand in hand with those also spotted in Japan, the United States, or France), and it’s a response to new generations’ growing interest in everything it should be. To do with Asian culture. The term otaku, which refers to all manga lovers, now goes even further and coronaotacus is already multiplyingA new generation of loyalists who have turned to reading Japanese comics after becoming fond of anime from anime platforms during the pandemic. streaming.
This fever attracted new publishers, which led to another one. Record number of innovations published 30% more than in 2021. Thus, according to the Association of Comic Book Critics and Publishers (ACDCómic), this year will close with more than 1,300 new manga, a third more than in 2021.
The numbers confirm how publishers are launching to meet the growing demand from readers promoting titles like the one below. Haikyû!!, Haruichi Furudate, My Hero Academia, Kôhei Horikoshi or Tokyo Avengers, Ken Wakui, bestseller lists; Although Fnac stressed that “the list is very heterogeneous, with multiple titles attached to most of the subfamilies of the genre that in turn can be enjoyed in the manga. Gone are the days when only a handful of famous Japanese comics were translated and sold in Spain. Even the smallest titles are now the center of attention,” says Sara Vega, head of marketing and communications at Fnac Spain.
For Vega, manga is “an increasing phenomenon in recent years”. “A representative figure in this regard is the significant growth in sales of children’s manga, which increased by 227% in 2022 compared to 2021. It is a sign that there are already many parents who know these trends and enjoy them with their children. Just as previous generations did in American drawing or European comics. ”, he notes. On the other hand, “something that continues to happen, and that we’re talking about incorporating the Asian genre into mainstream culture, beyond the obvious good moment of manga.”
fathers and sons
According to sales data among Fnac partners in Spain, the 20- to 35-year-old group accounts for 38% of manga sales, “although the focus is also on the 35-50 year old segment, which accounts for 40% of sales.” can suggest it young parents also buy manga for themselves or their children.”. It’s a theory that will give continuity to the growth of the species in the coming years.
Moreover, women already represent almost half of buyers. “The proportion of women purchasing manga from Fnac hubs in particular increased 9 percentage points from 2019 to 34% of the total, up to 44% in 2021. The major launches suggest that all these indicators are also growing throughout 2022,” says the franchise manager.
One of the women who are fond of manga is the woman from La Linares. Lucia Louzao, who discovered this species at the age of 3: “I used to watch anime (Dragon Ball) since I was little, though my first manga was given to me when I was 12.” She remembers it very well: “It was Chi’s Beautiful Home” and it was for children, it was about an abandoned kitten”. Since then, she considers herself a true otaku and now her favorite collections are Nana and Shadow House. She likes to have books at home and is often buys them from both online and secondhand stores, “discontinued” as well as bookstores where he buys the newest.
In her case, she’s also a fan of the manga aesthetic, although she’s never dressed, which is characteristic of cosplayers. “Yeah, I’m buying a t-shirt, figurine or keychain, but costumes are too expensive”, he emphasizes.
Besides reading manga, Louzao also likes to watch anime. streaming. “I love the worlds, characters, and stories they create,” he emphasizes.
Previously “frowned upon”
Although manga is in vogue now, it was even chosen for his hobby when he was little. “Before it was welcomed, the manga was very difficult to obtain and they even bullied you for it“, get to know. Previously, he even had to “download badly translated pdf comics and read them on the computer.”
At this point, for Sara Vega, the first manga boom in Spain in the 90s, and the current “two directly related phenomena”. “The generations that benefited from the pioneering names of the genre 30 years ago in the country are today adults who have normalized these genres, who enjoy and know their keys and expressions. This is undoubtedly somewhat behind the current manga boom in Spain”.
Roberto Martínez, who works at Banda Deseñada, also influences the idea. “We could say we’re in the second boom of the manga, and it’s the ones dedicated to youth and teenagers that are coming out stronger today,” he says. Martínez says, “There are already children who are directly entering the world of reading through manga and are not thinking of reading anything else; There’s real anger among the younger generation right now, that doesn’t mean another, more adult audience isn’t reading manga, there’s manga too,” he notes, “and there’s a huge volume of publications. at the moment” .
Anger
The excitement is so great that the requests teachers make of them in their school, reading club or library are manga, and “often it’s the teachers themselves who come here to help us turn things around,” he adds. “children’s favorite titles”.
Many among Banda Deseñada’s clients tell them they discovered the manga “through the anime series.” “Then they are informed that it is based on a manga, and from there they come to the shop, or even go to libraries or study centers, and this is where they even start reading the series from the very beginning. the point they left in the anime from the very beginning,” he emphasizes.
“Manga covers a wide variety of major themes: action, sports, romance… No specific reader profile”reassures Martínez, but insists that more and more “young people are starting to like it.” In her case, she highlights four or five tags that have been raging for a while: Guardians of the Night, Haikyû!!, Jujutsu kaisen, and Hanako-Kun: the ghost of the sink. “To name a few, because I could spend a morning saying headlines,” he jokes. “It’s very difficult to find individual titles, first of all, they happen in series and they’re often very long,” he explains.
David Matilde, one of Mazinger’s owners, confirms that “the manga is slowly making room for itself and gaining more space.” “One of the revolutions he made was that he not only focused on a specific audience, but broadened his range with themes targeting more girls, teenagers, and a bit of a gay nature… there were more genders and so it reached a wider audience,” he continues. Regional television stations broadcasting series such as Dragon Ball “helped it rise.”
Relatively recently, the otaku phenomenon began, which resembles manga enthusiasts, but has already taken it to another level. “They don’t just like comics, manga is a way for them to get into Japanese culture,” he explains.
A whole world of articles
Thus, this phenomenon now accompanies a whole business world that completes it. “Manga existed when I was younger and comics itself was a rage, but for a few years now cosplay has been very popular in fashion, gastronomy, a growing interest in culture and history. otaku phenomenonUnconditional love for anything that has to do with Japan”.
Manga makes up 80 percent of the comic book sales in his store, and it’s among the most successful. manga mangaTV series such as “Guardians of the Night” were aimed more at a young male audience. female equivalent shojo.
For Matilde, the Internet has been a key factor in the current expansion of this phenomenon. “There is a huge community of otakus on the Internet. There were isolated groups before, but networks allow them to interact, share their experiences and tastes, and organize activities such as: expotakurecently held in A Coruña”.
“Whenever there is a manga event, cosplayers have the opportunity to meet and dress up. There is already a community among them, they meet and form a gang,” emphasizes Roberto Martínez.