The Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival opens today, offering visitors the opportunity to meet more than 50 graphic artists, voice actors and authors from Japan and Taiwan.
A total of 26 Japanese artists, authors and voice actors — including renowned manga artist Hajime Isayama — are to join 32 of their Taiwanese peers at 44 booksignings and other events during the festival, according to organizer, the Taipei-based Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association.
In addition to Isayama, who is known for his manga series Attack on Titan, other Japanese participants are Shiki Mizuchi and illustrator Kohada Shimesaba, known for their novel series Dragonar Academy.
In addition to meeting their idols, fans will also have the chance to see a large Titan head replica from Attack on Titan that will be exhibited at the festival, the association said.
Other Japanese artists scheduled to attend the Taipei expo are voice actor Kenji Hamada, known for manga series Kuroko’s Basketball, Gen Urobuchi, who wrote the light novel series Fate/Zero, and Kazue Kato, who wrote and illustrated the Blue Exorcist manga series.
Voice actor Hiroki Yasumoto and voice actress Yumiko Kobayashi, known for their work in the dark comedy manga series Hozuki no Reitetsu, are also scheduled to attend.
Among the Taiwanese manga artists to be featured at the fair are Chang Sheng (常勝), Amuro, Zhi-yi+ZEI+ (致怡+ZEI+) and Tsai Hung-chung (蔡鴻忠).
The exposition be held at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall from today through Saturday and will also include an international forum on comics and animation that is to be held on Thursday and Friday.
The organizer said it hopes that the festival will serve as a platform through which artists, authors and representatives from the comic book and animation industries in Taiwan, China, Japan and Hong Kong can meet and share their marketing experiences.
Dengeki Bunko, a Japanese light novel publisher, is also planning to stage an exhibit at the festival showcasing illustrations from its popular novels to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Close to 50 exhibitors are set to attend the second annual fair, which the organizer hopes will attract 400,000 visitors.
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