The Taiwanese manga artist known as “Monday Recover” (星期一回收日) was met with an enthusiastic response during an appearance at Foire du Livre, a French-language book fair that is being held in Brussels, Belgium.
With four comic books that have been translated into French, the selection of Monday Recover, whose given name is Shih Chia-yu (施佳妤), as a featured artist proved to be a hit at the book fair, attracting many visitors to her book-signing events and forums at the event from Thursday to Sunday.
At a forum she participated in, Shih, whose works fall into the “girls’ love” genre, received questions from five members of the audience about her sources of inspiration, ideas for her next work and how young comic artists can become successful in Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Perhaps best known for her book Sea You There and Us (貓與海的彼端), Shih said that “girls’ love” is a niche genre with few creators, but it has always had a very dedicated following.
Earlier works depicting same-sex relationships often had sad endings, but times have changed, and “people need teen stories with a happy ending,” she said.
Shih said she would therefore continue creating works in this genre for now.
Shih’s appearance at the event marked the second consecutive year of a collaboration between the French online manga subscription service mangas.io and Taiwan’s government-funded Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).
Nazca, a French publisher that has published more than 10 Taiwanese comics titles, have also joined mangas.io and TAICCA to promote their content at their table.
Damien Mercier, a representative for Nazca, said that about 200 titles hit the French market every month, and Taiwanese comics, characterized by their unconventional plots and diversity, tend to fit the taste of most French readers.
Yun Inada, chief content officer for mangas.io, said his platform had just added four Taiwanese comics titles earlier this month thanks to a collaboration with TAICCA.
Shih’s works touch on self-identity and feminism, which lend themselves well to works that the book fairs’ organizers wish to spotlight, Inada said.
The popularity of “shonen manga” — Japanese comic books whose target audience is young men and boys in their adolescence — in France has created a sizable following of Japanese manga, and demand for more manga genres is on the rise, Inada said.
This has presented an opportunity for Taiwanese comics to create an impact on the French market, he said.
Inada said that unlike male readers, who often share pirated content and read shonen manga almost exclusively, he found female readers are more likely to purchase comic books and explore different genres.
Therefore, offering a variety of titles is key to discovering fresh and interesting stories, Inada said.
He also said that Taiwanese comics stand out from Japanese works as they originate from a “hybrid culture” influenced by Dutch, Chinese and Japanese elements, making them particularly fascinating.
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