The predicted crowd at this year’s Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival is a sign that Taiwan’s manga industry has built an international following, Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hui (李靜慧) said yesterday.
The five-day event started yesterday at the Nangang Exhibition Center, hosting more than 800 stalls and expecting to welcome 500,000 visitors and sell NT$250 million (US$7.9 million) in merchandise, organizers said.
Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association president Su Wei-chuan (蘇偉銓) said that the event’s theme, “Great Anime, No Limitations,” symbolizes the boundless creativity not only in manga, but also in associated products.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The event has attracted more than 100 businesses this year, 40 of which are also working with the Ministry of Culture’s “culture points” policy, Su said.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said during an opening speech that he had not paid attention to the event “for a long time,” but was told by his eldest daughter that he must buy some merchandise from the Chiikawa manga.
Chiang said that the event was growing in size every year, and special expos on renowned anime series, such as Naruto, The Apothecary Diaries, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and One Piece have given fans more opportunities to share and experience anime.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Culture is responsible for content generation and leading the industry to meet international standards through subsidies and competition events, Lee said.
Lee talked about the Youth Manga Award event, the first time the ministry hosted an event targeting high-school students, and said it drew 200 competitors in the single participant category, showing that the nation’s manga creative capabilities are growing.
Taiwanese manga has performed well at other international festivals, such as those held in Japan and Naples, Italy, Lee said, adding that President William Lai (賴清德) had bought several manga books at the Taipei International Book Exhibit and hopes they would become daily reading material for Taiwanese.
Meanwhile, under new Taipei MRT safety regulations, attendees wearing gas masks or costumes resembling terrorist equipment would be asked to leave the venue.
The rules restrict the use of overly realistic prop firearms and swords.
Some student cosplayers said that while the regulations prevent them from portraying certain characters, they believe the measures help improve overall safety.
Additional reporting by CNA
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