Fira de Barcelona
          
        
        
          | 2014 Report
        
        
          
            Manga
          
        
        
          Barcelona Manga Show
        
        
          
            30/October – 02/November
          
        
        
          Montjuïc. 20th edition (3rd at Fira)
        
        
          Barcelona Manga Show celebrated its twentieth
        
        
          anniversary as the undisputed leader in events
        
        
          devoted to this variety of comics and Japanese
        
        
          culture as a whole, with an increase this time
        
        
          around in both exhibition space and activities.
        
        
          Plaza del Universo was a nerve-centre at the
        
        
          event, hosting the Cosplay competitions, the
        
        
          Anime Song Contest, demonstrations of Asian
        
        
          dance and musical performances.
        
        
          The focus was very much on Japanese
        
        
          cuisine and culture. Under the title "The Spirit of
        
        
          Japan",  activities related to Japanese traditional
        
        
          culture, spirituality and natural therapies took
        
        
          place. There were workshops devoted to
        
        
          the kimono, a meditation room, macrobiotic
        
        
          workshop, demonstrations of reiki, shiatsu and
        
        
          kobido, and exhibitions of ikebana and bonsai
        
        
          and Zen gardens.
        
        
          Participants at the show included authors like
        
        
          Kengo Hanazawa, (
        
        
          I am a Hero
        
        
          ), Takeshi Obata,
        
        
          (who adapted Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel
        
        
          All You
        
        
          Need is Kill
        
        
          , already made into a sci-fi film, to
        
        
          Manga). Other guests were Takehiko Inoue and
        
        
          Ken Niimura, a Spanish writer of Japanese origin
        
        
          who currently lives and works in Tokyo.
        
        
          There was also a large representation from
        
        
          the producers of the Nintendo Pokemon and
        
        
          Dragon Ball Xenoverse games. In the field
        
        
          of music, the Japanese pop band Loverin
        
        
          Tamburin performed, while Japanese cuisine
        
        
          was represented by Nobuaki Fushiki, chef
        
        
          at the Shiojiri Jôzôjo restaurant in Tokyo,
        
        
          which specialises in hakko ryori, the latest
        
        
          culinary trend in Japan, based on traditional
        
        
          fermentation techniques.
        
        
          The Manga Show was supported by
        
        
          Barcelona City Council, sponsored by
        
        
          Nintendo Ibérica and organised in cooperation
        
        
          with several bodies, including the Japanese
        
        
          Consulate, the Ana air line and Casa Asia.
        
        
          •
        
        
          +info
        
        
        
          
            Area
          
        
        
          50,000 m
        
        
          2
        
        
          
            Exhibitors
          
        
        
          150
        
        
          
            Type
          
        
        
          Public
        
        
          
            Activities
          
        
        
          Exhibitions,
        
        
          workshops, concerts,
        
        
          film screenings,
        
        
          competitions
        
        
          
            Organised by
          
        
        
          Ficomic
        
        
          20
        
        
          years’ activity