SHINICHIRO WATANABE

ANIME

Shinichiro Watanabe is one of the most influential figures in global anime—and for good reason. He’s the original creator and director of iconic titles like Cowboy Bebop (1998), the space western that became a cult classic and was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix in 2021.

The adventures of Spike and his crew marked the beginning of Watanabe’s remarkable career, which would later bring us Samurai Champloo (2004), Kids on the Slope (2012), Terror in Resonance (2014), Space Dandy (2014), and Carole & Tuesday (2019)—series in which the Japanese director blends drama, science fiction, and comedy, always with music at the heart of the story. His collaborations with artists like Yoko Kanno and the late Nujabes are central to his unique audiovisual storytelling.

In 2025, Watanabe returns with Lazarus, a sci-fi series set in the year 2052, produced by MAPPA for Adult Swim and streaming on HBO Max. With action scenes choreographed by Chad Stahelski (John Wick) and a stunning soundtrack featuring Kamasi Washington, Bonobo, and Floating Points, Lazarus brings together all of Watanabe’s creative passions.

And the best part: we’ll get to experience it firsthand at MANGA BARCELONA, where Shinichiro Watanabe will appear for the very first time to present Lazarus and reflect on his extraordinary career.

Friday - December 5th

15:00 h: Meet&Greet Artists : Shinichiro Watanabe

For security reasons and due to non-compliance with the organization's established protocols, we are forced to cancel Shinichiro Watanabe's signings for today. We will provide further instructions on how to proceed with the signing sessions on the coming days.

17:00 h: Manga Stream : Puja al puto robot! (Radio Primavera Sound) entrevista Shinichiro Watanabe (CAT)

Saturday - December 6th

16:00 h: Meet&Greet Artists : Shinichiro Watanabe

Signature space to be defined.
For drawing, participate up to 1 hour before! Winners will be notified via email

19:00 h: Kitsune Room : A qué suena el anime, una conversación entre Yoko Kanno & Shinichiro Watanabe

Modera: Manu Gare

Sunday - December 7th

16:00 h: Meet&Greet Artists : Shinichiro Watanabe

Signature space to be defined.
For drawing, participate up to 1 hour before! Winners will be notified via email

18:30 h: Auditorium : ENCUENTRO: Shinichiro Watanabe presenta 'Lazarus' (75 min) - VOSE

Proyección del primer episodio y coloquio con el director

Monday - December 8th

11:00 h: Meet&Greet Artists : Shinichiro Watanabe

Signature space to be defined.
For drawing, participate up to 1 hour before! Winners will be notified via email

Changes to the signings! For security reasons, and due to non-compliance with the protocols established by the organization, we will be holding autograph raffles for each session:

Want to get an autograph? You can now participate in the autograph raffles scheduled for each day. You can participate in as many sessions as you like by clicking on the green button enabled for each session in the agenda list.
One hour before the start of each session, the winners will receive an email notifying them that they have been selected for the signing. We recommend also checking your spam folder.
This email will specify the exact location/room within 31 MANGA BARCELONA where the signing session will take place. You must go there for the signing session.
If you haven't received an email 45 minutes before the signing session, it means you haven't been selected for that session.
Have you been selected? To validate your attendance, it will be essential to present the personal information registered on the participation form. It will not be possible to participate on behalf of others.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The director will only sign offcial audiovisual merchandise (DVDs, Blu-rays, etc.) from his works.

No purchase is required to take a photo during the Meet & Greet

* Information may be subject to change.