Despite the doubts generated by the changes of date and location of the 2022 edition, the success was indisputable, and for this reason the 29th edition Manga Barcelona bets on the same space, but reorganizing and expanding it to add even more activities so more attendees can enjoy them. The biggest event for fans of manga, anime and Japanese culture will be held from December 7 to 10 at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via.

The relevance that both manga and anime currently have in the world of art and entertainment is undeniable. The audience has grown significantly among the youngest, but the veterans keep coming year after year, many of them already accompanied by future generations of fans. Manga Barcelona has become the meeting point of reference for thousands of fans of Japanese culture, an annual event that attracts people from all corners of the peninsula and increasingly generates more interest for foreign audiences.

To illustrate the poster of this new edition of Manga Barcelona we have counted with one of the most popular authors of the moment: Míriam Bonastre. The author from Pineda de Mar, and trained at the Joso School, published with great success on the Webtoon platform the juvenile comic Hooky, a work clearly influenced by manga and anime. The physical version has been a great success around the world, appearing in the bestseller lists of The New York Times and becoming the bestselling comic author in Europe in 2022. Bonastre wanted to reflect in her poster the crowded and positive atmosphere of Manga Barcelona, as well as the return of that closer contact that we had missed in past editions. You can also find some of the key elements of the event, such as manga, video games, cosplay, and Japanese food. The point of union between different generations that represents the Manga Barcelona is also present in the poster.

FICOMIC is still working on the invitations to the artists that will visit the event this year, but the presence of Japanese singer and composer Vicke Blanka on the Grand Stage has already been confirmed. With more than 400 million reproductions of his songs, anime fans know him for one of the openings of the Black Clover show. Umaru, a well-known manga popularizer, will attend as an official guest and as an author, as she has just published a book where she explains her experience with dyslexia and how manga helped her to recover her love for reading. In the coming weeks, through the social networks of Manga Barcelona, we will announce more artists, as well as the manga artist who will accompany us throughout the four days.

The success of some of the talks, meetings, and editorial presentations, has led the organization to reorganize the spaces. The room that until now had been converted into a movie theater is now a space dedicated to editorial presentations, one of the activities that arouses more passions in Manga Barcelona. It will also be a meeting place with authors and artists and for more massive events, such as the ceremony of the Manga Barcelona Awards. The event continues to bet on the projection of anime, and that is why there will be a room with more capacity than the last edition, so that the audience can continue to enjoy successful films or even premieres of the latest productions.

We can already announce that the new Manga Barcelona Auditorium will air the latest Case Closed movie: Black Iron Submarine, which will be screened in Catalan dubbed version. We will also air Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie and we will recover the 2013 film Captain Harlock: Space Pirate. The latter is part of the tribute to the figure of Leiji Matsumoto, who died last February, and who has been so important for many generations of otaku around the world thanks to the creation of such emblematic works as Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas and, obviously, Captain Harlock.

This 2023 marks the 35th anniversary of the release of one of the most popular Japanese animated films in the world: My Neighbor Totoro. For this reason, this year there will not only be a screening of the movie at the Auditorium (always with great success!), but also a very special exhibition will be dedicated to the iconic movie. My Neighbor Totoro. 35 visions: Homage to the classic of Japanese animation is an exhibition curated by Jordi Pastor and Reinaldo Pereira that has collected 35 works by 35 national artists who have reimagined the mythical character Totoro.

As shown in the previous edition, the Catalan language is strongly claiming its space within Manga Barcelona, and that is why we will continue to support initiatives related to the Catalan fandom. As a novelty, this year's Manga Barcelona Awards include two new categories: Best Manga published in Catalan and Best Anime with Catalan Dubbing. With these two categories Manga Barcelona wants to encourage and support the initiative of publishers and distributors towards the publication and premieres of manga and anime in Catalan.

The 29th edition will continue have the usual spaces that always have a great popularity (Manga Sports, Dance Stage, Japan Experience...). The different workshops related to Japanese culture are a great success and the offer will be expanded this year. The cosplay contests; with great referents such as the World Cosplay Summit (WCS) or the Extreme Cosplay Gathering (ECG), the idol contests and also the K-Pop contests are already essential. In addition, Manga Barcelona will host the Spanish final of the K-Pop Dance Fight Fest choreography contest. The winners of this competition will travel as representatives of Spain to the European final to be held in Naples at the end of April 2024.

The gastronomic space will continue with the showcookings and snacks, but in this edition will be a little more garnished. The exhibition Itadakimanga! will accompany the Nihon Ryori space with a selection of some of the most famous dishes and drinks of Japanese gastronomy, dishes that we have often known through manga and their most foodie characters. To illustrate these dishes, we will have the art of Carles Dalmau, author of the 27th Manga Barcelona poster.

In this edition we are launching a new space called Manga Stream, with podcasts, live interviews with guests and other proposals, some of which will be broadcast live through the Manga Barcelona channels.

Finally, considering the increasing growth of the children and youth audiences, Manga Barcelona continues with Manga Kids, a space full of proposals aimed at the youngest and their families. In this space they can draw and learn about manga and the Japanese culture they find in some of their favorite manga.

Tickets for 29 Manga Barcelona will go on sale from July 27 through www.manga-barcelona.com.