Manga Barcelona will open the doors of its 29th edition on December 7th, the ineludible annual event for fans of manga, anime and Japanese culture. With almost thirty editions behind it, Manga Barcelona aims to highlight the transformation and evolution of manga and everything that surrounds it in recent decades. While Japan is and will remain the cradle of otaku culture, this new edition will show that the language of manga is already spoken globally. Meritxell Puig, director of Manga Barcelona, believes that this is already a shared culture, integrated into the art, thought and language of many people around the world.

The visit of the team led by Brian Lee O'Malley, with Abel Góngora and Kohei Sakita, is an example of this cultural mix with manga and anime as a meeting point. O'Malley is the author of the comic Scott Pilgrim and has always recognized the influence that manga has had on his work; Kohei Sakita is a producer at the Japanese studio Science SARU, a renowned studio associated with Masaaki Yuasa; Abel Góngora, born in Barcelona and raised in Elche, also works with Science SARU and he is in charge of directing the anime adaptation of Brian Lee O'Malley's comic: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Besides the screening of some chapters of the anime, the team will participate in interviews and workshops to explain how this transnational project has been developed. Another guest demonstrating this cultural fusion is Arnaud Dollen, French author and creator of the Cross The Ages universe, who has been commissioned to direct an adaptation of Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac) into an album format in the tradition of French BD. An increasingly common trend in France, in which French authors are inspired by the anime they saw when they were young to make their own versions of mythical characters from the world of manga and anime (they have done it with Captain Harlock or UFO Robo Grendizer). Something similar happens with Spanish authorship works that are almost 100% inspired by the manga tradition. As usual, Manga Barcelona will have the presence of many of these authors who will sign their works and/or participate in round tables.

To this permanent cultural fusion we add now a new collaboration of Manga Barcelona with Escribà Dreams by Gokoro. This year will be a very tasty edition for all visitors; during the event they will be delighted with a unique sweet: A Catalan cream mochi created exclusively for the 29th MANGA BARCELONA. Filled with a typical dessert of the land, this sweet creation perfectly represents our purpose of praising the union of Catalan and Japanese culture. Moreover, every day of the event, and with the help of Escribà, a workshop specialized in mochis will be offered in our gastronomic space, the Nihon Ryori, which returns stronger than ever.

If manga is diverse, so is the public of Manga Barcelona. And to accommodate the diversity of people who come to the event this year has begun a partnership with the Federació Catalana d'Autisme (Catalan Autism Federation). We will offer an information point dedicated to the collective and also the Calm Space, which will be an area with as little noise as possible, with soft lighting and sensory material, so that anyone can go in case a rest from the light and sound stimuli of the event is needed.

The manga artist representation of the 29th edition also falls on the well-known cartoonist and illustrator Hisato Murasaki, in charge of the manga adaptation of the successful video game Persona 5. The fans of the game will have the opportunity to learn more about this Japanese author through interviews and/or masterclasses. Likewise, the artistic creation at Manga Barcelona comes from the hand of Tokyo Genso. An artist recognized for his futuristic and fantastic illustrations that present new worlds in the capital of Japan.

The ties with Japan remain as strong as ever and this year we premiere the Kizuna Nihon, a new space with the presence of Japanese public institutions committed to Manga Barcelona that will offer workshops and bring the true Japanese cultural stamp. The Consulate General of Japan in Barcelona, the Japan External Trade Organization, the Japan National Tourist Office, the Japan Foundation, Casa Asia, as well as Tokyo Tourism, will be part of the event. With the workshops they bring, our visitors will be able to fight sumo bouts with small origami or learn how to cook traditional takoyaki among other proposals.

One of the novelties of this year is the Manga Stream, a new room focused on the audiovisual media that will host a program consisting of interviews with some of the protagonists of the event, as well as podcast sessions, highlighting in this case the podcast of Radio Primavera Sound that is made in collaboration with Manga Barcelona: Puja al puto robot! (Get on the fucking robot!) This time Ofèlia Carbonell and Oriol Estrada invite the musician and director Fermin Muguruza (Kortatu, Negu Gorriak, Black is Beltza), who will show us his side as an anime lover. The Manga Stream space will be open to the public and all broadcasts will be recorded during the four days in a constant live broadcast by Manga Barcelona's Twitch channel.

One more year, Manga Barcelona will fill the Auditorium with the most interesting titles of the anime universe and the latest premieres. One of the highlights is The First Slam Dunk, which will air in Japanese with subtitles in Spanish session and also in Catalan with the presence of some of the dubbing actors. We also started collaborations with Crunchyroll and Toei Animation and they will offer exclusive events for Manga Barcelona, including premieres of new anime series, a special session of the most talked-about One Piece episodes in recent months and a surprise session that we will reveal on the week of the opening.

In this edition we maintain the same spaces of old editions, like the Cool Japan that hosts workshops related to Japanese culture, and we recover the space for dance and exhibitions, the Dance Stage. The Nihongo Experience is available one more year and with a larger program of activities, distributed simultaneously in two spaces: The Nihongo Experience Kuro and Nihongo Experience Shiro. Event halls such as Kitsune and the Manga Academy will once again bring together manga fans to experience first-hand the announcements of new licenses from publishers, conferences and round tables on current issues or to celebrate birthdays such as the 35 years of Akira and My Neighbor Totoro (which also has an exhibition). As every year, the Manga Kids will also be present, which includes workshop spaces dedicated to the youngest, a new expanded exhibition on Japanese culture, and regular activities such as Manga Play or the Mangateca.

The performances of our guest artists attract many visitors every year. Renowned artist that allow our visitors to relive their favorite otaku hymns live on the Grand Stage. This year we have the presence of the artist Centimillimental, known for being the author of the opening and the rest of the songs of the anime Given. A Japanese singer-songwriter who will perform for the first time in Spain at Manga Barcelona. Vicke Blanka is another of the big names who will perform at the event. Known in Japan from the song Masshiro, and also internationally recognized thanks to the creation of one the opening song for the well-known series Black Clover. And one of the event's most popular announcements, Ayumi Miyazaki. The composer of songs that have sold more than a million copies. Anime fans will surely know him for being the original singer of the legendary series Digimon.

To the exhibition contests and parades such as the Cosplay Parade, the Cosplay Performance and the Cosplay Petit, this year joins the Cosplay Shoot. A novelty for anime cosplay lovers with the aim of giving visibility to the photographers behind the pictures. The ones in charge of capturing the best looks of cosplayers and cosplayers themselves join forces in this first edition to represent their talent in images.

The starting signal for all these events will be given on Thursday, December 7 at 12h in the Kitsune room, where the Manga Barcelona Awards ceremony will be held: The awards to the most popular manga and anime of the year voted by the public. There are new categories this year dedicated to manga and anime in Catalan, which as Oriol Estrada Rangil, content advisor of Manga Barcelona, says, have already a market share but they still need support so they are consolidated as an option for Catalan readers and viewers.

The 29th Manga Barcelona will be held from 7 to 10 December at Feria de Barcelona Gran Via, occupying the palaces 4, 5 and 7.