What had been said to be a passing fashion has now become one of the most attractive cultural proposals in recent years. The otaku culture, headed by manga and anime, has globalized, leaving aside the idea of a teenage niche that has accompanied it for many years. Manga Barcelona has witnessed and at the same time has been an active part in this evolution. Already 30 editions of Manga Barcelona, and FICOMIC faces this special anniversary edition with a lot of energy and with a series of proposals up to the expectations of such a symbolic edition. Meritxell Puig, director of Manga Barcelona, stressed that “30 years ago, making a manga event sounded like a risky idea, but there was the conviction that it had to be done. Now it has been shown that it was a success, these 30 years represent the absolute consolidation of this proposal, which further strengthens the links of the event to publishers, institutions and, of course, Japan.”

On such a special occasion, it was necessary to have a poster that meets expectations. Although it has not yet been presented, the wait will be worth it. Manga Barcelona has the pleasure of announcing that the author of the poster for the 30th edition of Manga Barcelona is one of the most acclaimed mangakas of recent decades: Naoki Urasawa. The author of MONSTER, 20th Century Boys, Pluto and also YAWARA! will not only be the guest of honor this year, he will also be in charge of creating the image for this new edition (which will be presented in September). 

But this is not the only surprise in the guests area, for such a special year, it was important to bring the public of Manga Barcelona closer to the authors, and together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan as well as the Japanese publishers (and the support of the Spanish publishers), Manga Barcelona presents Manga Festival, an initiative that brings together up to 8 manga authors who will visit the Catalan capital: Kamome Shirahama (Atelier of Witch Hat), Yuka Fujikawa (Mushoku Tensei), Aka Akasaka (Oshi no Ko), Mengo Yokoyari (Oshi no Ko), Shinichi Ishizuka (Blue Giant), Number 8 (Blue Giant), Juan Albarrán (Matagi Gunner) Agasawa Kocha (Tú y yo somos polos opuestos). Its presence will be accompanied by an exhibition of shikishi by the authors, the typical sheets used in Japan to sign autographs. Oriol Estrada, content advisor at Manga Barcelona, stated that “this is a year in which it was important to make an effort to bring as many manga authors as possible. They remain our priority in terms of guests, and although it is not always easy to get them to come, in this 30th edition we will make an absolute record of mangakas present at Manga Barcelona.”

As for the guests related to Japanese animation, we will have Hiroshi Nagahama (currently working on the adaptation of Junji Ito's Uzumaki anime) and Sung-hoo Park and Yann Le Gall, professionals who have worked on the Jujutsu Kaisen anime among many other works. Closing, for now, the international guest line-up, the Gran Escenari (Main Stage) will have a selection of musicians who perform well-known anime songs, headed by Burnout Syndromes (Haikyuu!!), Maki Otsuki (One Piece) and CODA (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure).

This press conference has also seen the birth of the new mascot of Manga Barcelona, which will come to live for this 30th anniversary. It is Onachan, a creation by the author Carles Dalmau that, inspired by Japanese mascots, brings us a fun character that wears a very typical Japanese bandana combined with the image of the flower you can find on the tiles of the streets of Barcelona. Meritxell Puig explains that “Onachan was born in the sea of Barcelona, from which it takes its name. The sea is an element that Barcelona and the Japanese archipelago have in common. One of so many things that unites us with Japanese culture.”

As for the Manga Barcelona Auditorium, a space where different films and anime series are screened, the following screenings have been confirmed: Blue Giant and the new film by Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram, which will be screened in Catalan.

There are still many new features and surprises to announce from Manga Barcelona, so make sure to keep an eye on social networks and future press conferences.

Ticket sales will start at the end of July. And we hope to welcome you from 5 to 8 December 2024 in the pavilions 4, 5, 6 and 7 at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via.