Manga Conventions around the
World
Manga conventions are held in many locations around the world and
are gathering places for those with an interest in manga and anime.
Some conventions also include merchandise and games that are manga
or anime related.
Conventions vary in size, from small events with limited attendance
to others, such as Comic Market, that bring in hundreds of
thousands of people. Conventions' main demographic are teenage boys
and girls, and young men of university age.Today, the largest manga
convention in the world takes place bi-annually in Tokyo, Japan,
and is known as Comic Market, often shortened to Comiket, Komiketto
(the romaji spelling of Comiket), or even abbreviated as CM.
The event lasts for two to three days at a time and occurs during
the months of August (called the Summer Komike) and December
(Winter Komike). Admission is free, though the purchase of a
catalog containing information about the event and the items sold
is recommended.
Comic Market gives opportunities to those who create their own
manga known as dojinshi (manga produced outside the mainstream
manga market) to sell their works to the public. Since Comic Market
was first held in December of 1975, the numbers of attendees has
risen greatly to and can be as high as a quarter of a million
people.
Jump Festa is another convention that is held in Japan, sponsored
by Shueisha, the company responsible for making various Jump
magazines, such as the popular Shûkan Shonen Janpu, released as
Weekly Shonen Jump in the west. This convention is devoted to anime
and manga, and during this time new manga, games, movies,
merchandise, and other such releases are announced. Jump Festa has
been held annually in Tokyo since 2001.
Due to manga's increasing popularity internationally, Japan is not
the only country that hosts manga conventions. In fact, there are
also several notable conventions across America, Canada, Europe and
even in Australia. Anime is especially popular in the Philippines
and is host to monthly Anime conventions all year round.
Generally anime conventions are all very similar except outside of
Japan, dojinshi is not as popular due to the lack of foreign
artists. Conventions around the world often host celebrities such
as famous voice actors and actresses, artists, writers, musicians
and contributors as a lead attraction.
It is common for large conventions in the United States to premier
anime in an exclusive room or dedicated theater.