Interest In Manga Among Malaysians Impresses - Japan’s Ambassador

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 (Bernama) -- The enthusiasm of reading Manga comics and graphic novels among Malaysians showed that the Japanese culture is becoming more popular in the country, said Japan’s ambassador to Malaysia, Hiroshi Oka. Oka said Manga's stories, characters and plots have a universal appeal that captivates people’s minds, and transcends borders and religious differences. “Since my arrival in Malaysia in November last year, one of the delightful discoveries was when I went to a bookstore in Malaysia and unexpectedly came across a large area set aside for Manga comics and animations. “The shelf size set aside for this pop culture speaks proudly about the interest of Malaysians on Manga pop culture,” he said in his speech during the 13th International Manga Award Prizegiving ceremony held at the embassy, recently. Also present at the event was famous Malaysian cartoonist Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, better known as Lat. Manga refers to a specific style of comics or graphic novels that has developed in Japan since the 19th century, and accepted as an integral part of Japanese ‘otaku’ or geek culture – along with anime, idol singers, and video games. Commenting further, the envoy said the number of online subscribers for Manga comics was on the rise during the Movement Control Order period, and he expects to see more such subscriptions under the new normal in the wake of COVID-19. Oka said the International Manga Award, established in 2007 to honour non-Japanese manga artists for their contribution towards Manga culture outside of Japan, will further enrich the understanding of Japanese culture and strengthen the cordial ties between Japan and Malaysia. He said a total of 345 entries was received from 66 countries, with 15 winners selected for the 13th International Manga Award. During the ceremony, a Malaysian Manga artist, Lam Quek Chung – better known as LEOZ – received his certificate from Oka for winning the bronze award at the 13th International Manga Award for his comic titled ‘Detektif Hantu: Kesumat’. The 33-year-old artist who hails from Taiping, Perak, said his comic is a sequel to the original work of a local cartoonist named ‘Totoro’ which relates the story of a detective with extraordinary powers who solves unusual cases. -- BERNAMA