This is how you can immerse yourself in the world of manga for free

“Manga Day” is entering its third round next Saturday (September 21st). Eleven labels and publishers are contributing special editions of Japanese comic books today, allowing readers to immerse themselves in exciting stories. A total of 30 free copies are available to purchase in participating stores. For the first time, an Austrian publisher is also represented with Manga Jam Session by Taito Yoshino, which is entering the race with “Fabiniku”.

The Japanese comic books have long since found their way into the German-speaking publishing world. Manga, not to be confused with anime, which are the cinematic counterparts, have now become an integral part of pop culture far beyond Japan’s borders. In terms of genre, the illustrated stories with their characteristic over-stylized characters cover everything your heart desires. From the fantastic adventures of the fearless pirate Monkey D. Luffy in “One Piece” (also available as a live-action film on Netflix since last year) to the mystery crime series “Detective Conan”, there is something for everyone.

Manga make up the lion’s share

More than 30 years ago, the Carlsen publishing house was a pioneer in translating bestsellers such as Akira Toriyama’s “Dragon Ball” from Japanese into German, thereby hitting the nerve of the times. Around 80 percent of sales in the comic segment are now attributable to manga books. The industry’s turnover is around 100 million euros annually, according to the organizers of the campaign day.

Now in its third year, “Manga Day” brings together the publishing industry with readers in German-speaking countries. Events and free copies are used to attract interested parties to participating bookshops, comic shops and manga stores throughout Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. And with success: last year, a new record was set with around 800,000 manga copies distributed, according to the organizers. This only underlines the increasing success and popularity of manga culture in German-speaking countries.

30 free mangas

This year, you can look forward to 30 free books from a total of eleven participating publishers. Among them is “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess”, published by Tokyopop, which many may know as a computer game with its bold hero Link. But there are also original publications up for grabs such as “Manga Genres zeichnen” by Topp. In this, the next generation of mangaka (that’s what comic artists are called in Japanese) will be encouraged to draw their own stories using drawing instructions. In addition to the free books, there will be numerous local events. At “Das Buch” in the Messepark Dornbirn, for example, Cosplay Alpin (the association for cosplay in Vorarlberg) will be guests and will slip into the costumes and roles of well-known manga characters. In some Thalia branches, you can search for seven hidden “Dragon Ball” cards in the “Dragon Ball Rally” and hope to win a prize.

For the first time, an Austrian publisher, Manga Jam Session, is also involved. Owner Taito Yoshino had the idea for the label when he moved to Vienna in 2016 to study German. He noticed that his favorite manga from Japan had not yet been translated into German. Together with his team, the publisher initially released e-book versions of translations of Japanese comics in 2019. The series “From now on, sister!” took first place in the Shonen category (manga specifically aimed at a male audience) of the Kindle bestseller rankings, so in 2021 it was decided to release the first print edition.

Sales were difficult

Distribution initially proved to be quite difficult, especially in Austria. However, interest in anime and manga is also high here, “as shown by the 25,000 visitors to AniNite (Austria’s largest anime and manga convention, ed.) in Vienna last August.” “The community in Austria is there and alive,” said publishing employee Sonja Auer in an interview with APA. This makes them all the more pleased to be able to be part of “Manga Day” this year: “Manga Day is also very popular in Austria and offers manga fans here the opportunity to get to know new series and – what we quickly find even better – “It gives people who have hardly come into contact with manga up to now the opportunity to immerse themselves in this world,” publishing director Taito Yoshino is quoted as saying in a press release for the event.

The publisher says of the distribution of manga from Austria: “We keep getting requests from local artists who want to implement their ideas with us. Unfortunately, this requires a lot of start-up capital, which we don’t have at the moment. Even though we would like to support Austrian manga artists more.” That’s why the company is currently concentrating mainly on translating originals from Japan, such as the comedy series “Fabiniku” about an employee who is enchanted to become a woman and who has to overcome a number of obstacles in a fantasy world while searching for an antidote. The first volume is now available as a free special edition for you to try out.