Japanese comic culture in the Weyher Kulturscheune

Manga Day on September 21st is all about Japanese comic culture. In the Kulturscheune Weyhe there will be free reading samples, but also Actionbound puzzles and cosplay.

Leeste – They are often drawn in black and white, the reading direction is from back to front, they cover very different literary themes for different age groups and target groups: Mangas, the Japanese version of comic books, are also very popular in Germany, especially among young people. Publishers, bookstores and libraries have responded to this with the nationwide Manga Day. This will take place on Saturday, September 21st, for the third time. Weyhe is taking part for the second time.

From 10 a.m., everything in the culture barn on Henry-Wetjen-Platz in Leeste will once again revolve around the comic art form from Japan, according to a statement from the municipality. And it goes on to say that the library team, in cooperation with the local bookstore, have once again come up with a few ideas to go with this.

As elsewhere, readers in Weyhe also have the opportunity to take free reading samples. As the number of participating publishers has increased, so has the selection. According to library employee Lisa-Marie Leimann, reading samples from 30 different titles will be available to take away free of charge. Due to limited numbers, one copy per person.

But the focus is not only on printed comics. Library trainee Daniel Westermann has made sure of that. The prospective media and information services specialist says he has been interested in manga and anime (Japanese animation) since he was a child. “Manga is the literary form that interests me the most,” says Westermann. He thinks manga is “great because it’s so versatile,” says the trainee.

And because this requires a certain level of knowledge, Westermann helped to design the supporting program. Namely, action bounds about manga and anime. An action bound is a kind of treasure hunt that works via a smartphone app. On Manga Day, visitors can put their knowledge to the test using two action bounds of varying difficulty that Westermann created for the event. Hedda Stock, who is responsible for the library at the municipality: “We are extremely happy that we have Daniel.”

Another part of manga and anime culture – which is also cultivated by other fan scenes – is so-called cosplay. This is a dress-up game in which fans wear – often elaborate – costumes and thus take on the role of characters from the stories. A photo booth will be available for visitors to Manga Day in Weyhe, where they can have their picture taken in costume. This can be brought from home or borrowed. A selection of clothing is available.

Unlike last year, there will be no workshop this time. But there will still be the opportunity to draw something yourself. The pictures, preferably in the typical manga style, will be exhibited in the youth section of the library. As Leimann explained, the works can also have been created beforehand and submitted to Manga Day.

Manga Day in Weyhe: When and where

On Saturday, September 21st, from 10 a.m. in the Kulturscheune. Admission is free, registration is not required.