Let's Manga

Not directly related to manga or animes, but I'm sure that they could be topics addressed in such conference.

Exploring the expressive potentials of manga, our first manga competition seeks original image sequences that play with the themes and ideas traditionally associated with the classical 'ox-herding' sequence. Creative and innovative manga will be rewarded with publication and prizes! Deadline: 31 October 2010

"There is a big difference in art styles between Manga, which is more stylized (exaggerated) and American comics, which tend to be more "realistic". There are also quite a few serious differences between the two types of comics. Some of the differences, just to mention a few of them are the cost, creation, diverse audience and genres, presentation and even size...."

Japan may appear defensive on the economic and political fronts. Has the world lost interest in an aging Japan whose economy will fall to third largest? There is, however, a side of Japan that is the object of ever stronger and deeper affection around the globe: Japanese popular culture, particularly anime (Japanese animation) and manga.

True. In America, this seems to be growing. I see less and less of comic books and more manga novels, although manga is part of the Japanese culture. Not only that, but it seems manga is more.. I'm not sure what you can call it, but it has a different feel to it than a comic book, for obvious reasons. It's like comparing a cartoon to an anime. Although their qualitys are alike, they come from different culture and people, etc. Plus, most animes seem a bit more serious than cartoons, but that may be just the particullar shows I'm watching.. ~Z

It is in French only, but an interesting article about the evolution of the manga market in France. It also highlights the progressive gaining of a foothold in Europe by Japanese publishers, especially through Viz Media Europe.