Manga mania coming

If you think Pokémon, Dragonball and Sailor Moon represent Japanese media culture — think again. The 2012 President’s Conference Series sheds new light on gaming, comics and animation through a closer look at Japan’s media mix culture.

Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games is an international conference being held from February 4 to 6 at Concordia University and the Grande Bibliothèque.

The event is part of Concordia’s five-year partnership with the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), and designed to complement the current exhibit of manga (the Japanese word for comics) at the Grande Bibliothèque. Titled Manga – L’art du mouvement, the year-long exhibit continues until September 30, 2012.

Concordia scholars will showcase their work in the research, creation and teaching of gaming, anime and Japanese media, as well as the impact of each of these worldwide. The Concordia speakers include: 

• Mia Consalvo, Canada Research Chair in Game Studies and Design based at Concordia. She is currently writing a book about Japan’s influence on the videogame industry and gaming culture.
• Matthew Penney, Department of History. His current research focuses on representations of the Asia-Pacific War in Japanese popular culture.
• Bart Simon, Department of Sociology and director of the Technoculture, Arts and Games (TAG) research centre, and an investigator for the Canadian Network on New Media, Animation and Games.
• Marc Steinberg, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. His research includes Japanese animation and the impact of media theory on Japan’s creative industries. His forthcoming book is titled Anime’s Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan.

The main events include:

• A keynote address by Otsuka Eiji on Saturday, February 4 in the evening. A central figure within the study of manga and media mix, he has published seminal academic works on both topics, and has scripted some of Japan's most famous cult comics including MPD Psycho and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. His keynote presentation will be held at Grande Bibliothèque and open to the public.
• A day-long symposium at Concordia on Sunday, February 5 with the university’s scholars and other invited experts who will present their academic research to colleagues, students and the public.
• A master class at Concordia for students. This closed session will recruit the next generation of graduate students by demonstrating why Concordia is the place for graduate studies and research in Japanese animation, comics, games and digital media.

Whether you are an avid gamer, comic book fan, or a parent curious about why the kids are so into things Japanese, save February 4 to 6 for the 2012 President's Conference Series.

Related links:
•  President's Conference Series 2012 event
•  Master classes
•  Speakers
•  Manga - L'art du mouvement, Grande Bibliothèque