World Digital Manga Tide Part Two

　My answers at the symposium “World Digital Manga Tide” are continued below.

●What about the popularization among children?

　There is the “Digital Ehon Museum (digital children’s book museum)” inside of this venue. Digital Ehon Inc. that I serve as the director and DNP built this museum. It has digital expression exhibitions and workshops.

　Digital children’s book is a coined word that is given as a generic name to new children’s books, which use digital technology and new publications that did not exist before. We develop new digital publications for children. We want to improve the creativity and expression that will be the most important for children of the future with digital technology. We put a great deal of effort into expanding a place for that.

　We have been working on activities for children to create contents such as manga, anime, game, and music by using digital technology for the past 12 years.

　Especially, Japanese children like the expression of manga and they excel in it. When we held a workshop to create manga by taking four digital photographs, while all French children tried to create fantastic artworks, all of Japanese children created funny cartoons. Cambodian children created the work for praying for their families.

　All countries and regions have suitable cultures and expressions, and digital technology will support those. When we opened the workshop collection the last time, we lined up tablets and PCs for drawing manga, and a long line formed for those. Everybody wanted to draw.

　We want to make a structure with a place for educating digital animation, production, and editing that connects to business.

●What is manga of the future?

　There was a three-hour wait for the Choju Giga (illustrated scrolls of frolicking animals) exhibit at Kyoto National Museum. Choju Giga is the works from 12th century that are called the originator of manga. They have evolved continuously as a culture for nearly 1000 years. Those works from 12th century are still so popular that there is a several-hour wait.

　Manga will quickly change and evolve from now. The way they are written and read will also change. The industry will change. Globalization will advance.

　However, there are things that do not change. The passion for expression and the joy of reading. There are things that I do not want changed.

　Mr. Tetsuya Chiba said “Countries in which people read manga are peaceful.” I hope that manga will become essential to countries around the world.