KODANSHA HOUSE, a pop-up event that provides an immersive experience of manga published by KODANSHA, will be held from October 4 to 19 EDT in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, a hotspot for art and new trends.
Scaled up due to last year’s popularity with a focus on the diversity of manga
After attracting 20,000 American manga fans last October, KODANSHA HOUSE will return to SoHo, New York City bigger and better. This year’s pop-up will be held along Lafayette Street in an event space three times larger than last year’s exhibition. Like last year, the focus will be on putting KODANSHA’s name on the map in North America, where the popularity of Japanese manga culture is surging. Shonen manga, a wildly popular genre in the North American market, will be accompanied by a broader range of genres this year to showcase the diversity of the manga world to a wide audience.
Three experience booths to look for:
GHOST DROP: Relive the iconic opening scene of the anime GHOST IN THE SHELL, where protagonist Motoko Kusanagi dives into a cluster of buildings and turns invisible through optical camouflage. This sci-fi anime juggernaut topped the weekly Billboard video sales charts after its release in 1995. In this booth, visual effects are used to create the sensation of falling through the series’ cyberpunk world.
TITAN FURY: Become a titan at this booth dedicated to Attack on Titan. A miniature version of the Shiganshina District was created through precise calculations to create the thrilling illusion of looking down on the series’ scenes from the titans’ height (over 60m). The wall of the booth depicts the spectacular scene where a parade of countless titans shakes the ground, a scene that enthralled many North American fans.
EGO TUNNEL: Choose a character from BLUE LOCK and walk through a gigantic tunnel projected with the signature color that appears when that character enters flow, the mental state where they play at their best. Grab the ball hanging from the ceiling and try recreating your favorite character’s best shots.
A variety of one-day-only events
In addition to the experience booths, Meet the Mangaka signing sessions and talks will be given by Fire Force author Atsushi Ohkubo, A Sign of Affection artist duo suu Morishita, and Fujita, the author of Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku. Add in an Initial D themed arcade game area and merch that is only sold at the venue and New York’s manga fans can expect total immersion in the worlds of KODANSHA’s great series.
For a full schedule of events, visit https://www.kodanshahouse.com/
KODANSHA will also be trialing an On-site Editorial Team, Mochikomi. Local aspiring manga artists were invited to submit manga written in English until early August and around 50 of the top talents were selected by the end of the month. The winners will have the opportunity to meet with editors from KODANSHA to discuss their work. Two teams of seven editors from various manga editorial teams at KODANSHA will spend two days at the event, giving advice and looking for overseas talent.
An opening party will take place on October 3 at 6:00 PM EDT, exclusively for press and select local influencers. Members of the press interested in covering the festivities are warmly invited to attend—RSVP is required.
Official recordings of each event will also be prepared. Please contact our representative using the details below if you wish to receive any of these.
For more information, visit https://www.kodanshahouse.com. Sign up for exclusive updates including early access to House sneak peeks, ticket drops, and find out about other exciting RSVP-only events at Kodansha House.
Source: Press Release
