Liquid Media is back for the second year with the National Manga Competition. The competition jointly organised by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) has some big names on tow this year with Canon Marketing Malaysia and Novotel KLCC on board as a sponsor, Animax as the Official TV & Online Partner, Comic Fiesta as the event partner and is further endorsed by the Education Ministry of Malaysia.
Open for participants from the tender age of 7, this year the competition is expecting a significant increase in entries from its first appearance.
The competition started with a big bang launch officiated by H.E. Masahiko Horie, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Japan and accompanied by MDeC Representative, Mr. Saifol Shamlan, Vice President, Industry Development Division, Ministry of Education Representative, Mr. Mohamad Jamal Bin. Ujang, Deputy Director of Policy Unit and Mr. Richard Yeow, Senior Director and General Manager of Business Imaging Solution Division, Canon Marketing Malaysia
“The inaugural competition last year started a local pool of raw talent to build the local manga and anime industry. This round will grow that pool further and these participants will play an integral part towards developing the local scene. Economically, this is a booming field whether it’s for the artist, animators, producers or channels which carry this art which originated from the land of the rising sun,” enthused Mr. Desmond Flaivel, Associate of Liquid Media Communications the organizers of the competition.
Animax, Asia’s first and leading anime and youth entertainment TV destination, continues to be the official TV and online media partner for the competition in its second year. Available to some 40 million viewers from 27 million homes in 19 countries across Asia and reaching over 2.1 million viewers in Malaysia1, Animax’s reach is a reflection of the immense popularity of anime and manga outside Japan. Just as Animax appeals to Asia’s youth and young adults, the competition targets to be a platform for aspiring talents in the same demographic group to express themselves and to share their love and passion for the artform.
Another party with interest in the progress of the field is MDeC, Malaysia’s multimedia development arm, “We are keen to open up new avenues in the creative field to realise the dream for a high income economy. The field of Manga is versatile and we can see it as a multi prong economy driver in the next 5 years.
Hence we are lending our cooperation to nurture young talent and with the emergence of this competition we have our finger on the pulse of the Manga and Anime environment,” said Mr. Saifol Shamlan, Vice President, Industry Development Division, MDeC
The traditional Manga market was worth a whooping 400 billion yen in 2007 for the Japan economy and has been termed as a soft power in the nation’s recovery plan in 2009. This soft power will grow through transfer of knowledge and expertise with other countries in the Asian region who have shown interest like Malaysia.
“We are a booming economy and as far as I have realised, the Manga industry has nothing but grown over the years. The art and its artists are no longer confined to Japan and like our Canon brand, Manga and Anime has become a global icon for the creative world.
Our sponsorship this year is in line with our industry which is much based on visuals, imaging and creativity. We hope our support will wheel in more talents and the local industry will grow to be as lucrative as our Japanese counterpart,” shared Mr. Richard Yeow, Senior Director and General Manager, Business Imaging Solution Division of Canon Marketing Malaysia.
Canon is sponsoring cash and RM 12,000 worth of Wedoo (formerly known as Canonfoto) products to be given away as prizes. “The Wedoo is our local initiative in the photo book field. It is a great tool for the Manga artists to compile and showcase their works in a professional presentation. The winners will receive a printed and bound copy of their work entered for the competition,” added Yeow.
The National Manga Competition will begin from 30th June 2010 to 30th November 2010 and features 3 categories; Amatuers (18 years onwards); Secondary (13- 17 years of age); and Primary (7-12 years of age). Cash and prizes worth RM 15,000 will be up for grabs.
This year’s Competition will go one step further by organising a regional roadshow for school students in the states of Penang, Putrajaya, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur.
Further information the National Manga Competition 2010 is available at www.mymanga.com.my.
About Liquid Media Communications (M) Sdn Bhd
Liquid Media Communications (M) Sdn Bhd was set-up in Malaysia primarily as a concept writting outfit for the creative and advertising related services industry. Its primary focus is to create fresh and niche avenues for advertising while promoting the various creative components in the country.
Editorial Contact:
Desmond Flaviel
Liquid Media Communications
Tel: +603 7785 8129
Fax: +603 7785 5253
Email: des@i-works.com.my
1 Source: A.C. Nielsen, Cume reach viewers 4+ 2009.
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