An exceptional and unprecedented concert in Europe, the highlight of Manga Barcelona
Seatbelts, led by Yoko Kanno, will perform at the hall on its opening day on December 5th.
Barcelona"These are dreams we have as a team," says Meritxell Puig, the general director of Ficomic, the organizing entity of Manga Barcelona, which this year will be held from December 5 to 8 at the Barcelona Gran Via Fair. Puig is referring to the programming of a concert never before seen in Europe: that of Seatbelts, who will perform on December 5 at Manga Barcelona alongside their leader and musical director, Yoko Kanno. The group will perform one of the most acclaimed soundtracks in the history of anime, that of Cowboy BebopThis is an exceptional event, the first time the band has performed outside of Japan. "It's something unique," Puig remarks.
Cowboy Bebop is one of the souls most famous of the last 25 years," says Oriol Estrada, content advisor at Manga Barcelona. The cult series created and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe was first broadcast in 1998 and, unlike mostsouls, its soundtrack is a mix of sounds close to American bebop jazz. The Seatbelts were created specifically to provide the music and, since then, have only performed in Japan, and only rarely. Mai Yamane, the singer who lent voice to some of the most iconic songs, will also participate in the concert, which will take place on Friday, December 5th at 6 pm at the Fira Gran Via venue. Puig explains that the Manga Barcelona organizers have been working on the concert since January because they have had to adapt to the technical requirements of the show. The series' director, Watanabe, will also be one of the fair's guests and will participate in a talk with Yoko Kanno. "When Watanabe said yes, it was very powerful," recalls Puig excitedly.
Among the Manga Barcelona guests who have already been announced is Gou Tanabe, known for his manga adaptations of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Manga artist Satoru Nii and Japanese food illustrator Mao Momiji will also be there. The Seatbelts won't be the only musical performance: singer AiNA THE END, known for the opening song of the second season of Dan Da Dan, will offer a concert at the fair, which will also be the first one outside of Asia.anime as Murmurs of the heart, by Yoshifumi Kondō and Memoirs by Katsuhiro Otomo, Koji Morimoto, and Tensai Okamura; the latest Detective Conan film dubbed into Catalan will also be screened.
The second-largest festival in Catalonia
Manga Barcelona has steadily gained attendance in recent years, becoming the second-largest cultural event in Catalonia with 167,000 visitors, surpassed only by Primavera Sound. It began life at Estacion de Francia and, due to the large number of visitors, had to move to La Farga, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, then to Fira Barcelona Montjuïc, and finally to its current location, Fira Barcelona Gran Via. Tickets for this year's edition will go on sale at the end of July. Tickets can be purchased by day or as a full pass. As a new feature, the organizers have introduced children's tickets and priority access tickets to avoid queues.
