Manga Barcelona in 10 suggestions
Concerts, screenings, guests, exhibitions and parties at the great Japanese popular culture fair
BarcelonaThe 92,000 square meters of pavilions 3 and 5 at Fira Barcelona Gran Via are preparing to welcome attendees to Manga Barcelona from December 5th to 8th. This event has long been the second most popular cultural event in Barcelona – with over 167,000 people attending last year – second only to Primavera Sound. With Saturday and Sunday tickets sold out well in advance, it's likely that attendance records will be broken again this year. We highlight ten highlights from its program.
Yoko Kanno
The 'otaku' concert of the year with the music of 'Cowboy Bebop'
One of the most acclaimed soundtracks in historyanime It was created by Yoko Kanno for the series Cowboy Bebop with the group Seatbelts. This Friday they will perform it live – for the first time outside of Japan – at Manga Barcelona. And Yoko Kanno will offer two extra performances: a piano concert on Saturday the 6th and a more dance-oriented performance on Monday the 8th called Dance bebop.
Tsutomu Takahashi
One of the leading authors of modern adult manga
A versatile author by nature, Tsutomu Takahashi has explored the war, crime, and boxing genres. In Barcelona, he will present his two most recent works: Guitar Shop Rosie (Norma), a slice-of-life manga starring two guitar makers who are fans of rock music, and especially AC/DC; and the thriller pharmacist Jumbo box, which revolves around a new drug for erectile dysfunction.
'Kimba'
The unpublished Tezuka work that 'inspired' 'The Lion King' is finally released
As for classic works, the new publishing feature of this Manga Barcelona is the manga. KimbaOsamu Tezuka's first masterpiece and one of his last works that remained unpublished in our country. It's an opportunity to see if, as has always been said, The Lion King Disney plagiarized the story of that lion cub who returns to the jungle to reclaim the throne of his cruelly murdered father.
'Doctor Slump'
Screening to celebrate the return of 'anime' to 3Cat
A few days ago, the most anticipated news was announced by the otakus Catalans: the return of Dr. Slump on 3Cat, where all 243 episodes of the show will be available to watch starting this Friday.animeTo celebrate, Manga Barcelona will screen the first two episodes (on Friday the 5th, at the Auditori). Additionally, Takashi Matsuyama, assistant to Akira Toriyama and background designer for [the series], will also be visiting the fair. Dragon Ball.
Gou Tanabe
The great adapter of Lovecraftian horror in comics
Manga artist Gou Tanabe has dedicated the bulk of his career to translating one of the absolute pinnacles of literary horror—the work of American author H.P. Lovecraft—into the language of comics. A star guest at this year's Manga Barcelona, Tanabe's artwork is featured in an exhibition divided into enticing sections such as Cthulhu and Other Monsters, Landscapes of Desolation and Terror either Descent into madness.
Shinichiro Watanabe
The creator of 'Cowboy Bebop' is also joining the party
Fans of Cowboy Bebop They won't be able to complain: in addition to the music authors, Manga Barcelona will also feature Shinichiro Watanabe, creator of the series and one of the undisputed masters of the genre.anime modern. Watanabe will present at the Auditorium (Sunday 7) Lazarus, one of the souls most acclaimed of 2025, and will talk with Yoko Kanno (Saturday 6) about the soundtracks of the souls.
'tienesey: Shaman star'
The filmed theater movie that thrilled Sitges
A curious subgenre by nature, the films of Geki cinema They film Japanese plays with large budgets and elaborate stage resources. The result is a big-budget, filmed theater production, like the fantastic drama Tengosei: Sharman Starwhich received a standing ovation at the last Sitges Film Festival. Manga Barcelona will screen the film –presented by its screenwriter– and dedicate an exhibition to it. Geki cinema.
'Little Amélie'
A delicate animated adaptation of Amélie Nothomb's work
In The Metaphysics of Tubes, the writer Amélie Nothomb She recalled her early years in Japan, where her Belgian diplomat father was stationed. This animated adaptation of the book, which Manga Barcelona will screen on Friday the 5th at the Auditori, follows young Amélie as she discovers the world, the colors of nature, death, Belgian chocolate, and her absolute love for her nanny.
'Afterparty'
The nighttime party that Manga Barcelona was missing
For the first time, Manga Barcelona will have a "afterparty "Official." It will be on Saturday the 6th starting at 10 pm at Atlantic Sound(5 minutes from the fair) and will feature singer Maurizio De Jorio and producer Bratt Sinclair, creators of iconic Italian eurobeat tracks from the 90s such as Night of fire, included in theanimeInitial DThere will also be DJs, visuals, and "free snacks to keep you energized until dawn."
'Twice: One in a Million'
The most anticipated film for K-pop fans at the Filmax Gran Via Cinema
K-pop is a global phenomenon, but it has little presence at Manga Barcelona. However, just 10 minutes from the fair, the Filmax Gran Via cinema will be showing it this Saturday. Twice: One in a million, the concert documentary about the K-pop group Twice, which inspired the fictional group of K-Pop demon hunters and has two songs on the soundtrack of this film, the most watched in Netflix history.