by It has been announced that the fifth edition of the borderless manga and anime conference “International Manga and Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima” (after this “IMART”), “IMART2024”, will be held for four days from November 12 to 15th. More than 20
Talk sessions will be held through on-site viewing at the Animate Theater on the B2F of Animate Ikebukuro Main Store, real-time streaming, and pre-recorded video streaming. Along with the announcement, manga artist Takaki Tsuyoshi’s creation of this year’s key visual was also released.
“IMART,” also known as the “International Manga and Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima,” is Japan’s first borderless conference with the theme of “Creating the Future of Manga and Anime,” and the first one was held in November 2019. Since then, the second one will be held in February 2021, the third in October 2022, and the fourth in November 2023. As a conference that spans the manga and anime industries, the aim is to hold keynote speeches, talk sessions, and networking events by innovators and practitioners from both sectors to share the knowledge they each possess.
The existence of borderless conferences that create “horizontal connections” rarely seen in everyday life is becoming increasingly important to the Japanese manga and anime industry, and this is why the fifth IMART2024 has been decided.
The keynote speech, scheduled for November 13, will feature manga editor Shihei Hayashi, who is currently in charge of “SPY×FAMILY,” “Chainsaw Man,” and “Dandadan,” and Yuichi Fukushima, an animation producer at CloverWorks whose main productions include ” Your Lie in April,” “Tomorrow’s Sailor Suit,” “SPY×FAMILY,” and “WINDBREAKER.”
A total of around 20 sessions are planned for the event, including “Toei Animation’s Future CG Strategy as Seen in Girls Band Cry,” “The Intention and Future of Holding Regional Anime Film Festivals,” “Unhealthy Books Renamed (tentative),” and “Paradigm Shift in Manga Business (tentative).” The key visual for this year, which was released with the announcement, was created by Takaki Tsuyoshi, a manga artist who wrote “HEART GEAR” and “BLACK TORCH.” It depicts IMART’s philosophy of “spreading the appeal of manga and anime to the whole world” as a wide variety of characters enjoying manga and anime in their way. Takaki also provided a comment.
In addition, on November 12, the first day of the event, the “IMART International Business Meeting/Manga Anime Rights Business Meeting (Domestic)” will be held at the Toshima Community Center, and the “2nd Student Anime and Manga Business Contest Presented by the University of Tokyo Anime Research Seminar” will be held at the Animate Theater on the same day. The “IMART International Business Meeting / Manga Anime Rights Business Meeting (Domestic)” will invite many manga and anime-related companies from overseas to exhibit and conduct business matching with entertainment-related companies in Japan and overseas.
The “IMART International Business Meeting” will welcome Culture Weaver’s Hirayanagi Tatsuju as the head of the International Business Center and will aim to start full-scale licensing, international production work orders, collaboration, and co-production from the first year. The “Manga Anime Rights Business Meeting (Domestic)” will handle various domestic license businesses through the planning and management of the Anime Regional Revitalization School. In addition, the “University of Tokyo Anime Research Seminar Presents 2nd Student Anime and Manga Business Contest” will invite business ideas from students nationwide interested in working in the manga and anime industry.
In addition, industry professionals will be invited as judges to hold a business contest. “IMART2024”, the fifth edition of the borderless manga and anime conference “International Manga and Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima,” will be held four days from November 12 to 15th. For details, please visit the official website. Takaki Tsuyoshi: In this illustration, I depicted a scene in which characters of various races, including humans, demi-humans, and aliens, enjoy manga and anime in their own way. The red-haired girl represents a creator, while the bespectacled demon and orange robot represent the creators, such as editors and producers watching the production process.
I hope that this illustration conveys both the fun of making and the fun of looking at it. [Event details] Event name: International Manga and Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima 2024 (IMART 2024) Date and time: November 12 (Tue), 13th (Wed), 14th (Thu), 15th (Fri), 2024 Only pre-recorded online streaming is planned for the 15th Venue: Animate Theater (B2F Animate Ikebukuro Main Store) Address: 1-20-7 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013 How to participate: On-site viewing and online streaming Event content: Multiple sessions will be streamed online all day from November 12 to 15th. From the 12th to the 14th, talk sessions will be delivered at Animate Theater for on-site viewing and live streaming, and on the 15th, pre-recorded talk sessions will be streamed online. On the 13th, a manga and anime industry speaker will give a keynote speech.
The following three sessions are planned.・Keynote speech: Talk and discussion by two guests on this year’s theme ・Session: Discussion by about three guests, a total of about 20 sessions. Tickets: 11/12, 13, 14, 15 all-day on-site and online viewing tickets 5,000 yen Organizer: MANGA General Research Institute Special cooperation: Animate Co., Ltd. Cooperation: Toshima Ward.
