The importance and scope of East Asian animanga is beyond question. To take the most famous example only (Japanese animation and character goods): global sales amount to nine trillion yen (about $80 billion). This figure represents a ten-fold growth since the mid-1990s. At the turn of the millennium, the Japanese government officially endorsed anime as one of modern Japan’s principal contributions to world culture. Anime (and its sister art-forms, manga and narrative video games (both online and stand-alone)) are now major cultural forces, not only in East Asia, but also in Asia, Europe and the USA. Not only are these various media increasingly recognised as ‘art,’ but they are also seen as representative vehicles for East Asian cultures more widely, as well as being important media for political, historical, sociological and philosophical expression in parts of East Asia. And yet, serious and properly academic research into these phenomena, and their associated fan-communities, is only just beginning in the humanities and social sciences.

Shortly, Asiascape will announce a manga competition as part of its first round of publications.