Can Macao Animators and Comic Artists Succeed?
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#08 /2015 08 Contents Editor-in-chief: Editor’s Letter Lei Chin Pang The influence of Japanese anime and comics is strong Managing Editor: on Macao. Every year, there are several anime and comic Flora Shaw expos held in the city, and amateur comic artists have started emerging. Also, production houses are striving Portuguese Editor: to get themselves established in such market in Macao, José Oliveira and determined to get a foothold in the Hong Kong and Japanese markets. Can Macao grow an anime and comic Email: industry with its own character? We invite a comic publisher, [email protected] 002......... Feature comic artist and anime fans to discuss the future of the Getting Started! industry. Produced by: Can Macao Animators There are a number of artists in Macao but sometimes 100 Plus Cultural Creative and Comic Artists Succeed? we haven’t got a clue where their works are available, and Development Limited galleries are scarce in the city. IaoHin Gallery is a game 008......... Chit Chat changer and its arrival has challenged the status quo of Published by: IaoHin Gallery: Macao’s art scene. Florence Lam, director of the gallery, Cultural Affairs Bureau of Challenging the Status Quo of the Art Scene in Macao shares her vision, mission and experience with us in Chit the Macao S.A.R. Government Chat. 010......... Extravaganza Also not to be missed are our reports on the Forum on Heads Together: Forum on Cultural Industries (Macao) 2015 Cultural Industries (Macao) 2015 and activities around the world that commemorate the 125th anniversary of Vincent 012......... Around the Globe van Gogh’s death. As usual, our seven bloggers share with Van Gogh Alive us wonderful ideas about the creative industries around the world. 014......... Event Calender Lei Chin Pang 016......... Blogs Editor-in-chief Cheong Sio Pang－Summer Art Camp Lio Chi Heng－Telling a Good Story about Macao Eugenia Lo－Scenery in the Historical Building Lam Fai－Getting Published in Taiwan SiSi Chang－Is Creativity Now Just Sales and Marketing? － The views and opinions expressed in this Mu Yu Changing a City Through Culture publication are those of the authors and the Ruby Chen－Placing a Cosmic Order interviewees, which do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government Feature MDecomics has been well received in Hong Kong and Getting Started! Macao, and young manga artists from those cities are also proud to be featured in Can Macao Animators the magazine. and Comic Artists Succeed? By Joseph Leong, Tom Lei & Agostinho Jesus Liu do Castro Photo courtesy of Agostinho Jesus Liu do Castro, Hazel Ma, Ki Leong, Comic Wanderer No discussion about animation and comics can be had without mentioning Japan, the kingdom of comic and anime, its influence felt all over the world. Among cultural and creative industries, animation and comics are also very profitable and sustainable. For example, media franchise The Chun Man Publishing: Macao need to cast their eyes beyond Macao to the and Macao, and young comic artists from those cities Pokémon Company, which has been around for Chinese-speaking battlegrounds of Hong Kong and are also proud to be featured in the magazine. “Thanks some two decades, produces films, games, toys, From Macao to the World mainland China. “What is creativity? It means thinking to Bakuman, our model isn’t about nurturing comic and up to 2013 has brought in four trillion yen in out of the box, and not being constrained to the local artists, but to give them a platform where they can profit for the company. market. Only when we can achieve success overseas submit their works, without having to hire them. A Clearly, Macao cannot be talked about in Chun Man Publishing Co. Ltd.’s founder Matthew will we be noticed at home. Only then have we truly freelance system means we can keep our quality high the same breath as Japan. Up to now, there is no Fong loved comics as a kid but knew nothing about promoted local creativity,” he said. while giving comic artists the freedom to work for popular anime and comics coming out of Macao. their commercial operations. It wasn’t until 2008 when How can one break out of Macao? Chun Man’s path whom they want without being reliant on us,” added But in recent years, some production companies the Japanese comic Bakuman, about the struggles of an was a long and winding one. At the start, it focused on Fong. Chun Man also helps artists who are published in have started getting into the industry, and some aspiring comic artist, was released, that he understood children’s comics, and in 2010 published Panda Children the magazine to publish their solo comics. comic and anime fans have started to create their the ins and outs of the industry. In 2010, he established Monthly, a kids magazine, using free subscriptions to get Apart from Hong Kong and the mainland, Chun own works and organise related events. Could this Chun Man to publish and distribute comics, and its into schools. Though it was successful in breaking into Man also aims to enter the Japanese market one be a new frontier for Macao’s cultural and creative operating model was inspired by Bakuman. the children’s market, it was in dire financial straits and day. It recently successfully applied for an industries? Chun Man is based in Macao, but Fong said Macao Fong’s banker father had to help tide him over the tough interest-free loan of five million patacas is just a starting point. He thinks creative industries in times. Chun Man then changed its style and market from the Cultural Industries Fund as an strategy, focusing on young people and investing in investment into the Japanese market. Fong Hong Kong. Last year, MDecomics was successfully knows how difficult it is, and knows he must launched in Hong Kong and is now even sold on the represent the best comic artists in Macao to have mainland. a shot. Chun Man also plans to bring lesser-known Fong admitted that Macao elements are few in Japanese comic artists into Macao to provide them MDecomics, because the publication is mainly focused with a platform to develop. “Average-quality works in on markets outside of Macao, but mostly, Macao isn’t Japan will be considered very high-quality in Macao,” Chun Man competitive. “Even world heritage sites like the Ruins said Fong. “At the current stage we have already found Publishing of St. Paul’s are not very well-known overseas. Creative partners in Japan to work with and at the end of the Co. Ltd.’s founder Matthew Fong admitted industries shouldn’t be held back by Macao. As long year we will officially operate as an online platform. that Macao elements are as the brand can make it elsewhere, and it’s a Macao Our Japanese partners will find local talent and Chun few in MDecomics, because the publication is mainly focused company, then that’s enough to make it a Macao brand,” Man will be responsible for publishing and importing on markets outside of Macao, but says Fong. those works, becoming the conduit between Japan mostly, Macao isn’t competitive. MDecomics has been well received in Hong Kong and Macao’s comic world,” said Fong. 002 ISSUE08 ISSUE08 003 Feature The adorableness and satire of C-La in Macau is loved by readers in Macao C-La in Macau: A Local Comic Pioneer During the interview, Chun Man’s Matthew Fong study related subjects. That makes Macao people less Facebook solely for fun, hoping to use it as a platform the other hand, because the market is so small now, I said that even though there’s been a big push to competitive with people in neighbouring places,” he to share his work with others, never thinking he would can enjoy the first-mover advantage if I’m successful promote cultural and creative industries in Macao in said. He compares cultural and creative industries in make a name for himself in the comic world. and open up the comic market. There could be hope recent years, it still isn’t taken seriously by the public. Macao to disabled athletes -- no matter how hard they The page now has over 3,000 fans in almost two then,” he said. “It’s like a vicious cycle now. It’s not try, they can’t be healthy athletes. years. Leong recently turned C-La in Macau into short But even if C-La in Macau has brought fame to hard to find a job with a high But is this accurate? Even though the future for animations, and has won the Jury’s Commendation Leong, it hasn’t brought in much in the way of actual salary in Macao. Cultural animation and comics is uncertain, there are still many Award (Animation) at the Macao International Film and financial gain. He has won awards and cash prizes, and creative jobs don’t people willing to enter the industry. One example is Video Festival in 2015. He thinks that comics alone are but that hasn’t helped to develop his career in pay as well as most jobs local comic artist Ki Leong, who is behind the comic C-La hard to get people’s attention, and animation is more a practical way, for example giving him the on the market, so no in Macau and said he wants to work in the industry full attractive, so using both platforms for C-La in Macau is chance to publish his comics.