Manar Elbaz
DUBAI: On May 4th, Dubai’s Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya celebrated ‘Free Comic Book’ day by giving away three free comics per person and hosting Japanese artists to showcase their art.
Founded in 2002, ‘Free Comic Book Day’ is an annual promotion to help readers find new comic books from independent and unknown authors. The event is held worldwide on the first Saturday of May.
The bookstore welcomed Japanese artist Moshimo Shishimo, a Tokyo-based artist known for creating adorable original characters. She told Arab News Japan that she is honored to be at Kinokuniya and showcase her work in Dubai.
“I love Dubai and I would love to be active in the city through my illustrations in the future,” she said. “I sold a lot of postcards, and (it makes me) feel so good.”
Shishimo, who has been doing art since she was three years old, told Arab News Japan that the support from Kinokuniya inspires her to hold her own exhibition in Dubai in the future.
The bookstore also offered products from various Japanese artists, such as manga artist Kirara Tomizawa and craft artist Kenichi Onozato.
Additionally, the bookstore held a cosplay competition for a voucher worth ¥41,331 (1,000 AED) as well as a cosplay parade to showcase all the costumes.
Steve Jonas, Kinokuniya’s store manager, told Arab News Japan that the store’s objective with the yearly event is to foster a sense of positivity within the community.
“We treat this day like a holiday for booksellers. We like to get dressed up and have fun. I have been a Roman soldier and a Jedi today. I have about 20 costumes. This day is all about anime, manga, and comics,” said Jones.
He told Arab News Japan that the most fulfilling part of the day is sharing the positivity with the children. “The kids get really excited when they see people get dressed up,” he shared.
Kinokuniya’s celebrations of ‘Free Comic Book Day’ were met with a huge success as people lined up at the bookstore hours before it opened. “This is always a good sign that we are doing the right thing,” said Jones. “The mall management even asked us why we are so busy, so feedback like that is always good.”