No one knows how to celebrate a birthday better than Totoro. Studio Ghibli's iconic mascot, protagonist of the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro (1988), has been celebrating its 35th birthday all over the world for months. It returned to cinemas in several countries; it was screened again at film festivals, such as the one in Toronto; and was the focus of many activities in his native Japan, where he has been a protagonist for years. Now, he also wants to do it in Barcelona, where he will become one of the stars of the manga fair, which starts today and will last until Sunday at Fira Gran Via, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and will attract more than 160,000 people Tickets have been sold out from Friday to Sunday and there are only a few left for today, Thursday. Totoro will share the spotlight with authors such as the Canadian Bryan Lee O'Malley, the French novelist and screenwriter Arnaud Dollen or the musician and filmmaker Fermin Muguruza.
" Years ago, Totoro became an icon that exudes love and sympathy. For the little ones, it is the gateway to anime. But it is much more. Like the vast majority of Hayao Miyazaki's works, they are drawings that awaken an ecological awareness and that have encouraged several foundations to save forests, including the one that inspires the film", points out Oriol Estrada, Manga content advisor Barcelona, which also acknowledges that "it never ceases to amaze me the actions, but also the merchandising, which revolves around it".
His influence is such that 35 artists - one for each year of life - have dedicated an exhibition to him in the salon. Many of them come from the Joso School, a reference in the training of comics, illustration and animation. Its head of studies, Josep Maria Polls, admits that "Miyazaki's imagination is very powerful and My Neighbor Totoro is one of the key pieces, partly because everyone, whether they like anime or not, ends up finding a bond, be it tenderness, protection or love”.
Jordi Pastor and Reinaldo Pereira, curators of the exhibition, believe that part of his success lies in the fact that "he is a simple figure, but very recognizable, no matter how many years pass. The script is also simple, since they are two girls who have just moved and who want to see their mother, who is in the hospital", as the filmmaker himself also wished in his day, when his mother was an intern for tuberculosis. "But it is a universal simplicity that comes out of what is established in Hollywood and with which Miyazaki, who is like a third grandfather to everyone, manages to awaken many sensations."
It is not the only exhibition that will have this affectionate character as the protagonist, as it will also be very present in the Studio Ghibli cosplay exhibition, which collects costumes inspired by this feature film and others, such as Chihiro's Journey, The castle in the sky or Nausicaä del Valle del Viento, among others.
In addition to those already mentioned, the manga salon will have four more exhibitions: one dedicated to the gastronomy of Japan; another at school and school sports clubs, which have inspired so many stories; a third that will introduce the art of Tokyo Genso, the Japanese illustrator who devotes much of his time to creating backgrounds for video games and anime; and a last space that aims to enhance the fantasy genre, one of the basic pillars of popular culture and also of manga.
Sport will be another strong point. Along the 85,000 square meters of the hall -3,000 more than last edition-, visitors will be able to find basketball courts, quadrilaterals for sumo wrestling or a volleyball court where they can compete against some athletes from the Catalan Volleyball Federation . "It's been a while since volleyball has become fashionable thanks to manga and anime like Haikyuu! ”, explains Meritxell Puig, director general of Ficomic. In fact, one of the presentations is dedicated to this particularity.
As the icing on the cake, don't forget to try the Catalan cream mochi that the Escribà patisserie has created for the occasion. Don't forget to stop by the movie theater where the latest Detective Conan movie, the newest Digimon movie or the latest One Piece episodes will be shown. Those who have been left without a ticket will be able to immerse themselves in the show from home thanks to Manga Stream, where category guests will parade and podcasts will be recorded. There is no excuse not to immerse yourself in Japanese culture this December.
