Manga Productions Chief Essam Bukhary on Saudi Manga Craze and How Partnership With Japanese Studios Is the ‘Future of the Anime Industry’
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia, where popular anime characters such as “Captain Tsubasa” and “Dragon Ball” protagonist Son Goku have been engrained in the culture for decades, is taking its love affair with Japanese manga content to the next level.
In late March, just a few weeks after the death of “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama, it was announced that the world’s first theme park dedicated to the megahit Japanese manga and animation franchise will be built in Qiddiya, the massive entertainment and tourism project outside the Saudi capital of Riyadh through a joint venture between Qiddiya and Japan’s Toei Animation.
In January, Saudi animation studio Manga Productions premiered anime movie “Great Pretender Rzbliuto,” made in partnership with Japanese studio Production I.G., at the Muvi Cinemas multiplex in central Riyadh with director Hiro Kaburagi and producer Hitoshi Ito in tow.
The event marked the first time a Japanese helmer attended the launch of their anime movie in the Middle East. “Even for the director and the producer, it was a good experience to know that ‘Great Pretender’ is having a great impact in a region that is geographically pretty far away from Japan,” said Manga Productions CEO Essam Bukhary (pictured above with Kaburagi and Ito).
Read more on variety.com