Animania Festival: Manga workshop by Ikuo Matsuda
Classroom appreciation of “the artistic qualities of manga”
The Japanese manga form has numerous fans around the world and has captured the hearts of many young people. Its influence extends beyond entertainment as it now enjoys considerable attention for its educational value, both as a way to study Japanese language and traditional culture, and as a tool for the study of artistic technique. Meanwhile, as home of puppet theater and stop-motion film employing puppets, the Czech Republic is known for offering high-quality instruction in the arts of animation. A three-day manga workshop was held in Plzeň as part of the Animanie animation festival. Under the instruction of Ikuo Matsuda, who took part in the Littfest literature festival at European Capital of Culture 2014 Umeå in Sweden and has offered workshops in Italy and Africa, participants all completed an original two-page manga work. This substantial program continued with the production, over two days, of animation pieces based on those manga works in a valuable opportunity to cultivate practical technique while prizing creativity.
14-17 Nov. 2015
Art school of Jiri Trnka
Ikuo Matsuda (manga instructor)
Mr. Matsuda (right) and Mr. Hora, Director of Animanie Festival (Tokyo, Aug. 2014)