Manga hero Kaiju covers entire facade of National Library in Paris
To mark the release of the manga "Kaiju n°8", the Japanese publisher pulls no punches, with a gigantic illustration of the comic book hero stuck on the facade of the Bibliothèque Nationale (French National Library) in Paris. It may seem extreme, but it reflects the fact that France, the world's second largest consumer of mangas, remains a huge market for the Japanese comic book industry.
A giant manga cover is seen on display at the front of the building where many centuries-old manuscripts and other classic literary works are kept.
The library has agreed to host the first chapter of the highly anticipated new manga, “Kaiju No. 8”, published by French manga publisher Kaze, and is expected to sell well.
Kaze has already printed 250,000 copies for this launch, with an additional 70,000 planned to be offered in December.
The ambitious target is not without reason. Jerome Manceau, Marketing Director of Kaze, said that the interest of French people, especially young people, in manga is enormous.
Manga sales in France have doubled every year since 2019. For 2021 alone, the country has purchased 51 million comic books of which half are manga.
Manceau, said there are several reasons for the success of the manga in France, other than being affordable at 7 euros per copy. He said French people enjoy not only comic books but also films or television series and animated Japanese cartoons.
Manga was first introduced in France in the 1990s with available titles such as “Akira” and “Dragon Ball”. Now the choices are more diverse, and meet many people’s tastes.
According to Manceau, France is the second largest market for manga literature behind Asia, ahead of the United States and the rest of Europe.
