[HQ] My Manga World & Life in Kyoto, Japan - Interview by Manabiya NHK World

The comeback of Japan is on the way and people near and far are taking part across the country students from overseas continue with their education in Japan On today's Manabi-ya, we'll need a student from Italy who's learning manga in Kyoto Manabi-ya is all about overseas students living and learning in Japan First up: School Days. Keeping up with what's going on, on campus Kyoto is not just a city in Japan. It's a place that's known and loved around the World. Japanese tradition resides here as part of everyday life Traditions come in many forms. They attract people from other countries who want to learn about them in their natural habitat. People like this young woman from Italy My name is Daniela Russo. Daniela has made good use of those years in Japan. Her language skills have come along quite nicely. The 22 year-old attends Kyoto Seika University, majoring in one of the more recent artistic traditions to come out of Japan. Kyoto Seika University started offering instruction in manga in 1973. The first university in the country to do so. The curriculum includes courses for those who want to become professional manga artists(Manga-ka). But it also has classes for students who want to get involved in editing (American cartoonist). People can also learn how to express irony and humor in a single picture and how to put pictures into motion through animation (Animator). About 60 students from abroad are learning about manga here. They come from such places as China, South Korea and Sweden and of course Italy, Daniela's home country. She's enrolled in the comic art sequence(Story Manga) to become a manga artist (Manga-ka). And has been at it for 2 years. The assignment for this day was to draw 8 manga pages in line with the particular theme. This requires not only deciding the story development but also figuring out how to set the range for the pictures, the size for dialogue and the locations. Daniela does her project in Japanese. The professors in this department are practicing manga artists (Manga-ka) whose work is seen across the country. They know the ends analysis of the industry So, when they give advice it's based on experience. The teachers cast a critical eye on everyone's work International students get no slack. “I just have change to erase and redraw the bottom part of this page. That way it should be alright (LOL).” Repetition helps develop the skills needed to develop a reputation so the students draw over and over to reach the essence of the subject. When Daniela goes home she's still surrounded by manga. Her monthly living expenses amount to just under 15 hundred dollars. About 6 hundred of that goes to rent. All those manga she buys upper that too Daniela was born (in Milan) and raised in Monza a suburb of Milan. As a girl she loved drawing. She started watching Japanese anime and reading translated manga. Before long, that world had become her world. She study Japanese by herself at 16 and learn enough to understand some manga. “Moe Kare!!” is a love story about a girl like Daniela who's crazy about manga. Daniela was drawn to this tale of dreams and romance but she also found that it made her aware of cultural differences. The obvious part for her was to study manga in Japan and in Japan, Kyoto Seika University is THE place to go to, to do just that. To pave the way, Daniela needed to build up her communication skills in Japanese. So, for her first 2 and a half years in the country, she attended language school. She now sees Kyoto as her other hometown. Part of the reason is that she's been there quite a while. But her attachment to the city goes far beyond nostalgia. This is Japan's first manga research facility. It was established by Kyoto Seika University and the city of Kyoto and its influence reaches around the World. 50 thousand manga line the walls, a historical record of an art form that still evolving. Manga are now found in places across the globe. They make for a multi-million dollar business in markets such as the USA and France. Daniela says the institute reminds her of just how prominent the profile of manga is internationally. From a dreaming girl to a woman with an actual career. Daniela still has a ways to go in making a living and a life as a manga artist (Manga-ka). But with everyday the picture becomes more realistic. Even in her early age Daniela had a sense of where she was headed. Manga became part of her childhood and when she got older she found the courage to follow her dream to the other side of the World. Her story continues to be written in Japan. Before we go, here's a bit more information about what you saw today. The manga department of Kyoto Seika University, where Daniela studies, encourages applications from international students. The process requires sending in information and documents and later, an interview in Japanese along with the review of your portfolio. Classes are all in Japanese. So you'll need to drawn on your language resources See you next time on Manabi-ya.