Japanese Anime Chilean Style

I went down to La Universidad Catolica the other day for the first time. It's a lovely grand old building, situated right in the heart of Santiago, and the most prestigious university in Chile. While I'm sure they would have highly appreciated the imparting of my pearls of wisdom, that wasn't why I was there. I actually went to watch Belleville Rendezvous at the Micro Cine (a great little cinema open to the general public where they have regular film seasons and admission for a luca) but I got the times wrong and ended up watching another animated film about Tutankhamen and the gods of ancient Egypt.

On the way out I noticed there was an exhibition of Chilean Manga: a concept that I had been unaware of until that moment. This was the winners of a nationwide competition held to unearth Chile's finest Manga artists. I knew Manga was popular from the various Japanese-anime shops scattered around the city and from last year when I tried to go to a Manga convention at Estación Mapocho and encountered the mother of all queues. But I'd assumed it was all imported artwork so it was interesting to see the work of national artists.

The drawings and paintings followed classic Manga themes and imagery. There were countryside samurai warriors with huge swords and that zig zag hair so beloved by the genre: kinky young woman in cyber-slut outfits: cuddly but somewhat eerie-looking inflated animal caricatures: innocent school kids walking through dark and menacing landscapes: and so on.

I found the exhibition very interesting and would like to check out more Chilean Manga. I haven't been able to find on the internet most of the images I saw but there are a couple and there are also some links to portals if you're keen.

http://www.banzaistudio.cl/

http://kortachurros-caf.blogspot.com/2008/10/existe-el-manga-chileno-carta-abierta.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anidachi-adventures-Manga-Chileno/133823109999446?sk=wall