A colourful array of Manga characters stare down at every curious visitor as well as diehard fans as they amble past the Manga Arabia stall at the ongoing Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2023). A new entrant in SIBF’s extensive list of exhibitors, Manga Arabia, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), is the Middle Eastern cousin of the manga comics that originated from Japan in the late 19th century.

However, in a big jump from the original graphic comics with its distinctive sketches in black and white, Manga Arabia has chosen to adorn its pages in colour.

“This is Manga Arabia’s second time at SIBF, although last year we were not selling books but only distributing a magazine format free of cost. If you count the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, this is our third visit to Sharjah,” explained exhibitor Sultan bin Homaidan. A whole team of Manga Arabia staff have come from Riyadh to man the stall and aid sales.

Founded in 2021, Manga Arabia is a platform specialising in publishing and producing Arabic and Japanese manga stemming from the market for meaningful content in harmony with the Arab identity. The books and magazines cater to two age groups: Manga Arabia Youth for those aged 16 and above and Manga Arabia Kids for children aged 10-15. 

Apart from translations of the Japanese originals, Manga Arabia has its own team of writers in Saudi Arabia to meet the demand for localised storytelling. In contrast to the Japanese version known for violent and gory content, Manga Arabia’s “imaginative new Arabic content is purposeful, safe, and inspired by Arab cultural values”, according to SRMG.

Among the locally produced comics are Bissa (meaning a female cat) and Dhab Boy (dhab being a lizard-like animal found in Saudi Arabia), while Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan are some works translated from Japanese.

Homaidan informs that the Manga Arabia app is free to download and read; it is a safe, reliable and accessible platform for everyone. 

The Kids books are priced at AED 29.50 and those for Youth at AED 32.50; there is a third category available at the book fair – priced at AED 37, these are books that teach how to draw manga characters.

Manga, for sure, has entered Arabia with a bang.