Source: Bangladesh's very own hub of manga

You will hardly come across any comic book fan who does not know about mangas (Japanese comic books). The likes of Naruto, Akira, Death Note, One Piece and DragonBall Z have created a worldwide craze, and are beloved by Bangladeshi comic book fans as well.

The term 'manga' refers to a broad range of comic books and graphic novels that were first created and published in Japan. Japanese manga is almost always published in black and white, unlike American comic books which are typically printed in full colour. Rarely are full-color prints utilised in Japan, they are only reserved for special occasions. 

Unlike English-language publications, which are typically read left-to-right, Japanese manga is typically read from right-to-left. This may take some getting used to, but after some practice, you won't even notice the difference.

In the past Bangladeshi fans had to resort to streaming and downloading torrents, primarily in the form of 'animes', in order to access manga in the country. 

Nearly every manga has been translated from Japanese to English. However, these translations had little to no involvement with Japan in the vast majority of situations. Many individuals even translated and published them in Bangladesh without authorization and copyrights.

Japanese bookbinding company 'Fournetsha' has taken the initiative to publish 'Source', Manga Magazine, under the management of Fournetsha Bangladesh Limited.

With the arrival of Source, Bangladeshis have another hub of Japanese comics.

A slice of Japan in Bangladesh

The news of manga being translated into Bangla by a Japanese organization is enough to send manga fans into a frenzy. 

As soon as I entered the Source magazine office,I was met with a universe of Japanese manga. The entire Fournetsha Bangladesh Limited office was adorned with manga and anime posters. In keeping with the Japanese theme, a Japanese lantern was also hanging on one side. You get to experience a slice of Japan right here in Bangladesh.

Fournetsha is Japan's largest printing and bookbinding company. Kodansha, the biggest manga publisher in Japan, prints their manga through Fournetsha. 

Bangladeshi manga artists will take precedence here. The same is true of Source magazine. All of the foundational work was done by Bangladeshi artists.

Fournetsha has been active in Bangladesh since 2018. The company first published Source magazine on February 1st, 2023, after extensive planning and research over the course of a year. 

Fournetsha Bangladesh Limited aspires to promote Bangladesh as one of the hubs of manga and anime because of their popularity amongst Bangladesh's youth. Additionally, they also want to create a platform for Bangladeshi artists to exhibit their work.

Manga by Bangladeshi artists 

Similar to the style of its Japanese counterpart, the layout of Source is very magazine-like. It includes manga, original artworks and translations. Some of the translations are of Japanese titles, but it also includes Bangladeshi originals. 

It took them roughly six months to design Source. The members of Fournetsha Bangladesh completed the translations in around four months. The rest took another two months to design.

Fournetsha plans to publish Source four times a year, with an interval of three months in between. 

The majority of Source's authors are Bangladeshi artists, and this is their first time formally working in Bangladesh. 

"In Japan, artists publish their work through manga magazines. Issues are published every week. The work's popularity grows after multiple chapters have been published. Source magazine was created with the local demographic in mind. But here, the manga artists have full creative control," explained Faiyaz Mohammad Ishrak Yusuf, Chief Editor, Source.

Upholding the Bangladeshi culture

"The style of storytelling varies from title to title.  Some of the stories were written while keeping the Bangladeshi culture in mind. For example, in manga characters use chopsticks to eat. But in our manga, we will show that they are eating rice instead of food that requires chopsticks," said Rafi Mohammad Fahim Siam, Marketing Executive, Fournetsha Bangladesh Limited. 

They have broader plans than just releasing issues in Bangladesh. After gaining local popularity, they also plan to sell the magazines in Japan. 

"We are working with an aim to popularise Bangladeshi culture in Japan as well." said Rafi.

The company's rules state that photography is not allowed inside the office because the posters were brought in from Japan. However, they graciously gave me permission to photograph the posters they produced.

How much will Source's magazines cost?

A Japanese manga being sold in our country may easily exceed Tk 1,000. The high price is one of the reasons why a lot of young readers cannot afford them.

According to Fahim, Source will be priced at around Tk 500. "We made an effort to keep the cost as low as possible. Manga readers know comics are actually more expensive to make. We are aware that our readers will not be able to buy it if the price is too high."

Plans of publishing graphic novels in Bangla 

Fournetsha Bangladesh Limited also plans to publish light novels in Bangla next year. Light novels, or graphic novels, are very popular in Japan. 

"Light novels have similarities with Bangladeshi novels. Our novels have narratives. But light novels are written in dialogues. The stories progress following the dialogues, and the entire story is narrated from the perspective of the characters. There are four/five pages of manga-like illustrations, which our novels don't have,' said Rafi.

Why are manga so popular in Bangladesh?

Many people naturally wonder why manga is so popular in Bangladesh. It, however, didn't take long for manga fans to answer this question. 

Manga is favored by many readers because of its visuals. A lot of people find manga's narrative structure to be intriguing. Fans of comics, especially people who have been reading them since their childhood, eventually give manga a try as well. 

For anime fans, sometimes reading the manga will help them understand the story on a deeper level. For fans of visual reading and compelling storylines, the majority of individuals rank manga at the top of their lists.

An active campaign is already underway so that Source can reach as many readers as possible. The magazine is going to be published on 1 February. It can be bought by contacting Source's Facebook page.