“Gaia Culture Tokyo Office” established as a new step to connect Taiwan and Japan’s manga industry

Both company logos

Background and purpose of the establishment of Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

The aim is to promote cultural exchange between Japan and Taiwan and leverage each other’s strengths to bring new life to the entertainment industries of both countries. In Taiwan in particular, while there are many creators who boast high drawing skills, the problem is that the manga editing environment that supports regular serialization is not as developed as in Japan. For this reason, the Gaita Bunka Tokyo office plans to focus on improving editing capabilities and discovering creative talent through collaboration with Japanese publishers and studios. In addition, we will promote the overseas expansion of local original works that are popular in Taiwan, and aim to further grow the Taiwanese publishing industry.

Specific role of Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

• Promotion of Taiwanese artists and works

• Strengthening collaboration with publishers and studios in Japan

• Cultural exchange project between Taiwan and Japan

• Contact point for various inquiries from within Japan

Left: Li A-Lun, Editor-in-Chief of Gaia Culture Manga Department Right: Tatsuki Hirayanagi, Representative of Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

Editor-in-Chief of Gaia Culture Manga Department Li Yalun

The mainstay of readers has shifted from print media to digital media, and the speed of spread has become faster and wider. Webtoons, which are suitable for viewing on smartphones, are rapidly expanding and have become one of the mainstream manga creation formats, rivaling manga (MANGA), European comics (BD), and American comics. But no matter how times change, no matter the form of creation, the core lies in telling a good story. We hope that with the support of Gaia Culture Tokyo Office, Taiwan’s wonderful stories will be spread far and wide, and that we will be able to create more active and attractive manga through cooperation and exchange with the Japanese publishing industry.

Tatsuki Hirayanagi, Representative of Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

Ever since my previous job, when I was translating and publishing Manga works by Gaia Bunka, I had been thinking about deepening our collaboration as a bridge between Taiwan and Japan. This time, that wish has finally come true, and we have entered into a business partnership with Gaia Culture and opened a Tokyo office as part of that partnership. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. In the past, when it came to foreign comics in Japan, most of them were American comics or BD, but now Japanese versions of Taiwanese comics are being released by various publishers, and the attention of Taiwanese works is steadily increasing. I am. In addition to translated publications, collaborative works in which illustrations are completed in Taiwan based on Japanese originals, and new works by Japanese manga editors and Taiwanese manga artists are being created one after another, and this is a stage for manga exchange between Taiwan and Japan. is definitely evolving. Under these circumstances, we hope that the Gaia Bunka Tokyo Office will be able to respond to the various needs of the entertainment business and create a new chapter in cultural exchange. Everyone in the Japanese industry, please feel free to contact us. Best regard.

After gaining experience in investment, management, and new business development in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul, he joined a company that produces, distributes, and operates platforms for electronic comics in 2009. As a management member, I experienced a period from the genesis of Japanese electronic comics when sales of electronic versions exceeded those of paper versions. Since around 2013, I have been involved in the management of the domestic business, while also starting up the overseas business from scratch, and at the same time developing Japanese manga works overseas, I have also worked on the deployment of many foreign comics in Japan. From 2021, as the representative of Culture Weaver LLC, he will support the overseas strategies of Japanese companies, while collaborating with companies and educational institutions in East Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe, and will be involved in the international exchange and development of manga culture. Masu.

About Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

Chinese notation: Gaia Culture Tokyo Office

English notation: Gaea Books Tokyo Office

Address: Sunshine 60 (45th floor), Culture Weaver LLC, 3-1-1 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Tatsuki Hirayanagi

Gaia Culture Co., Ltd. Company Profile

Company name: Gaia Culture Co., Ltd.

Address: 35, Lane 75, Section 2, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei City

Established: March 2001

Representative: Chairman Chen Changchi

Business details: Gaia Culture publishes and manages copyrights of original Taiwanese works, mainly by Taiwanese creators. Publication genres include fantasy, suspense, mystery, martial arts light novels, manga, and novels, as well as books related to Taiwan’s history and culture. To date, more than 50 works have been translated and published in Europe, North America, Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, etc., and many of the works are also undergoing secondary development such as being made into films or games. His published works have won awards such as the Golden Comic Awards and the Taipei International Book Fair Grand Prize in Taiwan, and have won the International Manga Award sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan several times overseas. Award-winning. The writers and cartoonists are diverse and span all generations in Taiwan, from masterclass creators to best-selling authors to creative up-and-comers.

In 2019, we established a multi-purpose bookstore brand “Basisbooks”, and opened Taiwan’s only manga specialty bookstore “Basisbooks” with the theme of original Taiwanese manga on Huayin Street in Taipei City, and in Chifeng, Taipei City. In the city, there is a “Kaifu Ju Bookstore” with a theme of images and books related to Taiwan’s memory. Both bookstores frequently host various lectures and food and beverage services.

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Culture Weaver LLC Company Profile

Company name: Culture Weaver LLC

Address: Sunshine 60, 45th floor, 3-1-1 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Established: September 2019

Representative: Representative employee Tatsuki Hirayanagi

Business details: Culture Weaver focuses on consulting to support the overseas strategies of manga publishers, and also provides education and outsourcing services in the same field. In our consulting services, we support the launch of overseas business divisions, support for organizational strengthening, strategic planning, human resources development, and maintenance of internal tools. In the field of education, we are focusing on training Webtoon producers and directors, including training in Korea, and training overseas manga artists and editors through training in Japan. We also handle outsourcing services such as coloring and effect processes for webtoons and manga works. Furthermore, we support the planning and management of illustration and manga contests held by high schools and universities across Taiwan, as well as overseas video projects based on Japanese manga works.

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