Taking Vietnamese Manga to the Mainstream

Across Vietnam, inspired by Japanese manga, dedicated young locals are striving to promote comic culture. At the forefront of these activities is Comicola (short for "comic online alliance"), a firm that posts the work of aspiring manga artists online, before crowdfunding the publishing costs from fans. In the 2 years since the group's founding, it has already released the work of 17 up-and-coming talents. But not only does a perception remain in Vietnam of comics as kids' reading material, there are also significant regulatory hurdles that must be cleared to secure permission for publication. We follow this passionate group of creatives striving to change the perception of manga in Vietnam.