The anime-themed edition of SHASHAH 2022, organised by FUNN – a Sharjah-based organisation that promotes media arts learning among children and youth, resumed in full swing yesterday with two panel discussions that saw manga and anime artists and business owners share their inspiring entrepreneurial journeys with fans and aspiring artists.

Inspirational entrepreneurial journeys into the world of anime

The opening talk show on Saturday featured four anime artists and entrepreneurs representing Mend Hero Academy, which produces high quality and entertaining superhero-based content; Kashkool Games, an Abu Dhabi-based startup indie game studio; H2 Games, which offers an exciting array of family board games; and Salahcartoonz, specialised in comics cartoons mashup and caricature, who shared details of their journeys into the visual universe of anime.

Noura Al Awadhi, anime designer at Mend Hero Academy, said that her professional journey in the anime world commenced with the creation of a comic about an Emirati orphan whose life is transformed when he becomes a superhero. Her passion for the art form led her to launch Mend Hero Academy, a platform enabling young artists to design their own comic books. She added that anime is part of a rich field of media arts brimming with opportunities for creative talents and asserted the importance of educating and nurturing the young generations in these art forms.

Sharing his entrepreneurial journey, game developer Haroun Almansoorisaid that Kashkool Games was founded with a vision to spark the imagination of young gamers and unleash their creativity with immersive games that simulate ancient civilisations and explore the worlds of myth and magic. He advised budding game developers to focus on developing what they can within their budgets as it would not be possible to compete with the substantial budgets of big gaming companies.

Anime as art and entertainment

A passion for comics is vital for the success of artists, said comics artist Hassan Al Ali, who utilises his passion to raise knowledge of cultures around the world amongst the young generations and aims to instill behavioural and moral messages in a fun and entertaining way.

Salah Abuidrees, founder of Salahcartoonz, said that as an art form, cosplay does not require massive budgets but a unique artistic eyeto produce an exceptional creation. Cosplaying boosts creativity and leads to skills advancement and knowledge exchange, he added.

Anime and social media

In the second panel discussion titled ‘How to benefit from animation content through social media’ and moderated by Ahmed Lootah, Omar Sharif Al Ali, and Rashid Al Khayal,  discussed the power of social media in empowering the mediun of visual storytelling.

Omar Sharif Al Ali said: The youth benefit from me, as I am a fan of pop culture, and they find a connection with me which results in them following me on social media, then companies see me as a bridge to approach and promote to them.

For his part, Rashid Al Khayal credited cartoons for unleashing his imagination, noting that the anime art form was a successful import by Arab dubbing companies and continues to have a significant following amongst both the young and older generations in the region.

Discussing his entrepreneurial journey, Al Khayal said his creative card games based on comics can provide great entertainment and unleash the imagination of different age groups. He added that the Arab market is very important for global anime companies as it opens the doors to new universes through popular characters via entertaining board and card games.