Fully Booked and Kinokuniya tie up for a manga reader’s paradise in Manila
Anime and manga are all the rage. One of the effects of the pandemic is the explosive growth in manga readership all over the world, including here in the Philippines. As people who appreciate good stories and art, Filipinos are among the biggest consumers of these Japanese mainstays.
Japanophiles and otakus would be ecstatic to know that Fully Booked, one of the biggest bookstore chains in the Philippines, has dramatically expanded its Japanese manga and book selection for its latest outlet.
A product of three years of fruitful partnership between the Japanese bookstore chain, Kinokuniya, and Fully Booked is the latter’s newly opened branch at Mitsukoshi in Bonifacio Global City.
More than half of the shop is filled with Japanese reading materials, from graphic novels to books, and English language manga. From the late Kentaro Miura’s Berserk to Junji Ito’s horror series, from Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen to Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, there’s good manga in every corner. The variety of available manga in Fully Booked Mitsukoshi far surpasses that of its flagship in Bonifacio High Street.
“In my first few years in the book retailing business, I would frequent Singapore to visit Kinokuniya. I consider it the best-run bookstore store with its wide selection and incredible service,” says Fully Booked managing director Jaime Daez, who has dreamed of the collaboration long enough that it has now materialized. “I always thought that Kinokuniya Singapore was the gold standard when it comes to bookselling. I try to emulate it as much as I can.”
Daez started working with Kinokuniya in 2019, outside of the public spotlight, to explore including Japanese titles in Fully Booked. “With the opening of a Japanese-themed mall, we felt it was the right time to take it to the next level and offer Filipino readers a really extensive range of Japanese manga never before seen in any of our stores,” he explains.
Apart from the expansive Japanese texts, the Fully Booked at Mitsukoshi also boasts of a graphic mural designed by renowned New York-based Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu.
From the late Kentaro Miura’s Berserk to Junji Ito’s horror series, from Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen to Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, there’s good manga in every corner.
The artwork concept features the fusion of Filipino and Japanese cultures through the shared experience of reading. Two main color combinations are apparent, in particular, blues to represent the branding color of Kinokuniya, and oranges to represent Fully Booked. Red represents the flag colors of both countries. An accent of yellow finishes the look.
“As a Japanese artist living abroad, I wanted to correct the misconception of Japan and Japanese women by making a modern kick-ass geisha,” says Yuko. “As a token of friendship, this geisha in a biker jacket drives a tricycle up in the sky, with Filipinos reading while enjoying the ride.”
Fully Booked x Kinokuniya is at the second level of Mitsukoshi BGC on 8th Avenue corner 36th Street in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.