2020 Bucheon International Comics Festival was held online under the theme of comics anytime, anywhere. There were various programs that many enjoyed
It’s not surprising that Korea is leading the
comic business worldwide, and Gyeonggi-do is the center of the Korean comic
industry and culture. The comic market is rapidly changing to a mobile format, known
as webtoons, but the comics themselves still contain familiar elements, such as
characters, games and costume items.
Bucheon is one of the smaller cities in
Gyeonggi-do, but it has emerged as a hub of the comic industry of Korea. Launched
in 1997, the comic festival of Bucheon is where leading painters, writers,
producers and publishers from around the world gather.
Overview
(Themes, Message, History)
The very first festival was held in Bucheon
City, Gyeonggi-do, in 1997 under
the name of ‘Bucheon Comics Festival.’ The current name, ‘Bucheon International Comics Festival’ (BICOF) was adopted in 2004 when the term “International”
added. Originally, the festival was a manga event that primarily focused on
Korean comics (‘manhwa’ in Korean),
but later the Comic Book Fair was established, with some of the cosplay teams
that participated in Comic World joining in this event as well, so that now
everyone can experience cosplay at the festival.
Held from September 19 to 27 in 2020 under
the three themes of Healing, Solidarity, and Communication, this year’s
festival was organized by the Steering Committee of the Bucheon International
Comics Festival. The slogan “Comics anytime, anywhere” conveyed the message
that the festival organizers sought to deliver this year: this is a fun comic
festival that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, by anyone whether they are at
home, playing a game, residing overseas, or constrained by a low budget. Of
particular note, this year’s event was fully accessible online.
Programs
Opening
Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony was held on September
19, 2020, with multiple-access options for simultaneous live-streaming via the festival’s
website and YouTube for anyone to enjoy online. The Korean boy band “Teen Top”
performed at the ceremony.
Cosplay@Home:
Turn your room into a studio! Cosplay
competition at home!
Now, cosplay at home! / Domestic &
overseas competitions.
In the domestic competition, 5 people out
of a total of 167 participants won the top prizes. Joo Hee-yeon's 1980-2020
Korean anime cosplay depicting Run Hani, complete with black rubber shoes and
more to encompass a spectrum from old animations to modern manga, won the first-place
prize. There was also a large overseas contingent, with first place among the overseas
participants going to Ariel Van De Kamp from Spain for a parody of Mary Poppins
that garnered everyone's attention with innovative editing skills and realistic
features.
Other
Programs
- Online VR exhibition: Offered without
restrictions on time or place for the first time
- Online Fan meetings: Online fan meetings
with popular webtoon writers such as Park Yong-jae of “God of High School,” Gye
Ni of “Gugukkakka,” and more
- Room Cosplay Challenge: Low-cost,
fabulous cosplay incorporating at least 1 item found at home!
How to participate?
1. Create cosplay with items found in your
house.
2. Upload a photo to the associated site.
3. Share photos via your SNS channels.
-Minecraft Events
BICOF ran a Minecraft server for approximately
a week. Anyone with a Minecraft product and account could experience the
festival.
The “Korea, China, and Japan’s Younger Comic Artists Contest” saw young cartoonists from Korea, China, and Japan participate in an online contest. In this contest, a total of 20 up-and-coming cartoonists (7 from Korea, 7 from China, and 6 from Japan) participated for 7 days. The contestants were able to access the event online from home and the competition venues for each country featured two programs: 'Fill in 4-cut manga' and 'Create a complete manga'. A video capturing the fierce and beautiful moments and emotions of the cartoonists was released via YouTube.
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