Pokemon is one of the most famous anime and manga in the world. Fabien Votran is the supervisor of the French version of the Pokemon manga. Mr. Votran has also worked on translating “Fullmetal Alchemist” and designing the covers of Japanese comic books. He has a wide range of activities, including manga goods planning and design limited to France. We asked Mr. Votrin about the situation surrounding manga and anime in France and his personal preferences.

In the past, in France, comics were either aimed at young children, or conversely, thin hardcover books of about 60 pages called “bande dessinee” for adults were released at a pace of about once every two years. Japanese animation works were imported from the 1970s, earlier than manga, but their social status was low, and parents did not actively try to show them to their children.
Until 1999, there was an anime program that was broadcast on TV in France, but as soon as that program ended, there were no more programs that young people could enjoy, and from then on, manga grew faster than anime. At that time, only about 15 titles were published a month, but now hundreds of titles are published a month.

When asked what kind of manga would be a hit in France, he replied, “Will the picture be accepted by the French?” and “The content of the story is important.” The unique Japanese culture and view of the world will be understood in France through the content of the story and the pictures, and it will become a hit. Mr. Votran expects Akane Hayashi to be his next hit in France. The content of the story is rakugo, and although Japanese culture is unfamiliar to France, it is said that it will fascinate people with the charm of the pictures and stories. For those who like comics, comics are not just entertainment, but also an opportunity to learn unknown fields.
He mentioned ‘SPY x FAMILY’ as a new type of work. Up until now, manga has been targeted at different ages, one for adults and one for children. also expected.