A visit to the bookshop is not only about looking at books, it is also about looking at the other customers, staff, and the bookshop itself. The kind of books the bookshop sells and how it is decorated tells you something about the shopkeeper’s personal taste. With so many people coming and going, and so many personal stories being created day and night, a bookshop is one of the best places to observe the lives of others.
How many years has it been since I last heard a manga bookstore was opening?
Bookstores have been troubled by a wave of closures in recent years. As public interest in reading peters out, e-books move in, boasting cheap prices and convenience. Meanwhile, physical bookstores regress to gift shops – nice to have, but one can also do without. The situation is worse for manga bookstores, so when I heard that zbfghk was opening a brick-and-mortar store, I couldn’t conceal my excitement.
Hong Kong-based zbfghk was established in 2015 to promote paperback manga. Apart from talks and sharing sessions, the two founders are also actively engaged in manga-related stints – including their Matsumoto Taiyo posters for Taiwan’s Locus Publishing and their Hong Kong exclusive silk screen enlarged prints for Ping Pong. In 2018, the group expanded into publishing with the roll-out of the zbfghk Manga Project, which aims to support emerging manga artists. Ashes to Ashes Not (2019) by Hong Kong artist Mak Siu Fung was the initiative’s pilot project. Since then, zbfghk has continued to grow – with their participation in the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, their collaboration with Lau Kwong Shing, and the launch of Cube Escape: Paradox in partnership with the Dutch game developer Rusty Lake, to name a few. It’s hard to believe that the duo behind zbfghk can be so prolific, but here we are in anticipation of their biggest project yet – a physical store.
Nestled in an industrial building in Kwun Tong past a flight of stairs, zbfghk beckoned at the end of the corridor. A guest artist sat atop a step ladder at the entrance, sketching life inside the bookstore. The rest of the visitors quietly indulged in their material, occasionally exchanging a hushed comment or two with their company. I thought to myself: what a promising sight. Contrasting the quiet air in the bookstore was the Japanese rock music in the background. If I had to personify zbfghk, I think this would be it: wooden on the outside, restless and passionate underneath.
I was fortunate enough to have seen The LAST Manga Exhibition – overwhelmed with the joy of finally seeing original Vagabond artwork, coupled with the emotional effect of the moving material, I cried in the exhibition.
OBSCURA: Since the beginning, zbfghk has appeared an initiative strictly for the promotion of manga culture. How did it grow into the present physical bookstore? Was the brick-and-mortar store part of the plan all along?
Like you said, we started off as a fan page promoting our favourite manga and artists. We’re blessed to have received such overwhelming support online and from publishers in Taiwan, who were kind enough to invite us to write blurbs and design posters for them. We were encouraged by these collaborations to expand into an online bookstore (seeing that manpower deployment was simply too much to handle).
In 2019 summer, we launched a one-month pop-up with a friend’s studio. That project, featuring manga and a private collection on display, was the precedent of this brick-and-mortar store.
OBSCURA: I’ve noticed the AKIRA and SLAM DUNK posters and prints which seem to mean a lot to the two of you. Does it also carry incredible significance to zbfghk?
Karman: My first encounter with Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA was probably TVB Pearl’s broadcast of the animated film adaptation. I was struck – terrified even – by the scene where Tetsuo mutates into a gigantic mass of flesh. Since then, I couldn’t get AKIRA out of my head. Delving into the world of Otomo-san’s manga, in particular his skills and cyberpunk setting, has really broadened my horizon.
I came across Takehiko Inoue through SLAM DUNK; his subsequent Vagabond and REAL are also exceptional. Equally admirable are his large-scale curatorial projects, whether in concept or in execution. I was fortunate enough to have seen The LAST Manga Exhibition – overwhelmed with the joy of finally seeing original Vagabond artwork, coupled with the emotional effect of the moving material, I cried in the exhibition.
Takehiko Inoue is my favourite manga artist.
I was fortunate enough to have seen The LAST Manga Exhibition – overwhelmed with the joy of finally seeing original Vagabond artwork, coupled with the emotional effect of the moving material, I cried in the exhibition.
OBSCURA: How is zbfghk different from traditional manga bookstores?
Karman: Our operation is rather casual. We’re not guided by any business doctrines but a sense of “I guess this is it”, “this is probably how to do it”, “this is just the way I like it”. The biggest difference between zbfghk and traditional manga bookstores is our pay-as-you-like reading zones featuring discontinued franchises, personal collections, and recommendations. There are no rental rates based on borrowing quantites or reading time; you’re invited to pay as much as you like.
Since the bookstore was remodeled from our studio, we kept the space minimalist and cozy with white walls and wood shelves. There’s not much customer service per se, but judging from reviews, people seem to enjoy our service a lot(?). (Editor: during your first visit, the co-owners would explain to you the spatial organisation of the manga, which are organised not just by genre but also whether they are for sale or not. The latter is separate from the rest, and it cannot leave the bookstore. The co-owners would also helpfully explain their pay-as-you-like reading zone for discontinued franchises)
OBSCURA: Building on that, what’s zbfghk unique selling point? What kind of space are you hoping to achieve?
Karman: Probably our pay-as-you-like reading zone. Also, we provide sample copies of the manga that are for sale – since these are usually manga that we like a lot, we decided to put our own copies on display. We hope to create a space where strangers with mutual interests are brought together (not romantically) to interact and spend some downtime.
I didn’t mention this earlier: zbfghk’s official website features an interactive map with listings of most of Hong Kong’s manga bookstores, including their contact details. It’s a personal project between the co-owners, a labour of love that only true manga enthusiasts would commit to.
OBSCURA: I know that aside from paperback manga, the bookstore business is also one of zbfghk’s interests, hence the interactive map. Why do you find manga bookstore so important?
Karman: We grew up collecting manga from manga bookstores and newsagents. That personal interaction with shopkeepers and other customers holds incredible significance; we could spend all day chatting about our favourite manga. It’s also a way for us to discover new manga artists. We truly feel this especially since opening our brick-and-mortar store – a sense of “I did it!”
OBSCURA: Having created the interactive map, you must be very familiar with the manga bookstores market in Hong Kong. Are they declining?
Karman: As far as the manga bookstores market goes, we are only customers, so we can’t offer any professional insiders’ knowledge. It’s true that manga bookstores are declining, though. We have recently removed a bunch of them whilst updating the interactive map. These deletions have been overtaking any additions for some time now. Given the endless options of entertainment, it’s understandable that fewer people are reading manga these days. Even among those who do read manga, it’s not uncommon to cut down on physical purchases due to lack of storage space. It’s hard to hope for a better turn in the future; after all, the decline in manga bookstores is worldwide. But to the extent that these challenges call for creative solutions, interesting things will always happen and outweigh these difficulties.
We haven’t been to a lot of manga bookstores overseas, so we can’t generalise the foreign market, but I’ll go ahead and talk about what we’ve seen. Participating in the Angoulême International Comics Festival with Hong Kong Arts Centre, we were struck by the range of visitors: there were primary school tours (and some serious drawing competitions for kids), adult children bringing their parents to see their favourite artists, adolescents reading every book they encountered with absorbed attention, old couples in wheelchairs or aided by walking sticks… Everyone left the venue with armful of purchases, which they spent the return train journey reading. What a dreamy sight! It’s been said that the manga market in France is growing steadily. Seeing a bunch of kids huddling and reading in a corner at the festival, I do find the French market rather promising.
Despite its proximity with Hong Kong, Taiwan sees a completely different scene. Their government has been full steam ahead with the promotion of local manga. The result is a full bloom of manga centring on Taiwanese history and culture, which also sees growth in international copyright trade and collaborations with indigenous stage plays, films and anime. We’ve been to many manga bookstores in the country, each displaying a vastly different character in terms of selection, spatial organisation, exhibitions, and atmosphere. The love for experiment is evident in their energy. We didn’t want to leave!
OBSCURA: In 2018, you rolled out the zbfghk Manga Project with the launch of Ashes to Ashes Not. Can you talk about this collaboration with Mak Siu Fung and your future plans for the Project?
Karman: Since establishing zbfghk, we’ve always wanted to collaborate with local artists. We thought we would just try and ask Mak Siu Fung – and to our surprise, he said yes! It was a joy to work with Mak. Ashes to Ashes Not received glowing feedback from readers on its content and print; it also got us into the Angoulême International Comics Festival. It really was an amazing turn of events.
As for the future, we will continue to collaborate with different artists. Stay tuned!
The two co-founders are too shy to show their faces behind their favourite manga books.
OBSCURA: Can you introduce your names, where you’re from, the subjects you studied and your work experience prior to zbfghk?
Karman: I was born and bred in Hong Kong – I’ve lived in Yau Tong all my life. I studied visual communication. Since then, I’ve been working in graphic design for more than ten years now.
ET: I was also born and bred in Hong Kong – I live in Tsing Yi. I studied graphic design. Before zbfghk, I’ve undertaken various jobs in graphic design.
OBSCURA: What kind of presence does manga have in your life? What does it mean to you?
Karman: I’ve known manga since kindergarten. It’s been with me for thirty years. Before copyrighted manga became a thing, the first manga I bought was a pirate anthology of the Seal Series. Back then we were mostly reading Dragon Ball and Doraemon. Looking back, it’s amazing how far these two series have come. Who would’ve thought that my first encounters with manga were slated to become popular classics?
ET: I grew up reading my uncle’s manga in my grandma’s house. I’d read anything I could find: Doraemon, Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M, GTO, Initial D… Manga was a quiet company for my childhood pastime. Though I’ve momentarily left it behind here and there through my life, I keep coming back to it. Now an adult, I find a totally different world in manga.
OBSCURA: Have you ever thought about working in the manga industry before starting zbfghk? I want to hear your ideas, however small or unrealistic they might seem then.
Karman: I think any kid who reads manga has fantasized about becoming a manga artist at some point – including me. I gave up that idea since reading Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, when I realised the work of a manga artist was simply too great!
ET: I’ve never thought about working in the manga industry. I was a pessimistic child – just let me lie down and read my manga.
Manga was a quiet company for my childhood pastime. Though I’ve momentarily left it behind here and there through my life, I keep coming back to it. Now an adult, I find a totally different world in manga.
OBSCURA: Suppose you didn’t start zbfghk in a parallel universe. What would you be doing?
Karman: I guess graphic design-related work.
ET: I’d probably be at the other end of the world.
OBSCURA: What kind of life would you like to lead in the future?
Karman: If I still have my sight and my hands when I’m older, I’d be happy just reading manga.
ET: “All I have is now”
OBSCURA: Let’s talk about your picks of manga!
Karman: Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!!. The story follows spiker Shōyō Hinata and setter Tobio Kageyama’s journey of redemption to restore Karasuno High School’s powerhouse status in Nationals.
ET:Lunatic is the Night by Taiwan’s Slowork Publishing, which was adapted from the Dark Eyes Performance Lab’s immersive stage play “Too Many Dreams in One Night”, where participants from the audience were put through an experience of mock dictatorship. Like the play, the graphic novel is divided into five parts, each a short illustration by a different artist, interlaced with photography to capture the punctum of realistic terrors. A recipient of the Golden Comic Awards’ Best Editor Award, it’s the most complete “manga” I’ve read in recent years.
