{"id":49212,"date":"2022-11-04T12:31:04","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T12:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/?p=49212"},"modified":"2022-12-19T00:35:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T00:35:00","slug":"what-is-it-like-to-be-a-manga-artist-in-europe-interview-with-elena-vitagliano-at-the-london-comic-con","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-manga-artist-in-europe-interview-with-elena-vitagliano-at-the-london-comic-con\/","title":{"rendered":"Elena Vitagliano at the London Comic Con: What is it like to be a manga artist in Europe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Elena Vitagliano is an award-winning Italian comic artist based in London. Her work is related to the analysis of human emotions and the meaning of life. Growing up in Italy, Elena had a steady diet of old anime and manga classics, which greatly impacted her life later on. I met Elena at the Autumn London Comic Con<\/a> to discuss her outstanding career.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspired you to become a mangaka?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was a child, I watched loads of Japanese anime. I didn\u2019t know what it was or where it was made at the time, but I did know that the stories I liked were different. Later on, when I learnt more about anime, I also discovered manga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved drawing even as a child, I created short comics about everyday life and science. Once I drew a whole comic about a character explaining the stars, and my mom, a teacher, asked me if she could use it in her classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After getting my first manga, I had to buy so many more. Reading the adventures of these characters makes you think, gives you courage, makes you laugh and keeps you company – sometimes you need that in your life. I wanted to do the same through my work, inspire others, and give back what I have received.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘SHUSHHH Again!’ , ‘The Cruelest Rule’, ‘Be Silent!’ by Elena Vitagliano
– Picture by Anna Kamocsai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is there a big anime and manga culture in Italy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Italy, we watched anime for a long time without realising what it was. It was at the end of the 70s when the first Japanese animation aired on TV in Italy. The interest in manga started in the 90s, even though some manga was already available in the 80s. The big wave of this culture has only been growing since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What key events do you think led you to where you are now in your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDefinitely winning the Grand Prix Award in the Silent Manga Audition<\/a> with my manga \u2018The Cruelest Rule\u2019<\/a> in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before that, I won the Manga Jiman Competition<\/a> in 2011, organised by The Embassy of Japan. I think it was the first step in believing a bit more in myself. I tried drawing manga as a teenager, but until that point, it was just a hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I studied Art and Japanese language in Italy, through which I visited and worked in Japan for a year. Later on, I struggled to find a job in Italy, so I moved to England to become a Graphic Designer. It didn\u2019t really work out, as the company I worked for in London shut down. But I thought, maybe now is the time to focus on manga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found out about Manga Jiman, thinking that if I entered and nothing happened, it really meant that I don\u2019t have a talent for the field. It sounds silly now, because failing a competition doesn\u2019t mean someone is not talented, maybe the story just isn\u2019t the right one for it. But in that case, for me, it worked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now when I look back at those pages I created, I\u2019m struck with how much I\u2019ve progressed since, and that I managed to achieve something even with them. It was such a good feeling, especially from a position of no expectations, it really encouraged me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the competition, some companies and individuals started to contact me. It wasn\u2019t all easy, but I saw the difference, people started noticing me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘The Cruelest Rule’ manga by Elena Vitagliano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell me more about the Silent Manga Audition and the inspiration behind \u2018The Cruelest Rule\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI entered that competition seven times before winning, luckily, they had two rounds per year. I looked at the previous winners, learnt from them and kept practicing. It took a bit of time, but it worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, the theme of the competition was \u2018Fair Play\u2019. I always liked manga about sports because of the encouragement and enthusiasm. I came across the picture of Usain Bolt, a Jamaican athlete, running a whole competition with his shoelace untied. I was thinking, what would you do if you were an athlete and noticed that your competitor had the same problem, would you say anything? In these competitions, the rules are very strict, if you move, it doesn\u2019t matter for what reason, you get disqualified straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making a manga without any words was one of my biggest challenges. I would advise everyone who wants to be a mangaka to create one, it really makes you think about how powerful images are and understand how to create a story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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