KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — After two iterations in Seri Kembangan and Pudu, the annual Visual Arts Expo (VAX) slated later this month has set up shop in Shah Alam, where they are expected to put down their roots in the next few years.

Although admitting that the decision was made over logistical benefits, the third edition of the two-day creative multimedia and Japanese pop culture convention is set to reap a bonus from the move — a chance to tap into the growing Malay market and community there.

“There are no major pop culture events of this genre happening in Shah Alam. Usually the kind of expos that happen there is mainstream, like baby expos and wedding fairs,” VAX project director Fazri Nuha told Malay Mail Online.

“When we announced that we’re actually having this year in Shah Alam, a lot of people who are into anime, games, comics — not just the Malays — they were super ecstatic about it … We had a lot of good feedback, and we’re really happy,” added Shaun Lopez, VAX’s head of corporate communications.

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Currently, most anime, comics and games (ACG) conventions in the Klang Valley are held in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Comic Fiesta in December this year will be held in the KL Convention Centre, while AniManGaki next month will be in the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.

Compared to the two locales, Shah Alam also has a relatively more significant Malay community, especially the youths, among others due to the Bumiputera-exclusive Universiti Teknologi Mara there.

A vendor selling comic books at VAX 2016 in STARXPO in Kenanga Fashion Mall. — Picture courtesy of Visual Arts Expo
A vendor selling comic books at VAX 2016 in STARXPO in Kenanga Fashion Mall. — Picture courtesy of Visual Arts Expo

There is no definitive data on the market and content consumption of pop culture among the Malay community.

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But for the longest time, the Malay community has been skewed towards American pop culture, as evident by the toy collection scene where franchises like Transformers, Hot Wheels, Star Wars, and Lego have found massive fans here.

Over the past decade or so, Japanese pop culture has started making inroads among the Malays, leading to a rise of consumption in translated Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), and participation in ACG events.

“From what I can see, the Malay audiences are more inclined towards the mainstream Shonen Jump stuff. Partly because those are the kinds of media that are available to them,” said Fazri.

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a Japanese manga magazine with content targeted to young boys, and many of the series featured in it have been translated into Malay and published in magazines such as Kreko.

Manga serials translated into Malay were also published by Tora Aman and Comics House. Both have since ceased operations, in April this year and October last year respectively.

Fazri and Lopez also listed down several titles popular among Malays: Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Hunter x Hunter, Yuyu Hakusho, and Initial D.

“It’s a different market segment altogether, but it’ll be interesting to see how they engage with the content that we bring,” said Fazri.

But for those who are willing to broaden their horizons, VAX2017 is ready to provide an altogether matured and progressive take on the industry traditionally seen as childish.

“The kind of content we show on our platform isn’t exactly conservative in nature. The topics we engage in our panels, they’re very progressive. It introduces local audiences to take hobbies seriously, engage in animations as more than you watch on TV,” Fazri said.

“Or just something that only kids watch,” Lopez chimed in.

One of the speakers in VAX2017 will be local cartoonist Abam Apam, who is expected to speak on how content creators can tackle the issue of plagiarism and unauthorised reproductions in content farming and gossip blogs, an issue rife among the Malay-reading circles.

When it comes to cosplay — or costume role-play, the two are also expecting to see more Malay enthusiasts joining, especially with the recent trend of “hijab cosplay” that went vira l — where Muslim women join in the fun by incorporating their headscarf into their costumes.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them come over … It’s just a matter of time before people start seeing and finally thinking that it can be done. It’s no different from how cosplay started getting attention 10 to 15 years ago,” Fazri said.

VAX2017 will be held on July 22 and 23 at the Shah Alam Convention Centre, Selangor.

Special guests include industry veterans from two of Japan’s biggest animation studios, MAPPA and Trigger, screenwriter Masafumi “Pierre” Sugiura, and anime singer AiRI.

Tickets start from RM25 for one-day entry to RM120 for a Gold Pass, and are on sale on its website.