Surely you still remember the feeling of excitement when you first held the Doraemon book in your hands and discovered magical treasures with Nobita? A visual feast for Doraemon's die-hard fans was opened at the exhibition "From Doraemon to Doraemon, 30 years of the robot cat's journey in Vietnam", recreating the journey of the intelligent robot cat through extremely vivid images and comics. The event was organized by the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts in collaboration with Kim Dong Publishing House and Lan Tinh Foundation, curated by independent researcher ChuKim.
The changing journey of Vietnamese publishing through comic books from Doraemon to Doraemon
The exhibition is a special event looking back over three decades since the Japanese comic book series by author Fujiko F. Fujio was introduced in Vietnam in 1992 by Kim Dong Publishing House. Under the guidance of the late Director Nguyen Thang Vu, the series quickly became a cultural phenomenon with a huge print run and widespread popularity across the country. The image of the intelligent robot cat has become a close friend of many generations of Vietnamese children and parents to this day.
The robot cat is still a familiar symbol in everyone's memory.
The exhibition has created a space for generations of Doraemon lovers to look back on the past, from childhood to present adulthood.
In 1992, the manga "Doraemon" by Fujiko F. Fujio was first published in Vietnam and read from left to right. In 1998, Kim Dong Publishing House officially acquired the copyright from Japan. Since 2010, the book has been published with the original title "Doraemon" in the original binding method, read from right to left. For more than 30 years, "Doraemon" has continued to be loved by Vietnamese children. Along with the development of the Vietnamese publishing industry, the publishing form of "Doraemon" has also undergone major changes.
The exhibition focuses on exploring the development of the comic series through three main stages.
"From Doraemon to Doraemon, 30 years of the robot cat's journey in Vietnam" focuses on exploring the development process of Doraemon through 3 main stages: from the unlicensed version of Doraemon in 1992, the copyrighted version from 1998 and the Doraemon version from 2010, each version reflects the change in social awareness, as well as the integration and development process of the Vietnamese comic publishing industry.
ChuKim - Exhibition curator, Independent researcher of comics in Vietnam
ChuKim - Exhibition curator, Independent researcher of comics in Vietnam said: "From 1992 to 2010 was a huge gap, the translation in Doraemon has had significant changes. For example, the treasure 'bamboo pinwheel' in 1992 was later translated more literally into 'bamboo helicopter' to match the original and the awareness and level of modern readers. Thereby, not only can we see the development of language but also better understand the reading culture that changes over time. It can be said that this manga is a typical representative of the development and integration process of the Vietnamese comics publishing industry in particular, and the whole of Vietnamese popular culture in general. The exhibition is also an opportunity for readers to admire, reflect and focus on the historical, educational and cultural journey of the robot cat that has lasted more than 30 years in Vietnam".
The exhibition is also an opportunity for readers to admire, reflect and focus on historical and educational factors.
Exhibition curator and independent researcher ChuKim has created a unique space for generations of “Doraemon” lovers to look back at the past, from childhood to adulthood, the robot cat is still a familiar symbol in everyone's memory.
Now, the readers of that time have grown up and continue to watch the children of today passionately love Doraemon. Once again, the generation of readers who love Doraemon in Vietnam have the opportunity to go back to the past with their childhood memories looking into the desk drawer, to see the robot cat from the future still there, beside the changes in each of our lives.
The exhibition is also an opportunity for the audience to reflect on Doraemon's more than 30-year cultural journey in Vietnam.
The exhibition "From Doraemon to Doraemon, 30 years of the robot cat's journey in Vietnam" is open free of charge every day (9am - 5pm) from September 13 - 22, 2024 at VICAS Art Studio, 32 Hao Nam, Dong Da, Hanoi.
From the unlicensed version of “Doraemon” in 1992, the copyrighted version from 1998 and the “Doraemon” version from 2010
