Alumni and Friends

A GCU graduate featured in a discussion on Japanese manga as part of Glasgow Film Festival last week.

Sean Michael Wilson (BA (Hons) Social Sciences 1992) took part all the way from Japan, thanks to the wonders of technology.

The panel discussion on the topic of “Global Manga: The Worldwide Impact of Japanese Comics” took place on Thursday 24th February. Lecturer and journalist Paul Gravett, alongside illustrator Chie Kutsuwada were on the panel, and Sean contributed via Skype.

Sean spoke of how he was met with curiosity when arranging meetings with manga publishing houses upon his arrival in Japan, where he now lives. He also discussed the process of writing each book, the increasing market for mature manga around the world and his new books, Hagakure: The Manga Edition and The Story of Lee.

Speaking after the event, he said: "I enjoyed that talk – it was odd to have only my voice appear back in my home country, while my body remained in Japan. It was the first time I’d talked in public in Scotland about my books, though I’ve done many lectures all over the world."

The next project for Sean is partially set in the Marchmont area of Edinburgh, near to where he grew up. He said: "The Once upon a time in Morningside project is very dear to my heart, since it’s my first autobiographical work, all about my childhood in Edinburgh. I've tried to make it both a realistic and poetic account. The first chapter was finished just this week and a US company has expressed interest already."

Continuing with the Scottish theme, Sean will also complete a short comic strip exclusively for GCU about his time at the University this summer.

A selection of Sean’s books can be purchased via Amazon.co.uk and his blog is: http://sean-michael-wilson.blogspot.com/