To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh-Japan friendship, a comic book on the struggling life of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been unveiled. The cover of the book titled “Father of the Nation Bangabandhu” was unveiled at a hotel in the capital on Wednesday. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was present as the chief guest while Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori was present as the special guest. Professor Fakhrul Alam, director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Research Institute for Peace and Liberty, University of Dhaka presented the keynote paper. The book has been jointly written by M E Chowdhury Shamim, founder and president of Scholars Bangladesh Society, and Yemoto Kietta, chief executive of Shine Partners Corporation Japan. The book has been published by NRB Scholars Publishers Limited. The book depicts the long struggle of Bangabandhu for the independence of Bangladesh, and his colourful life in this Japanese Manga form. At the same time, the book described the birth of Bangladesh and the contribution of the Father of the Nation to the independence of Bangladesh. By reading this book, readers will get to know the story of Bangladesh and the contribution of the Father of the Nation in the emergence of Bangladesh, said the foreign minister. Prof Fakhrul Alam in his keynote speech said the book has been published in three languages - Bangla, English and Japanese. The publication of a book on Bangabandhu in Japan's popular Manga form will further strengthen the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Japan, he said. "Japan is our long-tested friend and has been helping us in our development since the birth of Bangladesh. So the book has been published in Manga to express gratitude to Japan,” said Golam Mohammad Alamgir, chairman of Max Group and president of BUET Graduates' Club. "It is very meaningful and instructive that children will get to know the story of Bangladesh's independence through Manga about the long struggle of Bangabandhu. The publication of the book in English, Bengali and even Japanese has given Japanese children the opportunity to know. This initiative will deepen the Japanese perception of Bangladesh's independence,” said Ambassador Iwama Kiminori. “On February 10, 1972, Japanese recognition of independent sovereign Bangladesh is the occasion of this publication. From 14 to 18 October 1973, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited Japan, accompanied by his 16-year-old daughter Sheikh Rehana and youngest son Sheikh Russel, who turned 10 on his arrival in Japan,” the ambassador said. He said that during Bangabandhu's visit, the Japanese people strongly supported the necessity of Bangladesh’s independence. “Recalling their experiences in 1945, they expressed deep sympathy for war-torn Bangladesh,” he said. “Bangabandhu opened the door of cooperation and friendship between the two countries. We have come forward to implement many projects, including the Jamuna Bridge, with his ambitious goal. This publication has set a new milestone in the field of Japan-Bangladesh relations and cooperation,” added Kiminori. M E Chowdhury Shamim, founder and president of Scholars Bangladesh Society, said that the book is the first part of a five-part book written and painted in Japanese Manga pose. “An animated movie will be made this year with the first part of this book. Fifty years (1972-2022) of Bangladesh-Japan friendship has been published in this book, which combines the thoughts of Bangabandhu by two writers of the two countries,” he said.

Hit Japanese manga “One Piece” is coming to Netflix as a live-action series — a development that's both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations. Chronicling the coming-of-age adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with a heart of gold, the world's bestselling manga series has already been adapted into an anime TV series with over 900 episodes. There are also 13 animated movies, “One Piece” video games and merchandise galore. Ready to give her verdict is Nina Oiki, a gender and politics researcher at Tokyo’s Waseda University who has been a “One Piece” fan since she was in elementary school. She read the manga created by Eiichiro Oda when it first came out in Shonen Jump magazine in 1997, and watched the animated show that followed shortly after. “I know some people are worried about what might happen with the Hollywood remake,” she said, noting how past American attempts at depicting Japanese comics and animated works have at times proved disappointing. Also Read: Top 10 Netflix Originals Shows, Movies Coming in March 2023 The 2017 Netflix movie adaptation of “Death Note,” a manga and anime about a book that can kill people, was widely critiqued as a flop. In December 2021, Netflix canceled “Cowboy Bebop,” its live-action adaptation of the space Western manga and anime of the same name, after just one season. The cross-pollination of Hollywood and Japan goes back for decades. References to Japan, such as the image of a geisha on a screen, are plentiful in the 1982 sci-fi movie “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott. The film, in turn, influenced anime, including the “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” anime that first aired in 2021. Japanese pop culture expert Roland Kelts says it’s a “stunning moment for anime,” in part due to streaming on platforms like Netflix, which has helped make entertainment borderless. Live-action “One Piece,” expected later this year, comes on the heels of the global success of “Demon Slayer,” another manga that got its start in Shonen Jump and was adapted into a movie and an anime series that was picked up by Netflix. In February, The Pokémon Company announced “Pokémon Concierge,” a stop-motion anime collaboration with Netflix. Pokémon is the world’s most valuable media franchise with estimated all-time sales of $100 billion, according to a 2021 Statista report. Followed by Hello Kitty, the two Japanese products outrank Western offerings like Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars. Hollywood live-action adaptations of other popular Japanese products — from Makoto Shinkai's 2016 body-swap anime “Your Name” to the “Gundam” franchise of giant robots that started in 1979 — are also in progress. Anime has a low production cost compared to live-action films, and computer-generated heroes don’t get sick or injured or make offensive remarks offscreen like real-life actors sometimes do, making it a marketable medium, said Kelts, author of “Japanamerica,” which documents Japanese pop culture's influence in the United States. “They are stylized and stateless characters. What I mean by that is that anime characters travel globally very, very well,” Kelts said. “The human celebrities don’t always travel so well." Established bestsellers offer the advantage of a built-in fanbase, but they also come with strict scrutiny. Some, like “Ghost in the Shell,” have been criticized for “whitewashing” the Asian original. The 1995 animated movie was made into a Hollywood live-action in 2017 amid complaints about casting white American actor Scarlett Johansson as the main character — though Asia largely stayed out of the debate. Live-action “One Piece” will star Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy ("The Imperfects") as Luffy — whose nationality is canonically a mystery — alongside American actor Emily Rudd (“The Romanoffs”) as Nami and Japanese-American actor Mackenyu (“Fullmetal Alchemist: Revenge of Scar,” “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Transmutation”) as Roronoa Zoro. The main character’s inclusive persona, drawing more and more companions to join his quest throughout the story, highlights the kind of school, office or workplace environment people crave in modern-day society, fan Oiki said. “Luffy is that leader we all want,” she said. “Luffy is a hero but not an extraordinary hero. He is one of us. He wants to be king of the pirates, but not so he can rule, but so everyone can be free."