Otherworldly Passion and Unbridled Celebration

A Look into Comiket

This article was originally featured in the October 2024 issue of Connect.

Chantal Gervais (Tokyo)

The feverish creation and consumption culture of Comic Market, or more commonly known as Comiket is jarring at times. Some attendees celebrate with such enthusiasm that before the noon sun hits, they create a parade of wheelchairs and stretchers. Medical staff part the crowds like the Red Sea and take the patrons, still clutching their purchases, to seek immediate medical attention. Guardians of the radial event are the volunteer staff shepherding in attendees while waving their hats like a guiding beacon of light. Unsung heroes hidden in the corners attentively stand watch by the vending machines, restocking at the speed of light, villages of boxes begin to build, like yatai lining the festival walkway. Instead of yukata, people come dressed in cosplay, performing for the cameras like the dancers of a bon odori. 

Held twice a year, during the summer and winter seasons, Comiket creates an experience unlike those in other Japanese pop culture conventions seen around the world. Comiket is intense, but it is exactly what it needs to be: a place of gathering, acceptance, otherworldly passion, and unbridled celebration. In the winter of 1975, Comiket saw its humble beginnings take shape as a single-day event with roughly 700 attendees and 32 “circles”. Originally dissatisfied with the related conventions of the time, a group of Meiji University students filled a void, organizing an event where independent doujinshi creators and fans could gather. The founding event was primarily composed of junior and senior high school girls. Comiket was also created in a larger sense “as a ‘space’ reserved for people to pursue new possibilities in creative expression in the realm of manga, and to act as a forum for communication between fans.”(1) As of the most recent event, Comiket 104 (which took place August 11-12, 2024), there were over 260,000 people in addition to 24,000 “circles” who attended the event over two days.

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“Comiket is intense, but it is exactly what it needs to be: a place of gathering, acceptance, otherworldly passion, and unbridled celebration.”

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Veteran attendees arrive with clipboards and detailed notes on what booth their favorite artist and circles are located at and what they are selling. There is a plan of action, even down to how the individual will move between the giant halls as they scour for their desired goods. Many people attend the event solo, on a divine mission to obtain the limited items, but it is evident that attending in small groups of friends is the preferred method. At times the halls become so cramped, a divide- and-conquer plan of action is required, forcing the groups to split up. Once they have acquired their goods, their camps are scattered through the edges of the convention center where they discuss their successes of the day. Many come prepared with hard plastic cases to transport their purchases home, while others decide to go big and purchase enough that it is required to ship home in a large box. There are even people arriving to the event with luggage suited for international travel, only to fill them so full with goods that by the end of the day, they struggle to close the container. 

But what has nurtured this profound experience? Comiket has built itself on a foundation of ideologies. One of these foundational pillars is the belief that every individual attending the event is considered an equal. Whether it be general attendees, participating circles and corporations, or volunteer staff, every single person in attendance is celebrated and acknowledges that without the variety of individuals coming together, Comiket would not be an event to be celebrated with such ferocity. The celebration and energy that is created builds into a second founding pillar, which is the concept of Hare No Hi, a day of excitement, experiences, and most of all, shining intensity. These are the days people long for, that they spend countless hours preparing for. The days marked on the calendar in bright red ink. Juxtaposing the mundane days of Ke No Hi, the ordinary days that pass by without any special markings. Comiket is more than just a special day, and instead can be viewed through a larger lens as a cultural concept that transcends the banal and celebrates a radial spirit. 

 ”. . . . Comiket can be seen as part of the perpetual human activities associated with creativity, where people celebrate with one another the birth of new creative works and rejuvenate their drive to continue creating yet new material.”(2) 

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Comiket has garnered a polarizing reputation for a reason. Comiket not only has notoriety for how long it has been running, or even how many people attend. It does not simply have a prestige for the diversity of booths and attendees. And it is beyond the renown for the endless lines of fans snaking deep into the summer heat, waiting to collect the next doujinshi on their meticulous wish list. Comiket has a unique eminence because it has harnessed, developed, and nurtured a fanatical atmosphere. Every moment, every facet, and every breath of Comiket is intense. 

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1. Comic Market’s Vision
2. What is Comic Market?

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Chantal is the Entertainment Editor of [CONNECT] magazine.  She is always on the lookout for the newest seasonal snacks and the weirdest gachapon she can find. Her hobbies include napping, talking about the Dune series, and accidental karaoke nights.

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