The Pursuit of Purpose: Charting Vinland with YUKIMURA Makoto

*There will be no waitlist available. Rush line will be available 15 minutes prior to the start of the event, depending on the seat availability.

Making his Canadian debut, globally acclaimed manga artist YUKIMURA Makoto is this year’s guest from Japan at the annual Toronto International Festival of Authors. Widely recognized as the genius behind the science fiction series Planetes and the Viking epic Vinland Saga, Mr. Yukimura has captivated fans around the world with his attention to historical accuracy, intricate battle scenes, compelling characters, and complex themes.

On September 22, Mr. Yukimura will sit down with Dr. Max Dionisio (Royal Ontario Museum) to unravel the secrets of creativity: his muses, his artistic deliberations, and the profound philosophies that breathe life into his narratives. Join us in Vinland as we explore the hugely popular genre of adventure manga together with Mr. Yukimura.

*Rush line will be available 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.

*Registrants are encouraged to arrive on time when doors open, as we will release any empty seats to the rush line 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.

*After the panel, there will be a 1-hour autograph session with YUKIMURA Makoto at the JFT library from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The signing session is exclusively available to registered participants; you must already be onsite for the event prior to the signing session. Please register for the signing at the same time. A limited number of registrants will be chosen at random for the signing and notified at a later date. Please note that there is a limit of one autograph per attendee.

This event is co-presented by Kodansha USA Publishing and the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto.

About the author

Mr. YUKIMURA Makoto

Makoto Yukimura is one of Japan’s most respected manga artists. His works include the Viking epic Vinland Saga (published in English by Kodansha USA), winner of the Japan Media Arts Grand Prize and adapted into an anime streaming worldwide on Netflix, and the hard science fiction series Planetes (published in English by Dark Horse).

For Mr. YUKIMURA's full schedule at TIFA 2023, visit https://festivalofauthors.ca/book-author/makoto-yukimura/

About the moderator

Dr. Max Dionisio

After earning his doctorate in Japanese studies in 2007, Dr. Max Dionisio came to Canada to attend library school at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information. Dr. Dionisio is currently the librarian of the Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia at the Royal Ontario Museum—an affiliate library of the University of Toronto. His research interests includes Japanese bibliography and book history, Japanese Christian art history, and Japanese popular culture. Dr. Dionisio is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information where he teaches courses on metadata systems, advanced cataloguing, comic books, and book history. He also supervises master’s student theses and practicum students.