Leipzig Book Fair 2026 Preview: The Otaku Side of Leipzig’s Biggest Book Event

Leipzig Book Fair Preview 2026: Manga & Comic Con Highlights

Every year, the Leipzig Book Fair (LBM) attracts thousands of book lovers eager for author signings, panels, presentations, and literary discussions. While many visitors focus on these traditional offerings, my attention is usually drawn to the Manga & Comic Con (MMC) side of the fair, where Otaku subculture, cosplay, and Japanese pop culture come alive.

Otaku Culture and the Roots of Cosplay

The term Otaku describes individuals with intense passion for anime, manga, and video games. Sociologist Ōtsuka Eiji and researcher Nakamori Akina have highlighted Otaku as a distinct subcultural identity, combining fandom, aesthetic appreciation, and community participation. In this context, cosplay—short for “costume play”—emerged as a performative aspect of fandom, allowing enthusiasts to embody characters and engage in creative expression. Cosplay itself is now considered both an artistic and social phenomenon, bridging fan activity, fashion, and performance.

My Anime

My Personal Leipzig Ritual

I have been attending LBM almost every year since 2004, except during COVID-19 and in 2016, when I was on a Working Holiday in Japan. That year was also when Akira Toriyama, legendary creator of Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, and character designs for Dragon Quest, made a rare public appearance in Leipzig for a signing session. Toriyama’s work remains foundational for the Otaku subculture, influencing generations with his iconic character design, humor, and storytelling.

2004 also marked a personal milestone: I created my first cosplay costume. I wore a different one—Himura Kenshin—publicly for the first time at a convention in 2005, starting my journey as an active cosplayer.

From Cosplayer to Photographer

Early on, I combined cosplay with photography, starting with a Casio snapshot camera (QV-R52) before moving on to:

• Canon 350D DSLR

• Canon 750D

• Canon 6D II

• Canon R5 (my main camera for several years)

I mainly shoot with a Samyang 85mm f/1.4 for portraits and a Canon 300mm f/2.8 for long-distance shots. The latter is perfect for capturing cosplayers in large halls like the Glashalle, where I can maintain the distance needed for cinematic composition.

The Purple Shirt Persona

In recent years, I adopted a second persona alongside my nickname Neko-Lord: the “Purple Shirt Guy”, inspired by my lavender shirt, which I originally wore as a “lucky drone-flying shirt.” Over time, this became a quasi-brand and a creative identity, documented on my blog here.

Looking Forward by looking Backward

Like last year's this LBM in 2026 will host numerous guests and panels. My focus will remain on cosplay photography, particularly in the MMC area:

• Shooting at the Glashalle exterior with the 300mm f/2.8 lens

• Capturing fullbody shots by using dynamic lighting with minimal interference

• Maintaining uninterrupted sightlines for cinematic shots

I expect to photograph 12–16 sets, resulting in roughly 1,200–2,000 photos over all four days.

For many cosplayers, LBM is the first major convention of the 2026 season, despite earlier events like MagC, Dedeco, and AniMC. The fair is an opportunity to:

• Reconnect with friends and fellow enthusiasts

• Discuss cosplay, Japanese culture, and photography

• Meet new cosplayers and potentially recruit participants for my future Cosplay portrait artbook projects

Flashback Moments

Recently, I rediscovered my old Banzai! magazines. Flipping through LBM articles triggered vivid memories: my first cosplay competitions, my early photography experiments, and the excitement of attending a convention focused on both literature and Japanese pop culture.

Why I Keep Coming Back

LBM has become more than a fair—it is a creative playground and personal ritual. Every year brings new inspiration:

• Artistic cosplay interpretations

• Emerging photographers and costume presentations

• Japanese pop culture discussions

• Networking with fellow creators

With camera in hand and purple shirt on, I look forward to capturing the essence of Cosplay once again in 2026.

And now enjoy a selection of last year's sets:

PLACES – Limited Japan Photography Artbook on Kickstarter (MAKE/100)

PLACES – A Photography Artbook of Japan’s Beauty (MAKE/100)

Independent photography projects live and die by trust. When you support a photographer on crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, you’re not only backing a creative idea—you’re supporting the experience, dedication, and artistic vision behind it.

My newest project, PLACES – A Photography Artbook of Japan’s Beauty (MAKE/100), is the result of years of traveling, photographing, and exploring the visual identity of Japan. The book focuses on the atmosphere, landscapes, and cultural locations that make Japan such a fascinating destination for photographers and travelers alike.

A Limited MAKE/100 Photography Artbook

This project is part of Kickstarter’s MAKE/100 initiative, which celebrates limited creative productions with a maximum of 100 editions. Each copy of PLACES will therefore be part of a small, exclusive print run, making the book both a photography collection and a collectible art object.

The concept behind the book is simple: capture the beauty of Japan through carefully composed photography—from iconic landmarks to quiet moments that reveal the country’s unique atmosphere.

Instead of focusing purely on famous tourist spots, the project aims to present Japan through the eye of a photographer who values composition, light, and storytelling.

Experience from Previous Photography Artbook Projects

While I may still be considered an independent or emerging photography artist, this project is not my first experience with publishing photo books on Kickstarter.

I already had previous successful campaigns which helped establish the workflow and reliability behind my projects, here are two examples:

• Masked – Cosplay Portrait Artbook
  A MAKE/100 project focusing on artistic cosplay portrait photography, combining costume design, lighting, and character expression.

• Japan in Black and White
  A photography book exploring Japan through monochrome imagery, highlighting architecture, streets, and landscapes through classic black-and-white photography adding written stories to each and every picture therefore sharing the creation of those pictures

These projects allowed me to gain valuable experience in artbook production, printing logistics, campaign management, and delivering rewards to supporters worldwide.

Why Support an Independent Photography Artist?

For independent creators, crowdfunding isn’t just a funding method—it’s a way to build a community around creative work.

Supporting projects like PLACES helps photographers:

• publish carefully curated photography collections

• produce high-quality printed artbooks

• continue documenting unique locations and cultures

• maintain creative independence

In return, supporters receive exclusive, limited-edition photography books that will never be printed in large commercial runs.

Capturing the Beauty of Japan

Japan offers an incredible range of photographic inspiration—from historic temples and modern cityscapes to seasonal landscapes shaped by cherry blossoms and autumn foliage.

Through this project, I want to share the visual diversity and atmosphere of Japan in a curated format that invites readers to explore each image slowly, away from the fast pace of social media.

Photography books remain one of the best ways to experience visual storytelling, and PLACES aims to deliver exactly that.

Support the Kickstarter Campaign

If you enjoy photography, travel imagery, or limited artbook editions, you can support the project here:

PLACES on KICKSTARTER

Every supporter helps turn this photography project into a tangible book and supports independent artistic work.

Mag-C 2026 - scary Revival

Normally the Mag-C in Erfurt would be an easy going event and a great opportunity to use my small smoke machine for some amazing Cosplay shots especially using it in combination with the big curtains next to the main stages because it's perfectly blocking most of the light, so my LED RGB lights are the only relevant source of light and the smoke catches that colorful efffect perfectly...

BUT if you try to update the firmware of your camera the night before the event - just because there is a new sensor shift feature to create massive pictures, which is completely useless for portraits - and your battery fails during the installation process, you are doomed, because you made your cam a giant and very expensive "BRICK" being unasable.

Without a real cam (my CANON R5) going to the convention would be quite pointless, therefore I skipped day 1 completely while trying all day long to "revive" our big brick - it didn't work.

And once again there's a big BUT, because of some sort of "miracle" I was lucky in the morning trying a hard reset for one more time - I had already made a backup plan and prepared my GoPro as well as my DJI OSMO Pocket to be able to make at least a few pictures and capturing some of the convention's flare and impressions - luckily that HARD RESET worked and my R5 had its "REBIRTH", so I didn't need to rely on my small sensors.

The Mag-C originated from Magdeburg, therefore it kept the name but changed the location to Erfurt. It's already my third time and it's always a good mixture of Otaku convention but also fair. The event line-up itself with all those contests and photo opportunities as well as some Cosplay Influencer meet and greets is ok but especially the hall with all those vendors is more and more disappointing but not just at this con, but on all of them. Very often they either offer the same TEMU und Ali Express drop shipping low quality scam or overpriced prize game figures from Japan which were bought in bulk. In Japan those items are mostly cheap and can be obtained at crane games or HobbyOff shops for little money. And the "good stuff" is sold for 3-5+ times of the original price in Japan. That's why I don't buy at any of those booths for years and get my stuff, if I want something, directly in Japan when I do my trips. Normally I always try to find Game Guides or Artbooks with concept art and add some Games for the archive.

At the photo booths they had a nice throne this year, so I am not sad having missed my chances to visit DEDECO this year, because COSBOX is always having a nice Gothic set with a throne-like seat.

And here are some of the assets we created:

red_p0ison_

kates_wing

I am alrready looking forward to 2027

AniMC Chemnitz 2026 – Cosplay Season Kickoff Despite Train Chaos

For me, the AniMC in Chemnitz has become a small but meaningful tradition. It’s not one of the huge anime conventions in Germany, but that’s exactly why I like it. AniMC is cozy, relaxed, and has a familiar atmosphere that makes it a perfect soft kickoff for the cosplay season each year.

After the quiet winter months, when conventions are rare and many cosplayers are still working on new costumes or recovering from the previous season, AniMC provides a gentle re-entry into the community before things become hectic again. Later in the spring events like Mag-C or the real major season opener, the Leipziger Buchmesse (LBM), will follow. Compared to those large conventions, AniMC feels almost like a warm-up session where everyone can slowly get back into the rhythm of convention life.

Unfortunately, this year the real challenge wasn’t the convention itself.

It was simply getting there.

Deutsche Bahn vs. Winter

The journey to Chemnitz once again demonstrated something many travelers in Germany already know far too well: winter and Deutsche Bahn do not mix well.

My route led via Geithain, which quickly became the center of the travel chaos that day. Delays piled up, trains were cancelled, and reliable information were hard to get. At one point I found myself waiting for over an hour with no clear indication of whether the next train would even run.

The frustrating part is that this scenario feels almost routine. Every year the same pattern repeats itself: once temperatures drop or snow appears, the German railway system seems completely overwhelmed. Whether it’s snow, ice, heavy rain, or even just “difficult weather conditions,” disruptions become the norm rather than the exception.

It’s difficult not to feel a bit cynical about it. Winter arrives every year, yet the railway operator still appears unprepared for it every single time.

Eventually I came up with a rather unconventional workaround to escape the waiting game. Instead of spending another freezing hour on the platform in Geithain, I boarded a train back toward Leipzig, remained seated, and simply rode the same train again when it departed back toward Chemnitz.

It felt slightly absurd — taking a detour in the opposite direction just to move forward again — but it was still faster than waiting endlessly for the delayed connection.

Finally Arriving at AniMC

Once I finally reached Chemnitz, the stress of the journey quickly faded.

AniMC is not a giant convention filled with massive crowds and endless halls, but rather a small, charming event with a welcoming and almost family-like atmosphere. Many visitors know each other, and the overall vibe is far more relaxed than at some of the larger conventions later that year.

For me personally, it marked the official beginning of my cosplay and convention season for 2026.

Over the past months I had mostly been focusing on photography while traveling, particularly landscape photography in Japan. Switching back into convention photography mode takes a bit of time — remembering how to interact with cosplayers, finding interesting photo spots, and simply getting used to the dynamic atmosphere of conventions again.

AniMC is perfect for that transition. It’s busy enough to meet people and see great costumes, but calm enough that everything doesn’t immediately feel overwhelming.

Nephelux

When Cosplay Causes “Face Blindness”

One amusing side effect of modern conventions is something I jokingly call cosplay face blindness.

Some costumes are so popular that you encounter them repeatedly throughout the day. Recently, characters from Genshin Impact seem to appear everywhere. That alone wouldn’t be confusing, but many cosplayers also use very similar makeup styles, wigs, and costume details or simply wear the same product which they bought on the identical webshop, if they don't DIY it.

The result is a strange situation where you see a costume you recognize and briefly assume it’s the same person you talked to earlier — only to realize that it’s actually someone completely different wearing the same character. Especially when the stature seems quite similar from far away.

For a moment you feel slightly disoriented, wondering whether you’ve forgotten a previous conversation or whether you simply mixed people up. It usually ends with a laugh once the confusion clears.

It’s just one of those quirky aspects of modern cosplay culture where certain characters become so widespread that they almost create a kind of visual déjà vu at conventions.

tete.cosplay

g.m.g_cosplay

Cutting the Trip Short

Originally I had planned to stay for both days of the convention. However, given the ongoing train disruptions, I decided to skip the second day entirely.

The journey home already confirmed that this was probably the right decision.

Late in the evening I once again ended up waiting in Geithain, this time stranded in the cold because the S-Bahn simply didn’t arrive. There was no clear announcement about delays or cancellations, and the loudspeakers remained silent while passengers waited and tried to figure out what was happening.

Situations like that are particularly frustrating because they highlight a larger issue: declining reliability and service quality while ticket prices continue to rise year after year.

The Inevitable Comparison with Japan

After spending extended time traveling by train in Japan, the difference becomes almost impossible to ignore.

Japanese railways — from small regional lines to the Shinkansen high-speed network — are famous for their punctuality, efficiency, and extremely clear communication with passengers. Delays are rare, and when they do happen they are communicated immediately and transparently.

Once you have experienced that level of reliability, it becomes difficult not to feel disappointed when returning to the constant uncertainty of train travel in Germany.

Sometimes, during the cold months of January and February, it almost feels easier to simply stay home and avoid the entire system until spring arrives.

Still a Great Start to the Year

Despite the travel chaos, AniMC 2026 still fulfilled its role perfectly.

It was a relaxed, enjoyable start to the convention season, full of friendly encounters, creative costumes, and the familiar feeling of returning to the cosplay community after the winter break.

Now that the first event of the year is behind me, the rest of the season suddenly feels much closer — and the big conventions like MagC and the Leipziger Buchmesse are already on the horizon.

AniMC may be small, but as a cosplay season kickoff, it does its job wonderfully every year.