1750 euros. It is the amount required to meet Hara textthe author of Ken the Warrior, a Lucca Comics&Games 2025. Sold out immediately, this represents the first band called “Gold” and allows you to meet the Sensei and take a photo with him. We then move on to the “Platinum” band, which costs 4,900 euros and guarantees a meeting, a photo and a signature on an item purchased in the shop Coamixthe Japanese publishing house founded by Hara himself. The third band is the “Diamond”, which can be purchased at the price of 6,000 euros and includes what is offered by the “Platinum” with the addition of a personalized dedication on an object brought from home. It’s not over: the last band, the “Elite”, allows meeting, photos, an original drawing by Kenshiro, complete with personalized dedication on shikishithe traditional Japanese tablet used for autographs. The price is 12,600 euros.
Or at least. This is the first version of the price list that has been circulated on social media and specialized sites. After the publication of this articleStarComics sources have specified to Fanpage.it that the packages exist but the cost does not refer only to the meeting but to the purchase of Testuo Hara’s works, included in the various options. We report here the note from StarComics:
- 1,750 euros it is not the cost of the photo but the sale of 5 giclée prints
- 4,900 euros is the cost of one Premium metal art, one work of art on metal, or one premium giclée print or 4 giclée works
- 6,000 euros it is the price of a work of art proposed by Coamix or 3 prints or 1 Embroidery art
- the elite option instead are two paintings that have valueeach, of 12,600.
Fan discontent
The news generated a wave of criticism towards the organization. The figures indicated are high and are not the only ones to be supported for Lucca. The prices are added to reach, stay and participate in Lucca Comics&Games, the largest pop fair in Europe. As a rough guide, the cost, including trains, B&B in the city and tickets for two days of the fair, can exceed 800 euros. A situation that led to the publication of reels, TikToks and polemical posts against Lucca Comics&Games, ironically renamed on social media as “Lucra Comics”.
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In reality the situation is much more complex. Lucca Comics&Games and Panini are the hosts. The packages instead are offered by CoamixHara’s publishing house, already used to such events in Japan. As specified by the organization of the Tuscan fair under an Oni_Riki reel focused on the issue of packages, the meetings and panels with the author of Ken the Warrior are included in the regular ticket. “In addition to this”, reports Lucca Comics&Games, “Panini has organized an initiative that will allow over 300 fans to receive a signature from Testuo Hara. In all, over 2000 people will be able to attend a series of meetings”. Panini’s initiative refers to the lottery organized by the historic Italian publishing house.
Once the responsibilities have been clarified, the central issue remains: the price list for meeting Hara opens a precedent never seen in Italy. Because if it’s true that these practices are widespread in Japanwhere there is a culture and a lifestyle that allow you to participate with more serenity in initiatives of this kind, in Italy there is a risk of making the meeting between those who create culture, such as the author of a manga that has made history, and those who benefit from it, i.e. the public, elitist. A dynamic is therefore triggered that separates between “series A fans” and “series B fans”; among those who can afford 12,600 euros for one shikishi signed and who can hope to win a lottery and listen to their favorite from afar during a panel.
We know that in the age of social media, where it is necessary to witness everything, a missed photo with your idol can lead to feelings of exclusion and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). But it’s not just a question of possibility. As reported by the cultural journalist Gianmaria Tammaro in a post on Facebook: “We are doping an already fragile and shaky system. And it has nothing to do with being rich or not. It has to do with being aware of the consequences of every action.”
