S/ Suzuki Kiwamu, NTV Reporter / The Comic Market celebrating its 50th anniversary is underway. The venue is lively with many participants.

The Comic Market's two-day summer event began on August 16 at Tokyo Big Sight.

Also known as Comiket, the world's largest fan festival for manga, anime and other genres features the sale of noncommercial, self-published comics by professional and amateur creators.

Comiket, held in the summer and the winter each year, also attracts cosplayers who dress as their favorite characters.

S/ Participant / It's fun. I like the summer Comiket.

S/ Participant / It's hot. But my love for this character takes precedence.

Comiket was launched in 1975 and has grown to become a representative of large-scale events over the past half century.

It has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest comics festival, with about 750,000 people taking part in the three-day Comiket in the summer of 2019.

S/ Ichikawa Koichi, Comiket Co-Chairman / We are very touched that this has continued for 50 years. We are thinking of various projects and merchandise.

Comiket aims to serve as a place to expand the possibilities of expression.

Organizers said they expect more than 200,000 people to participate in the two-day event through August 17.