While watching Goldorak on TV, Mathieu Ducros found himself mesmerized by the world of manga and japanimation – to such an extent that he and his wife Virginie, a former art director for an import-export company, opened a shop entirely dedicated to this world called Ikoku, which means “foreign country, faraway country” in Japanese. The shop features a complete collection of manga items, including books, DVDs and other goodies.

Thanks to this grant, these two Asia enthusiasts now want to expand their offering to drawing and Japanese cooking courses in order to make their store a true gathering place for all manga fans in Montpellier, ages 7 to 77, in recognition of their rapidly growing numbers!

Link to the Ikoku website: http://www.ikoku.org/

Virginie and Mathieu Ducros are pursuing the development of Ikoku, their "ambiance bookstore" in Montpellier, which opened in 2005 and is dedicated to "japanimation and manga".

They also generously contributed their extensive knowledge and their enthusiasm to the Manga, les secrets d'un phénomène exhibition which was initiated and organized by the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation at La Maison de Solenn-Maison des adolescents, in Paris from May 31 to August 31, 2006.