KOMEK KADOKAWA GEMPAK STARZ THE RISING OF KEITH CHONG THE ARTIST OF LAWAK KAMPUS GENSHIN IMPACT AVAILABLE NOW! NORBATRISYA BINTI YUSMADI PHOTO BY : INSTAGRAM KEITH_CHONG MAY 2023 1
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CONTENTS 04 05 08 010 012 014 016 THE RISING KADOKAWA THE HISTORY KADOKAWA MOST POPULAR COMIC GENSHIN IMPACT ADV KEITH CHONG CANDY SERIES LIEW YEE TENG 3
The rising OF KADOKAWA GEMPAK STARZ OF KADOKAWA GEMPAK STARZ Kadokawa Gempak Starz (traded as Gempak Starz , formerly Art Square Group ) is a publisher of graphic novels , comics , and manga owned byKadokawa C or p or at i on . O r i g i n a l ly e s t abl i s h e d a s L aw a k i n 1 9 7 1 , t h e c omp any on c e published Gempak magazine , a magazine dedicated to showcasing local comic artists fr o m Ma l ay s i a to a wider audience. G e m p a k h a s a significant difference regarding magazines. Bangis Malaysia’s first comic magazine, offering offering news and articles about the world of ACG (Animation, Comics & Games) at home and abroad. Gempak Magazine aims to encourage the local development of such industries, facilitating the spread of Malaysian talent. The rise of Kadokawa Gempak Starz began when the comics they sold published by Keith, which was Lawak Kampus comics, received a warm response. A simple and funny four-panel comic, this comic appeals to people to read, whether young or old. They also one of the best comic company. Kadokawa Gempak Starz also adapts comics released from Japan into Malay and English. Japanese comics or manga are very popular among teenagers. They not only target customers among teenagers, they also publish books for children to learn. While reading, children also gain new knowledge. Most of the comics published by them use an anime-like drawing style. Among the most popular Malay adaptation Japanese comics is Magis Manis Coklat. This book has also been well received until now in our country Malaysia. Chris Yew as the CEO or as known as Chief Executive Officer of Kadokawa Gempak Starz has long been involved in creative advertising and multimedia industries since 1993.He have pushed for the widespread production, publication, and expansion of comics via copyright trading, animation and game creation, product design, advertising, comic book exhibitions, and much more. His led to the fostering of close relationships with international publishing companies and led Gempak Starz to join forces with Japan’s Kadokawa Corporation and be renamed Kadokawa Gempak Starz. The rising 4
T H E H I S T O R Y O F GEMPAK STARZ Gempak started on June 1, 1998, when Malaysia was trying to recover from the 1997 economic crisis . The economic crisis brought a great impact to the Malaysian comic industry. To gain a place in the Malaysian comics market, Art Square Creation combines the “infocomics” approach, which is the main formula of Gempak’s success, and the new standard format for many Malaysian comics. It took 18 months for their success to succeed without the help of other media advertisements. Starting as a monthly issue for the first three years, it has been published bi-monthly (since June 2001), with many demanding that the magazine should be released as a weekly issue. Their info-comic magazine concept has become a trend followed by many comic magazines recently, including one of Malaysia’s largest publishers, Karangkraf Sdn. Bhd., which started launching a new info-comic magazine titled Jom (they stopped the publication). Gempak’s success also resulted in the success of its publisher, Art Square Creation Sdn. Bhd., which grew into Art Square Group with three subsidiaries namely Art Square Creation Sdn. Bhd, Anjung Taipan Sdn. Bhd., and Gala Unggul Sdn. Bhd. All Art Square Group products are labeled under their own brand “GEMPAK STARZ.” Gempak , under Art Square Creation, won the Malaysian Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) award under the category of specialized magazines (2007). In December 2015, Kadokawa Corporation through its subsidiary, T H E H I S T O R Y O F GEMPAK STARZ Kadokawa Holdings Asia Ltd (KHA), acquired 80% of the shares in Malaysian Art Square Group (MSG). In line with the acquisition, MSG was rebranded to Kadokawa Gempak Starz in January 2016. 5
6 ARTIST & TEAMS There is six teams of Gempak Starz. The first team is CANDY FACTORY. This team consists of Akasumi, FooYee, Hope, Kazuaki, ManMan, Neko, Wish, and maomao. Established in 2013, dreamy educational comics aimed at female readers. Their focus is to provide their readers with a different and delightful visual experience. Current projects include the ‘Candy’ and ‘Prince’ series. The name Candy Factory was chosen to commemorate the team’s first comic series. They also one of the best team. The second team is BLACK INK. This team consists of Akito, Hau Teck, Lo Chris, Chan Jair Fong, Wilson, Xeno, Gans, and Ling. Led by XENO and SLAIUM, BLACK INK is the production team behind the ‘X-VENTURE: Primal Power’ series. The diverse talents and ideas of the individual members are the reason the ‘X-VENTURE’ series has received widespread praise. The goal of the BLACK INK team is to rouse hope and courage in their readers via the simple, basic medium of black ink used by their pens and The third team is AIR TEAM. This team consists of Choo, Yuki Chung, Komura, Chan Jair Fong, Samu, Veon, Vezill, MaoXian, Weno, Tangdou, How How, Usagi Yuu, and Mai. Under the guidance of SLAIUM and REDCODE, AIR TEAM is the production crew behind the “X-VENTURE: Dinosaur Kingdom” series. Core team members include: Choo, Yuki Chung, Komura, Chan Jair Fong, Samu, Veon and Vezill. Bursting with creativity and perseverance, the team has earned many fans who regard the “X-Venture” series as one of the best Malaysian-made children’s comics. The fourth team is SOLAR TEAM. This team consists of Yuki Chung, Little, Werewolf, Mao Xian, Weno, Tangdou, HOW HOW, Usagi Yuu, Mai, and Kumayuki. Under the experienced leadership of TADATADA, the core members of this youthful new and creative comic team are Yuki Chung, Little, and Werewolf. The fifth team is DREAMERZ. This team consists of Joey and Sora. Comprising of Joey and Sora, Dreamerz came together due to the pair’s fascination with mysterious occurrences which they would incorporate into their storylines.And lastly is SLOOW STUDIO consists of Chang Lip Wei and Liew Chek Kee Currently they are involved with the X-Venture series.
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8 Lawak THE MOST POPULAR Lawak Kampus ( Kuso High School for the English and Chinese versions) is a work by Keith (Chong Kah Hwee) and Zelo that shows the life of school teenagers in living life. Zelo , also known by his real name, Loo Yong Chen is a cartoonist from Gempak Starz under the Art Square Group who draws Kampus Jokes & Celebrity Jokes with the help of Keith . However, after 8 months Zelo worked, he had to leave Art Square in December 2003 because he wanted to continue his studies in Australia . After Zelo left the Art Square Group in December 2003, Keith continued Lawak Kampus on his own till now. As of December 2021, Lawak Kampus has 42 volumes of graphic comics in Bahasa Malaysia and is currently being edited in various languages, namely Chinese and English and the latest, Thai . Apart from the Malay version, there is also a twin of this comic, which is Kuso High School which uses English and Chinese. In 2011, Keith produced a compilation book of Lawak Kampus, namely Lawak Kampus - Kompilasi Mantap . In 2018, Lawak Kampus has reached its 15th year in the comic industry. In 2003, the debut volume was released with Zelo using a black and white format. Starting in June 2010, Keith hired Siew to color all of his comics starting with the MOVE ON volume .In 2020, when Malaysia and the rest of the world are faced with the COVID-19 epidemic , the publishers and creators of this comic are also affected. However, due to their hard work they succeeded in producing this comic even during the Malaysian Movement Control Order 2020 . As a result, the 37th volume of Lawak Kampus was published in June 2020 which tells the story of the Malaysian Movement Control Order 2020 and the 38th volume in September 2020 which tells the story of the video game that became a craze since the Malaysian Movement Control Order 2020 was implemented. Lawak Kampus Kompilasi Mantap Lawak Kampus volume 37 Lawak Kampus by Keith & Zelo
9 Kampus COMIC IN MALAYSIA! Lawak Kampus Comics features a handful of celebrities, businessmen and figures. Among them, Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC , as well as in Lawak Kampus Volume 9, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs where they both fought with each other using their brands, namely, Apple - Steve Jobs , Windows - Bill Gates (Steve Vanness is the most mischievous and lazy student in his school. He likes to waste time by sleeping in Cikgu Noodle’s class or during school holidays, surfing Facebook and playing “Monster Hunt” on his PSP together with Aditas. Although he is not very smart, but he is good at organizing strategies in simulating test time, getting an iPhone 6s Plus or a new game.He Froggy is a kind-hearted green frog, the smartest in school (apart from Genius) and belongs to the rich class. Sometimes, Froggy is also mischievous and evil as a result of being influenced by the attitudes of Vanness, Aditas, Sharkhead, Mickey, Ami, Yumi and the current society even though he is a kind person. doesn’t really like Xena and will always run away from her. In the Campus Jokes series, he also tried several ways to eliminate Xena but was unsuccessful. He would feel diligent or enthusiastic when he saw Xena. Apart from Aditas, George is also a good friend of Vanness and will help him in any problem. Vanness is also a kind person at times. He helps his friends even if the way he helps is lazy. Aditas has been Vanness’s best friend since the early days of the Campus Jokes series. Aditas is an active student in sports.Influenced by Vanness’ mischievous attitude, he is also a mischievous student at school, but worse. Sometimes, he makes a business of selling Vanness’s personal belongings with Xena for profit. Jo b s t h r e w a n a p p l e ( a p p l e ) t o w a r d s t h e Windows store(window) Bill Gates, as well as Atuk KFC (as Atuk KFG) and Uncle McDonald (as Uncle McW) also fight with each other while being watched by the public, in Lawak Kampus Volume 28 featuring the former President United States , Donald Trump who befriends Froggy and many others. VANNESS FROGGY ADITAS
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1 2 Now comic Lawak Kampus is the most successful with about 150,000 readers for each issue to date alongside entertainment comics such as Lawak Seleb, Wasabi, Playground and others. KEITH CHONG THE ARTIST OF LAWAK KAMPUS
1 3 Keith or his real name, Keith Chong Kah Hwee is a cartoonist from Gempak Starz who is popular with his works, Lawak Kampus and Wasabi. During his school days, Keith participated in several drawing competitions in addition to being the head of the Comic Club at his school.After finishing school, he continued his studies in the field of graphic design at InHouse Multimedia College in Kuala Lumpur. After graduation, he worked for a while but Keith realized that comics remained in his heart and not graphics. He then continued his studies in the field of animation at Lim Kok Wing University of Creative Technology for two years in the field of 2D Animation and then to Sheridan College, C a n a d a , m a j o r i n g i n 3 D a n i m a t i o n . After graduating, he decided to produce interesting stories through comics for interest and to fulfill his dreams. Although the comic industry in Malaysia was not yet developed at that time with only a few prominent works such as Ujang and Gila-Gila.Kadokawa’s decision to join the company Gempak Starz (Gempak Starz) in 2003, brought him to his position as one of the best comic artists in Southeast 2018 Win Best Humor Comic on MAD!! Asia Pacific Animation & Comics Awards. 2017 Win Most Outstanding Comic Artist Award on China-ASEAN Top Business Awards. 2015 Win Best 4-Panel Comic Strip untuk Asian Youth Animation & Comics Contest on Asian-Pacific Animation & Comics Association (APACA). 2014 win Gold Award for Best Comic Storyboard on 11th Oriental Animation & Comic Competition (OACC). 2012 win Golden Monkey King Award for Best Foreign Comic on 8th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF). 2011 Win Best 4-Panel Comic Strip on 2nd Malaysian Mandarin Comic Society Awards. 2009 Win Most Popular Comic on 1st Malaysian Mandarin Comic Society Awards. 2008 Win Shorei Award onJapan’s 1st International MANGA Award. 2007 Win Best Overseas Comic on 3rd Oriental Animation & Comic Competition (OACC). 2005 Win Best Multi Frame Comic Strip Finalist on 2nd Oriental Animation & Comic Competition (OACC). ACHIVEMENT KEITH CHONG
1 4 Candy Series is a series of comic books about three elementary school girls who face various challenges to go through adolescence. There are various characters known with different personalities. Their first comic book was published in March 2014 with the title "Reaching For The Stars : Friendship". This first book tells the story of the main characters, Joni and Mia, who are placed in a group with Emilia Now they have published two new books, the Candy Cuties Series and the Prince Series. The Candy Cuties series tells about the same main character as the Candy series. The difference is that their stories only use four-panel comics and are Candy for an upcoming singing competition. During the first rehearsal, Emilia walked away in a rage because she was hurt by Joni's poor singing. With Joni who is tone deaf, Mia who is shy and Emilia's hard heart makes it difficult for them to work together. This Candy series comic book is available in three language versions, the languages used are Chinese, English and Malay. Story by Kaoru and for the cartoonist part, made by Candy Factory. They consist of Akasumi, FooYee, Hope, Kazuaki, ManMan, Neko, Wish & mao00mao. drawn in chibi style. For the Prince Series book, tells the story of princes from various countries living their lives.Now the Candy Series comic has 58 volumes. They still publishing Candy Series comic book until now. (
1 5 Mia is Joni’s best friend since kindergarten. She is also skilled at handicrafts. Mia’s new look in Season 2 includes her sidelocks no longer being tied into braids and she has one portion of her hair tied in the form of a braid behind her head. Emilia is regarded as one of Sacred Hearts Primary School’s “princesses”. She is currently the class monitor of Class 6A.In Season 2 Emilia has her front bangs parted to the sides to reveal some of her forehead with the length of her hair. Series Joni is one of the main protagonists in the Candy Series. She made her debut in Reaching For The Stars: Friendship alongside Emilia and Mia. Joni is shown to be a young, petite girl with fair skin and the shortest among Mia and Emilia. The most prominent features of Joni is the freckles on her face and her coral pink hair that she kept short. Joni is always seen wearing boyish clothes as she has a strong dislike for skirts and dresses, may because it is hard for her to do any sporty things. In Season 2 Joni has adapted a more neat and feminine look with her hair being combed down to her shoulders and she starts to have her ear pierced. ( (( (
1 6 Kaoru or her real name, Liew Yee Teng is the author and the comic director of Prince Series. She is responsible to write the script of Prince Series and Candy Series. She was born in Perak on 4th February 1982. One of her works, My Secret Bodyguard was also published in WEBTOON by Kadokawa Gempak Starz. Kaoru is a Chinese female cartoonist in Malaysia. After graduating in 2001, she joined Kadokawa Gempak Starz (formerly known as Malaysian Art Square Group) as the first fulltime Chinese female cartoonist in Malaysia. Her ornate, Japanese mangainfluenced art style has won her many fans, particularly of her ‘Candy’ and ‘Prince’ series. In 2005,she became the Finalist for the Best Story Comic Golden Dragon Award in the Oriental Animation & Comic Competition. In 2009, one of her book ‘Maid Maiden’ awarded the Best Romantic Comic Award at the Malaysian Mandarin Comic Society Awards. In 2013, she Won the Best Action/Romantic Comic Award at the Malaysian Mandarin Comic Society Awards for ‘Love Drama’. 1 6 Liew Yee Teng Liew Yee Teng Awarded the Best Romantic Comic Award Prince Series volume 34 My Secret Bodyguard
1 7 Liew Yee Teng Liew Yee Teng
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