Blogger Draws Crowd

Malaysian based in Japan meets manga enthusiasts on last day of vacation

KUALA LUMPUR: Popular Japan-based Malaysian blogger Danny Choo spent the last day of his vacation in the country to meet and greet fans who had gathered for a chance to get his autograph and pose for pictures.

He spent over four hours to meet the 100 over fans at the Lot 10 shopping complex yesterday evening.
Choo whose family is from Penang, was back in Malaysia for the first time in 10 years. He also exchanged name cards with them.

“It's the first time I've had har mien (prawn noodles) in over 10 years,” he said about his vacation in Malaysia.

Manga prince: Choo showing some of his collectibles after meeting his fans at Lot 10 shopping complex Sunday. - AZMAN GHANI / The Star

 

Born and raised in London, Choo made a name for himself writing about Japanese culture and anime/manga on his blog dannychoo.com, which has been featured by both the BBC and CNN.

CNN reported in 2008 that his blog received around 20 million visitors a month.
Despite the large turnout yesterday, Choo made an effort to talk with each of his fans personally.

“For me it's very important to meet every one. I like to bring people together, so that even when I'm not around, they can network with each other. I want my readers to have more opportunities in sharing subjects that we are all passionate about,” he said.

Several fans, whom Choo referred to as “comrades”, showed figurines and collectibles to Choo, who also blogs about his own collection of anime figurines.

Although he had not visited the country in a decade, Choo said Malaysia, Penang in particular, still felt very much like home.

“I only had a day trip to Penang yesterday, but I wanted to spend more time there. So, next summer, I'll be spending some more time in Penang to go to Gurney Drive, walk around Komtar and so on,” he added.

Choo, who is the son of internationally-renowned shoe designer Datuk Jimmy Choo, is also a motivational speaker, writer and chief executive officer of web development company Mirai Inc.

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By IAN YEE, ianyee@thestar.com.my