As we move closer to the second annual Middle East Film & Comic Convention (MEFCC) based in Dubai, we went looking for new voices whose passion for anime and comics inspires us. Feras Al Omireen, Saudi producer and writer of the Arabic manga ‘ENIOS’, is a great example of the talent residing in the Gulf region. He took time out of his hectic schedule preparing to take ‘ENIOS’ to MEFCC to answer some questions for us.

DFI: What made you start with Anime?
Feras Al Omireen: Imagination. Anime is one of the few medium that allow us to express our imagination in a way that has no limits, Since I was a kid I was known for being ‘that dreamer guy’. Before long those dreams were translated into drawings and I found that the anime style fits me best.

DFI: What is ‘ENIOS’?
FO: ‘ENIOS’ is a saga that starts in different eras, spinning through a thousand years of time across the past, the present and the future. Readers will encounter a very deep story in which they have to link all the events together to reach the true ending. As a manga, ‘ENIOS’ started seven years ago when I first came up with the idea of the Wielders, who are honourable men and women who have unique weapons that grant them the power to manipulate a primal energy called the Magica. Everything in ‘ENIOS’ is about these Wielders and how they found these weapons – and for that to be discovered, readers have to dig into the past and what will happen in the future to interpret the secrets behind ‘ENIOS’ – which, by the way, is a made-up title that has a secret meaning in it.

ENIOS

DFI: In your experience, do you think anime has a big audience in the Gulf region?
FO: Through the years I have noticed a wildfire spread of the anime culture in the Gulf region. A lot of my friends who I never would have thought would be interested in the anime culture are now even bigger fans than I am. So, yes, I can say anime culture in the region is booming. It is time for everyone to go there, try it, and express themselves through it.

DFI: What are the themes and topics behind ‘ENIOS’?
FO: ‘ENIOS’ has always been about three themes: the strength to protect those you hold dear; the strong weapon of knowing history; and the need to enforce justice. ‘ENIOS’ starts in a city called Velesia, the only surviving city in the world. Everyone lives there together, there are no different races, no colours, no blood-trees – only one city where all humans live. All the meanings I am seeking to feed through my story will come from this basic idea: everything starts in Velesia, and eveything ends there.

DFI: Who inspires you in the world of anime?
FO: Definitely Hiromu Arakawa, the mangaka behind ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ – she is the reason I started, and even my style is very similar to hers.

DFI: Who are some of the great animators in the Gulf?
FO: Alter-Ego is a company starting up in the UAE. They are working on the first-ever Arabic anime, entitled ‘Torkaizer’. They are definitely a power in this industry.