The SMA's influence extends beyond print. An ambitious project, the live-action film was created as a wordless omnibus movie. Directed by legendary manga artist Tsukasa Hojo, the film adapts several winning stories from the Silent Manga Audition into short segments, seamlessly woven together with a prologue and epilogue. This demonstrates the dynamic potential of silent storytelling across different media.
: Without language barriers, stories naturally focus on shared human experiences like love, grief, ambition, and resilience. What to Expect in the New Omnibus 2
This latest collection is part of a series born from the SILENT MANGA AUDITION® , the world’s largest international manga competition. Organized by COAMIX Inc. , the contest challenges artists to convey complex themes like joy, fear, and love through purely visual sequences.
One of the most compelling aspects of Volume 2 is its international roster. While the book adheres to the layout conventions of Japanese manga (reading right-to-left), the art styles reflect the global backgrounds of the contributors.
There is a moment in the final story of the omnibus, "The Departure," where a father waves goodbye to his daughter at a train station. As the train pulls away, he lowers his hand. The final panel is just his shadow on the platform, growing longer. There is no "I love you." No "Goodbye." But you feel it in your chest.