From Pokémon to Dragon Ball: manga exhibition in London traces evolution of multibillion-dollar genre
- Japanese manga, from its early days to today’s blockbusters, is on show in the largest exhibition outside Japan
- There is a manga for everyone, curator says, and the topics ranged from the personal to the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and the Kobe earthquake
From smashing social boundaries to chasing Pokemon, the power of Japanese manga to inspire and entertain fans around the world surges forth in a major London show that opened on Thursday.
The largest manga exhibition to be held outside Japan takes visitors to the British Museum on a journey from its roots to the multibillion dollar industry of today.
“Manga is the most popular form of storytelling today,” said the museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, at the launch of “Citi Exhibition Manga”.
Displays trace manga’s evolution from the comics and dramatic designs by famous Japanese artists such as Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) to the global phenomenon of Pokémon and the Oscar-winning animations of Studio Ghibli.
“It’s something about the engagement that makes manga special,” says Nicole Rousmaniere, curator of Japanese arts.