MANILA, AUGUST 18, 2011: With more than 100 million titles published per year, the Japanese equivalent of a comic book – manga– has definitely reached phenomenal status, not just in Japan but in various regions of the world. The craze reached Philippine shores recently as Ayala Museum debuted “Manga Realities: Exploring the Art of Japanese Manga Today.”
Through the exhibit, anime and manga aficionados will get a chance to experience the magical genre in full-3D glory – complete with a gallery set-up that adds to the artistry of distinct manga artists. Paintings and original sketches straight from the mangaka‘s (manga author) desk were also put on display, giving visitors a peek at what goes on as the author skippers from penciling to publishing their fabled tales.
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Nodame Cantabile and Beck, as seen in the exhibit.
Among the works featured were Asano Ino’s Solanin, Anno Moyoco’s Sugar Sugar Rune, Igarashi Daisuke’s Children of the Sea, Kuramochi Fusako’s Five Minute’s from the Station, Kyo Machiko’s Sennen-Gaho, and Matsumoto Taiyo’s The World God only knows.
Philippine favorites Nodame Cantabile by Tomoko Ninomiya, and Beck: Mongolian Chopsquad by Harold Sakuishi were also featured for the enjoyment of local audiences who have followed animated and live drama adaptations of the said titles. Nodame, for instance, has been broadcast in the Philippines and was dubbed in Filipino by GMA 7 a few years back.
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Curator Mizuki at the Children of the Sea exhibit.
Curated by Takahashi Mizuki, the exhibit explores various aspects of Japanese comic books by putting some of the genre’s most renowned titles on display. “This is but a tiny part of the entire Japanese culture as reflected in the manga world,” says Mizuki, referring to the select titles.
While nostalgic and glorious in execution, the exhibit was actually a challenge to put up. Apparently, most manga artists are not allowed to engage in such time-consuming activities, as advised by their publishers. “Publishers in Japan want them to concentrate on drawing and beating deadlines. It’s very hard to obtain permission but we’re glad we were still able to present these outstanding works somehow,” says Mizuki.
The exhibit will run from August 16 to October 02, 2011, marking the final stop for the show that has run in a number of countries across the world. Workshops will also be conducted for attendees who drop by on certain dates. Manga Realities is co-sponsored by Lyric Piano Organ, Acer Philippines, Mitsubishi Corporation and Via Mare.
