British Museum Opens World’s Largest Manga Exhibition

(Photo Credit: Kyodo)

The World Of Japanese Manga Takes Over The UK

Have you ever read the manga or even been to an authentic Japanese manga shop? If so, you’ll know how extensive, creative and long some series can be, but nonetheless, they are a form of artwork, entertainment, and literature that is not to go unnoticed.

Clearly, the UK agrees as the British Museum in London has opened the world’s largest exhibition of manga outside Japan opened Thursday. The exhibition, which is roughly 1,100 square meters and will run through Aug. 26, showcases about 70 manga series from about 50 artists, including Osamu Tezuka’s “Astro Boy” and Eiichiro Oda’s “One Piece.”

Manga, which translates as “pictures run riot,” is defined as “the modern graphic art of storytelling first perfected in Japan and is now loved all over the world,” according to Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum. “Building on Japan’s centuries-old tradition, the best manga have the visual power to excite us and draw us into their world, with inventive storylines that engage our emotions.”

While exploring the exhibit, visitors will be allowed to freely read manga while also learning about its history (with roots tracing back to the 19th-century Japanese artist ­Katsushika Hokusai), its place in society and the fan culture (cosplay, fan art, etc.)

By: Maytinee Kramer