Citi Manga Exhibition
Enter a graphic world where art and storytelling collide in the largest exhibition of manga ever to take place outside of Japan.
I won’t pretend to be some sort of manga aficionado. I can probably count the number of manga I’ve read on one hand and the majority of them were, from the best anime ever, Sailor Moon. The word manga translates as ‘pictures run riot, Manga is a narrative art form that has developed from 19th century Japanese woodblock prints. Like with other books and comics, the escapism manga offers and its tendency to uplift the underdog is what makes it so appealing and what made this exhibition hard to miss.
As soon as you entered the exhibition of manga, you’re sucked into the rabbit hole. You’re taught how to read manga, from right to left, top to bottom. However, you’re not just reading but adding sound effects, imagining fight sequences, you definitely have to put in some work to enjoy manga.
The curators of this exhibition created an amazing layout, so the exhibition feels more like a journey into Japanese culture rather than just some art on a wall. The layout was very clear, you went through the history of manga, how it's drawn, who the major players were and the different genres that are known and loved like adventure, horror and sci fi etc.
Each section had examples of the manga it related to so under the Faith and Belief genre, they showed Saint Young Men written and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. Its plot involves Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, living as roommates in an apartment in Tokyo.
Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, there was a mini bookstore in the middle of the space, with all the manga you can think of! SailorMoon, Attack on Titan, One Punch Man, DragonBall Z etc, there were even QR codes so you could scan them and read them later on your phone. These books couldn't be taken but the British Museum made up for it with their gift shop, there was anything you could think of for sale, manga (obviously), plushies, figurines and sweets.
The exhibit itself was put into a giant book which was being sold for a reasonable price, it was the perfect ending, some aesthetically pleasing items for those who want something to remember the day and a manga or anime fanatic's playground.
When learning about the history of such an art form, it's difficult when it's dark side is brought up, there is a lot of controversy surrounding manga like the sexualisation of children and the gratuitous violence that they can contain. Obviously there's the argument that a lot of Western comics have similar criticisms but these issues seem to follow manga consistency, anime too. Fortunately though, there was no sign of this at the exhibition, completely family friendly and a good introduction to the world of manga. Personally, I found it an equal mix of a manga lover's paradise and an interesting day out if you were a complete newbie to it. The exhibition was laid out deliberately and beautifully so it was hard not to take photos of everything but at least there was an opportunity to learn something new on the way. I would definitely recommend heading down if you're a manga fan or if you're looking for a fun but cultural day out.
The exhibit is open till 26 August, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM at the British Museum.