Exploring the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary Exhibition
In 2012, the anime world saw a new addition to the annals of great animation studios. That studio was none other than MAPPA. While its beginnings were humble, with its involvement with Kids on the Slope and Teekyū, the Studio has gone on to be involved in several popular and beloved anime series. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, MAPPA is looking back on its history with the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary exhibition at the Yurakucho Museum in Tokyo. ANN had the chance to experience the highlights of the exhibition's first round.
Outside the Yurakucho Museum, two giant Posters announcing the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary exhibition were on display. Both encapsulate the experience awaiting guests at the exhibition.
The entrance of the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary exhibition was deceptive, only featuring a large green placard with the title of the exhibition and the tagline “Right beside the story” (物語のすぐそばへ Monogatari no sugusoba e). However, the atrium leading to the exhibition proper will make any MAPPA fan excited to journey through. Featuring a wall of monitors, fans are greeted with clips from several MAPPA works.
The exhibition opens with a highlight of several works MAPPA has been involved in since its opening in 2012. While each display is on the smaller side, they capture the essence of the 20 series displayed. The series include Kids on the Slope, Teekyū, Terror in Resonance, Yuri!!! on Ice, In This Corner of the World, the Ranma 1/2 remake series, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, Lazarus, Gekijōban Inazuma Eleven: Aratanaru Eiyū-tachi no Joshō, Oblivion Battery, Bucchigiri?!, Vinland Saga Season 2, Kakegurui, Banana Fish, maboroshi, ZENSHU., The Rose of Versailles feature-length film, Dorohedoro, Hell's Paradise, and Zombie Land Saga.
The main dish for the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary was yet to come, though. The first work to receive a dedicated area was none other than the massively popular anime series Attack on Titan. Or rather, Attack on Titan: The Final Season. The exhibition area is filled to the brim with key art, character design art, background art, and the pièce de resistance, a large model of The Rumbling.
With the excitement of Attack on Titan coursing through any fans' veins at this point, the next section featuring Jujutsu Kaisen will take that excitement to the next level. Much like the Attack on Titan: The Final Season, the Jujutsu Kaisen section of the exhibition featured key art, character design art, backgrounds, and storyboards. While those are all fun to look at, the replica of the series protagonist, Yūji Itadori, riding a train and Satoru Gojō's room are sure to remain in fans' minds.
If two large exhibition areas weren't enough for MAPPA fans, the MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary exhibition had one more surprise. An exhibition area of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. The entrance of the previous two exhibition areas opened with an image of the respective series; Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc went with a bang, with the titular character breaking through the wall. Again, one can get lost in the key art and character design art from the film. But the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc section of the exhibition is dotted with stunning recreations of the phone booth where Denji and Reze meet, a life-size statue of Reze as Bomb Girl, and a few images of what can be thought of as the series mascot, Pochita.
The MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary exhibition is an exciting experience for MAPPA fans of all ages. Even Digger star Tom Cruise (Top Gun, The Last Samurai, A Few Good Men) and director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Birdman, The Revenant) found great pleasure exploring the exhibition. And if that isn't a stamp of approval, I don't know what is.
The MAPPA Expo 15th Anniversary exhibition is taking place at the Yurakucho Museum in Tokyo between September 16 and December 27. The exhibition will also travel to Fukuoka between January and March 2027.
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