New Manga Museum … Maybe

The government of Japan is on the verge of establishing a national “Manga Museum” celebrating manga (comicbooks or “graphic novels”), anime (animated films and videos), video games and technology art. The proposed new National Center for Media Arts would be built in Tokyo by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, bunkachō).

There are indications that Tokyo’s prestigious Meiji University plans to open an amine/manga museum, but it is unclear whether the new government effort is in aid of the Meiji U project or would supplant or compete with it.

There are  already manga and anime museums in Japan. TheKyoto International Manga Museum is associated with Kyoto Seika University (which has a Faculty of Manga Art), and has become a  popular tourist attraction. The Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum near Osaka celebrates the work of  the artist and animator best know in the U.S. for “Astro Boy,” cartoons are king at the Suginami Animation Museum, Toei Animation (famous for “Sailor Moon” ) has a public gallery, and the Nagai Katsuichi Manga Museum in Shigama exhibits materials from the influential alternative magazine Garo.

 

Image (Portrait of a Manga Beauty, after Chikanobu Toyohara, Neitram, and Tobias Oelgarte) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here.Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Tags: animation, anime, art, comics, Japan, manga, museums