Exhibition on Mangaka Go Nagai Held at Tokiwaso Manga Museum in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:29 JST, April 13, 2023

A special exhibition on manga artist Go Nagai is underway at the Toshima City Tokiwaso Manga Museum in Toshima Ward, Tokyo.

The exhibition was organized to commemorate the anniversary of Devilman, which depicts the clash between humans and demons, as well as Mazinger Z, which became the prototype for giant robot anime. Both titles celebrated their 50th anniversary last year.

“I’m pleased to be able to hold my exhibition at the birthplace of manga culture,” Nagai, 77, said at a preview held on April 7.

Although Nagai was born in Ishikawa Prefecture, he has close ties to Toshima Ward. He attended elementary and junior high schools in the ward, and worked as an assistant to legendary mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori (1938-98), who lived at Tokiwaso where many popular manga artists resided. After his debut in 1967, Nagai established a manga production company in the ward.

The exhibition will feature a total of 118 original drawings and manuscripts during the period of the exhibition through July 30, with Devilman featured until May 28 and Mazinger Z from June 3 to July 30. Talk sessions with Nagai will be held twice during the exhibition.

At a press conference on April 7, Nagai recalled the days he immersed himself in drawing manga with hardly any sleep or food, saying, “I almost collapsed many times while drawing Devilman.”

He also said that he had been in contact with the manga artists who used to live in the Tokiwaso apartment outside of work, drinking with them. Holding the special exhibition allows him to “again realize that I’m following in the footsteps of my teachers [senior manga artists] and advancing on the path of manga,” he added.

The exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the entrance gate closed at 5:30 p.m. Admission is ¥500 for adults and ¥100 for elementary and junior high school students. The museum is open every day except Monday, but will close Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The museum will also be closed from May 29 to June 2.