A special exhibition devoted to manga illustrator Takeshi Obata, best known for “Hikaru no Go,” “Death Note,” “Bakuman.” and other hits published in the Weekly Shonen Jump comic anthology, is currently running in Tokyo.
Celebrating 30 years of his career, the art event, titled “Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete,” kicked off at the 3331 Arts Chiyoda cultural complex in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on July 13.
“I’m more surprised than anybody else that I have been able to work for this long in Jump, where you must produce results,” Obata said. “The greatest luck was that I came across good original works.”
The exhibition showcases about 500 pieces of manga manuscripts and rough sketches used for his works, spanning from his first serial that started in 1989, “Cyborg Ji-Chan G,” to his latest series currently running in the Jump Square comic anthology, “Platinum End.” Other exhibits include original illustrations exclusively drawn for the exhibition and the first 10 pages of a new one-shot comic of “Death Note.” The much-anticipated episode will be added with more manuscripts as the exhibition goes on to tour in Niigata and Osaka. All the draft storyboards are available for viewing on the Shonen Jump+ mobile app.
The exhibition runs until Aug. 12. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is 1,500 yen ($13.80) for adults.
For more information, visit the official website at (nevercomplete.jp/).