JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles Presents North America Debut Of This Is MANGA – The Art Of NAOKI URASAWA

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles will showcase "This is MANGA - The Art of NAOKI URASAWA," a complimentary exhibit by internationally acclaimed Japanese manga artist, Naoki Urasawa, now through March 28. The retrospective exhibition introduces more than 400 original drawings and storyboards, selected stories from seven of his major works, and delivers four consecutive YAWARA! stories every other week replicating the weekly serial style of many Japanese comic anthologies. Selling over 127 million copies in Japan alone, Urasawa's dynamic storytelling captivates a global audience as his works are published in more than 20 countries. Continuing to garner international popularity, the award-winning artist was recently nominated by Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) for the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2019. Final Hall of Fame inductees will be announced this summer.

Since his professional debut in 1983, Urasawa has continually pushed the limits of the manga medium, engaging readers with innovative compositional techniques and versatile drawing prowess, as he creates works that are both introspective and philosophical. One of the core qualities of Urasawa's work is the skill with which he weaves social context and detailed cultural settings into his narratives. Many of his stories connect personal dramas to a specific moment in human history, and illustrate how overarching social and historical forces influence the actions of his characters. His stories touch upon the hopes, dreams, and underlying fears of humanity. The exhibition introduces manga, a Japanese comic style --which is a fusion of story and artwork, evolving from picture book styles developed in the late 19th century --directly through Urasawa's manga including his original hand-drawn storyboards from inception through development. The selected stories from seven of his major works highlight the breadth of the artist's narrative styles, including: YAWARA!, MONSTER, 20th Century Boys, PLUTO (story by Osamu Tezuka, co-authored by Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions), BILLY BAT (story co-creator: Takashi Nagasaki), MASTER KEATON ReMASTER (story by Takashi Nagasaki), and MUJIRUSHI (The Sign of Dreams, with the cooperation of Fujio Productions). A special reading area stocked with full, published English translations turns the exhibition visit into a Japanese cultural experience.

Related Programs
JAPAN HOUSE offers interactive drawing workshops complementing the North American debut of the "This is MANGA - The Art of NAOKI URASAWA" exhibition with Los Angeles-based animator and illustrator, MinoMiyabi, for all ages. Information to be released soon on www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles.

• Compositions & Panel Layouts: "Koma-Wari" for Manga & Comics (February 9)
• "Chara-Cature!" Your Caricature as a Manga Character (February 9)
• Character Drawing for Kids! (March 2)
• Elements of Character Designs for Manga & Comics (March 2)

"This is MANGA - the Art of NAOKI URASAWA" is presented and organized by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and The Yomiuri Shimbun; sponsored by Shimizu Octo; made possible in cooperation with N WOOD STUDIO, SHOGAKUKAN, KODANSHA, POMATO PRO., Yamato Global Logistics Japan, ANA, Bay Bridge Studio, AGASUS and VIZ Media; special assistance provided by Takashi Nagasaki, Kazuya Kudo, Hokusei Katsushika, Tezuka Productions Co. and Fujio Productions; art direction by Kaitaro Kiuchi (POMATO PRO.); curatorial support provided by Stéphane Beaujean (Art Director of the Angoulême International Comics Festival)

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