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A large original art exhibit for Ghost in the Shell that gathers in one place a variety of documents created over the series’ 25-year history began on Aug. 8 at the Seibu Ikebukuro Honten Annex 2F Seibu Gallery. Items being exhibited include materials used during the series’ production and other items you don’t normally have the chance to see. The exhibit also includes precious materials that traverse the series from the very first work to the most recent. There are over 300 items at the exhibit all chosen by series creator Masamune Shirow including digital reproductions, manuscripts, anime cels, background art, original art, DVD package art, manuscripts for the manga, and more.
The exhibit isn’t being put on as a way to better understand the series, but rather as a chance to learn about the creativity behind anime. There is a ton of content at the exhibit, but we’d like to introduce highlights related to the anime.
■ Original Art
Art used in animation consists of a layout that serves as the blueprint of the scene, original art that becomes the basis of the scene, and animation that adds subtle movements. Included at the exhibit are layouts and original art from Ghost in the Shell, the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell: Arise.
Above all, on display are many pieces of original art, which artists seldom keep on hand. The original art from the 1995 Ghost in the Shell are especially valuable. One must-see item is a memo book filled with original art that shows top animators’ pen strokes and transmits the energy from when they were created. One captivating work from the S.A.C. series is the watercolor package illustration created from start to finish by Takayuki Goto.
■ Background Art
Background art is the literal background that appears behind characters and mechanics. In anime, the characters and other things drawn by the animators are drawn separately by background specialists. Presently, the majority is done digitally, so it has become rare for a background to be fully hand-drawn on paper. The background art of the early works that include detailed pen marks and even express a sense of atmosphere are also a highlight of the exhibit. The feel of the blank paper and the energy of the colors - the world expressed within is a must-see.
■ Cel Art
Cel art is another medium that has gone by the wayside. Previously, people used to use pens and color in the celluloid sheets one by one. Now, this has switched over to digital coloring, so it no longer has any place in production. There isn’t much cel art left nowadays, and on display at the exhibit is nothing but the best chosen cel art of popular scenes from the series.
Ghost in the Shell Art Exhibition
Duration: Friday, Aug. 8 to Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014
Hours: 10:00 - 20:00
Location: Seibu Ikebukuro Honten Annex 2F Seibu Gallery
Sponsor: Ghost in the Shell Art Exhibition Executive Committee
Source: animeanime
