Attack on Titan Art Exhibition - Attack on Titan
The original Attack on Titan manga written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, and the [Attack on Titan] anime series produced by Wit Studio has increased in popularity over the years since its first release. The original manga currently consists of 30 volumes and has been published in 18 languages in over 180 countries.
As a tribute to the series Attack on Titan, which was originally planned to come to an end in 2020, the Attack on Titan art exhibition was created and was held from July 5th to September 8th, 2019 at the MORI Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo. Additionally, the exhibition would later travel to Osaka to be displayed in Hirakata Park from September 21 to December 1, 2019. The exhibition was officially named “Attack on Titan Exhibition Final Exhibition - THIS IS YOUR STORY-”.
Visitors to the exhibition could enjoy artfully constructed galleries of manga artwork and three audio-visual tours that revolved around the Attack on Titan series. In addition, Isayama visited the location and held an autograph session at the venue. In 2014, there was a similar Attack on Titan exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo where more than 250,000 visitors attended.
The exhibition contained artwork from the latest story of the manga series. For visitors that had only watched the anime up until that point, it was said that the exhibition was rather spoiler heavy, as it contained explanations and artwork based on Titans that had yet to be unveiled in the anime. More in-depth art about the Marley Arc and the War for Paradis Arc was also at the exhibition, two arcs that has only been covered in the manga at that point.
Location
The Attack on Titan Final Exhibition was held at the MORI Arts Center Gallery, in Tokyo. The exhibition was open seven days a week from 10am to 8pm in the evening. The last call for admission ended at 7pm. The closest train station to the MORI Arts Center Gallery was Roppongi station, as it is on both the Hibiya and Oedo subway lines. The admission fees to get into the gallery were 2,000 yen for adults, 1,500 for high school students and 1,000 yen for children 4-years-old to elementary school age.
Sections of the Exhibition
This exhibition was divided into a variety of different sections that each had a different focus that allowed visitors to step into the universe of Attack on Titan. Here are some of the divided sections below:
Humanity’s Choice Exhibition
At the entrance of the exhibition, visitors are asked to choose one of two paths available to them. One path leads them inside the Wall while the other goes beyond it. Depending on which option the visitor chooses, the route of the gallery will change. They were only allowed to only choose one path, which, in a way, aligns with some of the themes of Attack on Titan, making them just like a character in the story and allowing them to choose which world they want to belong to.
When the visitor first enters the exhibition, they are met by some cut-out Titans that swarm the rooms ahead. There were also several panels with explanations of the series. The panels and audio commentary of the exhibition were only available in Japanese.
Attack On Titan’s World Reconstructed
After progressing deeper into the exhibition, visitors would enter into a large customized room that aimed to recreate the world of Attack on Titan by using life-sized dioramas and a 20-meter screen. Guests could hear the screams of people as they fought against the Titans and they could observe the course of the battle right before their own eyes. Rubble and broken gear was strewn all around the room, creating a form of media that combines both 2D video and 3D art. The video shows giant figures frozen in combat, followed by a frantic escalation of the images of the battle that is also accompanied by the howls of Titans and spectacular music from the anime.
Last Chapter’s Final Sound
In this room, guests could hear the sound of the series’ final chapter, which the author Hajime Isayama is currently building on.
Art Pieces From Entire Series
In these large rooms, the visitors could see over 180 pieces of artwork drawn by Hajime Isayama, including also some original drawings that were not used in the manga series. There were many rough preliminary sketches that showed the basics of images that later appeared in the manga. At the end of the exhibit, a video of an interview with Isayama was shown. In this video, Isayama states that he still keeps all of the Attack on Titan storyboards that he created and might even like to be buried with them. Besides, Isayama points out that he wants his story to “hurt” his fans, possibly foreshadowing that the end of the story might not be a happy ending.
Character Voice Guides
The visitor can also listen to audio recordings done by the voice cast from the anime adaptation that helps guide guests through the exhibition. These recordings are all done in-character. Some of the voices that can be heard include: Eren (Yuki Kaji), Mikasa (Yui Ishikawa), Armin (Marina Inoue), Erwin, Hange and Levi (Hiroshi Kamiya).
Merchandise
At the end of the exhibition, the visitor can buy exclusive items created exclusively for the exhibition. It includes shopping bags, T-shirts, pouches, towels, and sweets.