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Sgt. Frog Manga Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Shibuya Tower Records Exhibit
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Acclaimed comedy manga Sgt. Frog has been celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special exhibit in Shibuya Tower Records. Called "Keroro Exhibition IN AREA 428," the exhibit will display around 150 pieces of original artwork from the series, as well as tribute artwork from 20 famous artists, including Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Rumiko Takahashi.
Sgt. Frog manga artist Mine Yoshizaki thanked his fans and left an amusing message for visitors: “Before I knew it, 20 years has passed since I started drawing Sgt. Frog. By this stage, some of you may have realized that after being around for 20 years, the question of whether the aliens have succeeded or failed in their invasion plan is moot. In that case, I ask you to pretend that you haven't realized.”
The exhibit itself was divided into several areas. The first area shows off plenty of examples of Yoshizaki's original artwork and manga pages.
The “Movie Area” shows off the design materials for the Sgt. Frog films.
The “New Members Area” shows off the unique and quirky alien designs from the Keroro Land magazine. Keroro Land is a spinoff magazine for the series aimed at children; it has a section where children can send in drawings of their own Keronian creations and the winning entries are drawn by Mine Yoshizaki.
There is also an unmarked section showing off some of some of Yoshizaki's collaboration art for various Sega game series, like Sonic the Hedgehog and Virtua Fighter.
Yoshizaki also drew art encouraging people to visit the Kumamoto Prefecture, in support of the Kumamoto Project. (Yoshizaki spent part of his childhood growing up in the Kumamoto Prefecture.)
Finally, a glass cabinet in the middle of the exhibit showed off some of the creative merchandise that has been made for Sgt. Frog over the years, including Keroro Robo model kits, rubik's cubes, and a saucepan.
Some parts of the exhibit could not be shown in this article. A video of Yoshizaki's drawing process was playing on a screen in the exhibit next to various trailers and music videos from the Sgt. Frog anime adaptation. In addition, a gallery of tribute art from various manga artists and illustrators was also on display at the exhibit. Anime News Network was not permitted to publish these illustrations, although they can be seen in a tribute book that can be purchased at the exhibit.
The "Keroro Exhibition IN AREA 428" will run from August 10 to September 2. Entry costs 1000 yen, however pre-schoolers can enter for free.
