#oei

If you have the chance to see the Manga Hokusai Manga exhibit currently at Japan Foundation jftor.org (extended to Sept 4 due to COVID-19, free with limited # of tickets each day), I highly recommend! So worth it if you're into Japanese art/culture and history of sequential art.

It has an overview of the legendary Hokusai's work and his famous Hokusai Manga, and integrates ukiyo-e prints, art/comics by contemporary artists, animation and even some miniatures. Highlights include depictions of Hokusai, his contemporary Kuniyoshi, and his daughter Oei (some works attributed to Hokusai are believed to actually be by her) in manga and anime. (The large panel takes on them in the photos on insta are by Sawa Sakura!) There was so much I loved, it's hard to narrow down favourites. But two that stood out to me: the "Lines" panels (super inspiring!), and a "triptych" featuring 3 Hokusai-inspired comics created specially for this exhibit by Okadaya Tetuzoh (Sen), Ichikawa Haruko (Houseki no Kuni/Land of the Lustrous), and Yokoyama Yuichi (Garden). The three artists have totally different styles, and it was very cool to see the drawing detail up close and to compare/contrast their works. The three stories actually made a very natural and brilliant progression, IMO. I was also very excited that the work of many women creators was quite prominent throughout!