Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum Hosts Neon Genesis Evangelion Exhibit

From June 29 to October 22, 2012, The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum (宝塚市立手塚治虫記念館) exhibits the highly popular yet controversial Japanese media franchise that rocked the whole world.

Directed by Hideaki Anno (庵野 秀明) and produced by Gainax Company Limited (株式会社ガイナックス), Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン) is an apocalyptic mecha themed anime/manga franchise that began in 1995. With its apocalyptic mecha theme, Neon Genesis Evangelion garnered fans around the world with its story: teenagers were chosen to fight for NERV against creatures called Angels using humanoid robots called Evangelions. These young pilots were each called First Child, Second Child, Third Child (Children in Japanese) respectively.

The exhibit shows a complete feast for the eyes for the visitors: Life-size statues of the characters can be seen in the main room together with Third Child Shinji Ikari’s (碇 シンジ) Evangelion Unit 01, a diorama of the fictional Tokyo 3 in which the anime and manga were set, replicas of the costumes, a complete collection of the manga and even a rare Neon Genesis Evangelion electric guitar!

Located in Takarazuka City, Hyoga Prefecture, The Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum was inagurated on April 25, 1994. The museum is a three-storey building erected in memory of the Godfather of Anime, Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫). Tezuka was raised in Takarazuka City, Hyoga Prefecture.

Fans of this Japanese cult classic can head on to the second floor of the museum where they will be greeted by a poster of First Child Rei Ayanami (綾波 レイ) at the entrance. For more information on the Neon Genesis Evangelion exhibit, please visit the official Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum website.