A retrospective of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, known for his character designs for the anime Mobile Suit Gundam and active as a manga artist, entitled "Yoshikazu Yasuhiko," will be held at the Shibuya Shoto Museum of Art (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) from November 18th. The exhibition has also been held in Kobe, Shimane, Aomori, and Hokkaido, and will now be held in Tokyo. It will run until February 1st, 2026.
The exhibition is divided into six chapters roughly categorized by era and genre. "Chapter 1: Born in Hokkaido" looks back on his childhood in Engaru, Hokkaido, his high school years when he became interested in leftist ideology, and his university years when he threw himself into student activism. It features a manga he drew in his notebooks during his high school and university years, "The Faraway Flow of the Tahoe River," as well as the school magazine "Konmiyun." Also on display will be a "Key Points Notebook," a notebook he compiled from his junior high school class notes.
Chapter 2, Drawing Movement, looks back on his time as an animator, when he was expelled from Hirosaki University, entered the training school of Mushi Production, worked as a trainee, and then began his career as an animator. It covers works such as Space Battleship Yamato, Brave Raideen, and Invincible Super Man Zambot 3. Valuable materials such as storyboards for Space Battleship Yamato and rough sketches for posters will also be on display.
Chapter 3: The Birth of a Charismatic Animator focuses on the smash hit Mobile Suit Gundam. On display are character designs, original drawings for episodes 17 "Amuro's Escape" and 29 "Falling at Jaburo!", the duel scene between Amuro and Char in Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, rough drafts for the movie poster, and original illustrations for the soundtrack record jacket.
The MS (Mobile Suit) design was handled by Kunio Okawara, but looking at the materials on display, it is clear that Yasuhiko's ideas were adopted for the design of the Gundam's mouth, for example.
The original illustration for the laser disc (LD) jacket featuring Char will be on display for the first time in Tokyo. Previous exhibitions have only shown the paired illustration for Amuro, but now both the original illustrations for Amuro and Char will be on display.
Materials from "phantom projects" such as the never-realized OVA (original video animation) "Mikoto" will also be on display. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the much talked about composition plan for "Space Battleship Blue Noah," which was revealed at the exhibition.
Chapter 4, "As an Animator, As a Manga Artist," provides an overview of his work as an anime director, novel illustration artist, and manga artist, and displays works such as "Crusher Joe," "Giant God Gorg," "Arion," and "Venus Wars." "Giant God Gorg" is well worth a look, with a wealth of materials including early plans, settings, image boards, and layouts.
Chapter 5, "Drawing History," introduces his face as a historical manga artist, including works such as "Namuji," "Yamato Takeru," "Jeanne," "Jesus," "Rainbow Trotsky," "The Dog of the Royal Road," and "Heavenly Bloodline." "Namuji" is a manga that aims for expression through the use of shading in ink, and when you see the original drawings, you will be amazed at the delicate expression.
"Chapter 6: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Now" focuses on his current situation, where he has returned to working on anime after the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN." Materials related to the theatrical anime "Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island," which was released in 2022, are also on display.
On November 23rd, a talk entitled "From Mushi Production to the Present" will be held between Yasuhiko and director Rintaro. On the 29th, a talk entitled "May I talk about it now...?" with Yoshinori Kobayashi will also be held. The first half of the exhibition will run from November 18th to December 21st, and the second half from December 24th to February 1st, 2026. The exhibits will be changed during the period.
