"Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP" Report & Ticket Giveaway

TEXT: Akiko Inoue PHOTO: Masamasa Nishino Published on 2015.12.16

The long-awaited "Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP" opens in the Tokyo metropolitan area!

Eguchi Hisashi is known as a manga artist and illustrator. In 2015, he has been busy compiling his 38 years of work since his debut, with the publication of "KING OF POP Eguchi Hisashi Complete Illustration Collection," a compilation of all his illustrations to date, and numerous solo exhibitions. Eguchi's large-scale solo exhibition in the Tokyo metropolitan area, "Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP," opened at Kawasaki City Museum on Saturday, December 5th, and the opening ceremony held the day before was attended by many people involved and reporters.

Professor Eguchi Hisashi giving a speech at the opening ceremony

In his speech at the ceremony, Eguchi-sensei commented with a smile on his face about the somewhat odd number of years, "38th anniversary ," saying, "Normally, we'd do it on the 40th or 50th anniversary, but with something like this, I'd say it's odd, so I guess that's appropriate (laughs)." He also explained that the active activities he's been carrying out this year also serve as a final accounting of his career as an artist before his 60th birthday next year.

The "Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP" opened with the kind words from the artist, "I want to continue drawing as long as my physical strength allows." Let's report on the state of the venue. (There will also be a ticket giveaway at the end of the article!)

Is Eguchi Sensei the model for the pose?!

As soon as you step inside the venue, you'll be greeted by a dazzling array of colorful artworks. The illustrations near the entrance range from recent works such as an advertisement for the soft drink MATCH, in which Hirose Suzu looks just like her, to nostalgic 90s Denny's menu items, and you'll immediately feel their timeless appeal that resonates with a wide range of generations. The 90s fashion on the Denny's menu in particular is so cute that even post-Olive girls will want to see it!

Illustration for the menu of the family restaurant Denny's

Among the works, the most eye-catching is 2 COW GIRLS, which is also used in the flyer image. This is painted in the same composition as the silkscreen painting of Elvis Presley by American pop artist Andy Warhol, but in fact, the artist himself posed in front of a mirror to paint it. He revealed to the press that he was the model.

Eguchi-sensei reveals that he was the model for the pose

The "Hibari-kun" doll will be released soon!!

Although the series ended before it was finished, the complete edition of "Stop!! Hibari-kun!", a representative work from the 80s, was released in 2010 for the first time in 27 years, and became a hot topic. In addition to original drawings, there are also plenty of figures and other exhibits. This is the "white crocodile" that frequently appears in Eguchi's works, as he was plagued by the conflict of not being able to complete a perfect manuscript by the deadline at the time.

Also making an early appearance was the "Hibari-kun" doll, which is scheduled for release in 2016!
As you know, "Hibari-kun" is a high school boy who is cuter than girls. Am I the only one who is curious about what's under the clothes of this doll?

Hibari-kun doll scheduled for release in 2016

How to draw a woman's nose - a process that changes with the times

In this exhibition, we must not forget the joy of seeing the changes in Eguchi-sensei's style. Of course, there are obvious changes from his early manga work "Go! Pirates," but we would also like to draw attention to the subtle but significant change in the way he draws women's "nose," which has a big impact on the impression. Eguchi-sensei is the first person to popularize the drawing of "cute girls even with nostrils" by overturning the common sense of the manga world at the time, where drawing nostrils tended to be a "symbol of ugliness." Please take a look at the "nose" drawn with minimal lines, which he arrived at through trial and error.

Left: "Stop!! Hibari-kun!" (1980s) original drawing Right: "PERFECT BLUE" (1997) character design

In addition, the exhibition will feature the familiar Pantone color specifications and original drawings with handwritten instructions, and other items that fans will only be able to see on this occasion, making it a must-see.

Take this opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Eguchi Hisashi, the KING OF POP who has dominated all aspects of pop culture including manga, magazines, music, and literature.

There will also be can't-miss content such as "Across the Archipelago! 5-Minute Sketch LIVE"!

Related projects held during the exhibition period include a respectful talk with Chiba Tetsuya, the author of "Ashita no Joe" ( now finished ), a live sketch show "Across the Japanese Archipelago! 5-Minute Sketch Live Kawasaki Edition" (January 16th (Sat) and 24th (Sun)), where Eguchi will draw portraits of visitors, and many more. In addition, as a project unique to the Kawasaki City Museum, which also has a video facility, there will be screenings of video materials that you may want to watch along with the exhibition, such as "Roujin Z" and "PERFECT BLUE," for which Eguchi was responsible for the original character designs, and the anime film of the same name, which was made into a movie based on the manga "Age." (*This is a separate fee from the exhibition.)

Left: From "PERFECT BLUE" ©1997 MADHOUSE
Right: From “Old Man Z” ⓒ1991 TOKYO THEATRES CO.,INC. /KADOKAWA SHOTEN PUBLISHING CO.,LTD./ MOVIC CO.,LTD./TV Asahi/Aniplex Inc.

"Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP" is packed with a lot of attractive content. If you are scratching your head and wondering "How many times do I need to visit the venue...", don't miss out on the ticket giveaway at the end of this article!

Ticket giveaway

This recruitment has ended.
We will give away tickets to "Eguchi Hisashi Exhibition KING OF POP" to 5 groups of 10 people. Please read the application guidelines below before applying.

Application Deadline: Sunday, December 20th
Application address: info.magcul(at)gmail.com
*Please change (at) to @ when sending.

□Please apply by email with the following information:
1) Please be sure to write "KOP Exhibition" in the subject line.
2) Please include the representative's name, phone number, and address in the body of the email.

*The lottery results will be notified when the invitation tickets are sent out.
*Personal information provided will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.

Scene from the venue