Exploring Noizi Ito Art Exhibit ‘ZENBU’!
Harajuku, the center of Japanese youth culture and one of the best places in Tokyo, attracts many tourists from home and abroad in search of kawaii culture.
From November 14 to 26, 2023, we hosted the Noizi Ito Art Exhibit 'ZENBU' at the Design Festa Gallery in this location.
We would like to introduce a part of the largest exhibition ever held, which featured more than 200 illustrations, including those from 'Shakugan no Shana' and 'Haruhi Suzumiya.'
At the entrance of the venue, a total of three illustrations—Haruhi, Shana, and an illustration created exclusively for this exhibition—were displayed in large prints on the wall. The exhibition also received numerous congratulatory flowers, creating a festive atmosphere.
It starts with a display of illustrations newly created for this exhibition. This work was inspired by Harajuku, where the exhibition was held. Harajuku is famous for its colorful sweets stores, especially crepe shops. Noizi Ito expressed her desire to use as many colors as possible and depicted a fashionable girl enjoying the Harajuku style against a backdrop of scattered sweets.
A video showing the creation process of this illustration is also available at the exhibition. When creating an illustration, the artist invests the most time in determining the composition. This valuable video provides viewers with an in-depth look at the journey to the finished illustration.
The exhibition section dedicated to illustrations from the popular 'Haruhi Suzumiya' series of light novels, which have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, features illustrations, including those from the book covers and frontispieces of each volume.
Another highlight of the exhibition is the transition of illustrations from 'Melancholy' to 'Intuition,' showcasing the artist's evolution from drawing with a sense of vigor to a closer-to-reality style.
The exhibition also showcases illustrations created for anime DVD jackets, artbooks and movies. She said that "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya the Movie" is one of her favorite movies that she has rewatched many times, and that the illustrations created for the movie are very memorable for her.
Ths acrylic work created by EDITION88, divided into three layers of a rough sketch, line drawing, and finished illustration, is also on display. Visitors can fully immerse themselves in the world of the 'Haruhi Suzumiya Series' in this section.
Next is the corner featuring 'Nanatsuiro★Drops' and cover illustrations.
The artist explains, "I use pink for special occasions when I draw."
Observing the various works throughout the exhibition, many of them are vibrant with warm colors, and the color pink seems to amplify the impact of Noizi Ito's illustrations even further.
The second floor showcases 'Shakugan no Shana,' celebrating its 20th anniversary since publication. The exhibition includes book cover illustrations, key visuals from the anime, and newly created illustrations from the art book.
The rule for book cover illustrations is to "only draw Shana without a background," resulting in creative and captivating artwork worth exploring.
She remarks, "If I had not encountered Shana, I would never have drawn weapons." Although she claims to be not particularly skilled at drawing weapons, her boldly composed illustration of Shana wielding a sword exudes overwhelming power and captivates the viewer's heart.
You can witness the evolution of her illustrations spanning the 20-year history of 'Shakugan no Shana.'
At the merchandise corner, a variety of products were available for purchase, including the new 88Graph products. Some of these products can be ordered at our online store, so please check it out if you're interested.
During the exhibition, Noizi Ito conducted a gallery talk. The talk will be uploaded to our YouTube channel soon! Please subscribe to our channel and stay tuned.
