Today marks the launch of the British Museum’s Manga exhibition. Members of the Turnaround Marketing team got to experience an advanced preview before its opening, and we can safely say that it’s one of the most exciting exhibitions you’ll see all year. Everything from classic shonen and shojo to sports manga (to name just a few) are covered. It’s more than a little thrilling to see original art from Turnaround titles from the likes of Kodansha, Vertical, Dark Horse and Fantagraphics on display.

If you plan to visit (and why wouldn’t you?), be sure to check out the seriously splendid gift shop too, here are some titles to look out for.

Astro Boy Omnibus
(Dark Horse Comics, p/b, £16.99 each)

Can a robot have a soul? Built by a brilliant scientist to replace his lost son, but with powers beyond imagination, Astro Boy fights for the oppressed and helpless, whether they be human, alien or robot. Exciting, whimsical and touching, Astro Boy brings back the classic era of comics and animation, with tales that readers young and old will enjoy.

Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set
(Kodansha Comics, h/b, 9781632364616, £175.00)

In 1982, Kodansha published the first chapter of Akira, a dystopian saga set in Neo-Tokyo, a city recovering from thermonuclear attack where the streets have been ceded to motorcycle gangs and the rich and powerful run dangerous experiments on destructive, supernatural powers that they cannot control. Today, it remains a touchstone for artists, writers, filmmakers, and fans, retaining all the brutal impact and narrative intensity it had when Otomo first unleashed it onto the world, and is presented here in six beautiful hardcover volumes.

Otomo: A Global Tribute To The Mind Behind Akira
(Kodansha Comics, h/b, 9781632365224, £25.00)

This 168-page collection began life as a limited-edition tribute to Otomo given only to attendees of the prestigious Angouleme International Comics Festival, where Otomo was recipient of the Grand Prize in 2015. Now it’s available to readers and collectors around the world, with additional content from a list of more than 80 fine artists, illustrators, and comics legends, including Stan Sakai, Jiro Taniguchi, Tomer and Asaf Hanuka, and many others.

Attack On Titan: Colossal Editions
(Kodansha Comics, p/b, £50.00 each)

Collecting the first twenty volumes of the phenomenally successful Attack on Titan, these are the perfect introduction to the brutal and immersive world of the Titans. In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. For the past century, what’s left of the human race has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. But how much longer can they stay hidden?

Sailor Moon Eternal Editions
(Kodansha Comics, p/b, £24.00 each)

Teenager Usagi is not the best athlete, she’s never gotten good grades, and, well, she’s a bit of a crybaby. But when she meets a talking cat, she begins a journey that will teach her she has a well of great strength just beneath the surface and the heart to inspire and stand up for her friends as Sailor Moon! Experience the Sailor Moon manga as never before in these extra-long editions (about 300 pages each).

Princess Jellyfish Volumes 1-9
(Kodansha Comics, p/b, £16.99 each)

Tsukimi Kurashita has a strange fascination with jellyfish. She’s loved them from a young age and has carried that love with her to her new life in the big city of Tokyo. There, she resides in Amamizukan, a safe-haven for girl geeks who regularly gush over a range of things from trains to Japanese dolls. However, a chance meeting at a pet shop has Tsukimi crossing paths with one of the things that the residents of Amamizukan have been desperately trying to avoid – a fashionable socialite! But there’s much more to this woman than her trendy clothes. Their odd encounter is only the beginning of a new and unexpected path for Tsukimi and her friends.

The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home Part 1-4
(Vertical, p/b, £20.99 each)

Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Overcome with loneliness she bursts into tears – but then she is rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The little kitty is whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada apartment complex… where pets are strictly not permitted.

The British Museum Manga マンガ Exhibition runs from 23 May – 26 August 2019. Tickets are available now.

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