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Relive Maquia's Emotional Roller Coaster with 1-Year Anniversary Exhibit
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Mari Okada's directorial debut Maquia - When the Promised Flower Blooms first screened in Japanese theaters on February 24, 2018. One year later, a free exhibit in the Yurakucho Marui department store allows fans to relive the emotional highs.
The timing also commemorates the release of character designer and chief animation director Yuriko Ishii's first ever art compilation book, titled Lilium: Yuriko Ishii's Animation Works. The book officially released on March 2, but is available for purchase at the exhibit itself. Ishii also held signings for the book at the exhibit space on February 24.
Inside the exhibit, you'll find Ishii's character designs for the film on display. You'll also find a wall with the illustrations she posted on Twitter to celebrate the countdown to the film's Japanese release.
The exhibit boasts the international reach of Maquia, showing posters from the film's release in roughly a dozen different territories. The film has been released in over 20 countries. The exhibit also showed off the awards Maquia won from various international film festivals: the “Best Animation Film” award, at Shanghai International Film Festival, the L'Écran Fantastique Award for the Fantasia Film Festival 2018, and the BIFAN Children's Jury Award at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
The bulk of the exhibit consisted of screenshots and key animation frames from throughout the entire film, which couldn't be photographed. The post-credits illustration, however, could be photographed. It was even blown up and turned into a photo spot.
The exhibit also included a model of the silk-weaving machine shown in the film and a room recreating the Hibiol cloth, through which the characters weave their life stories. The silk was created by Matsui Silk Weaving, Co., which is based in the Toyama Prefecture where the film's animation studio P.A. Works is also based.
The final room showcased a wall of art boards by background art director Kazuki Higashiji.
A glass cabinet showed reference material for ease of drawing: not only was there a model gun and a model dragon, there was even a model baby for Ariel's baby scenes. A photo shows P.A. Works president Kenji Horikawa changing a baby's nappy, presumably so that the animators wouldn't have to.
In order to accurately represent a child's drawings in the film, it appears that actual children's drawings were drawn on paper and then etched onto the rocks. A reference sheet shows how the drawings were combined for the final footage.
Finally, the exhibit ended with an appreciation wall where fans could leave messages for the staff. I've been told that Horikawa reads each and every message. That inspired me to leave a message of my own just underneath that of a Japanese fan who had the exact same reaction to Maquia that I did.
The free exhibit will run from February 22 to March 10 on the 8th floor of the Yurakucho Marui department store.
Disclosure: The author of this article translated Mari Okada's autobiography From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to “anohana” and “The Anthem of the Heart” and materials for Eleven Arts' deluxe edition Bluray for Maquia - When the Promised Flower Blooms.
