by The first exhibition of Khara’s animation director, Maeda Mahiro, “Miscellaneous Maeda Mahiro Exhibition,” will be held at PARCO FACTORY on the 7th floor of the Ikebukuro PARCO main building in Tokyo from January 31, 2025. The exhibition will explore the unique creative trajectory of the giant of the animation world.
Maeda Mahiro is an animation director, animator, designer, and manga artist born in 1963 and is a member of Khara’s drawing department. While studying at Tokyo Zokei University, he worked as an animator on such titles as “Super Dimension Fortress Macross,” “DAICON IV OPENING ANIMATION,” and “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.” He began working at Gainax in earnest from around 1985. He is known for his work on such titles as “Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise” and “Aim for the Top! He was in charge of key animation, setting, and direction for “Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water” and other works and made his debut as an animation director with the music video for Tomoyasu Hotei’s “DANCING WITH THE MOONLIGHT.”
In 1992, he participated in the establishment of Gonzo and worked on the world’s first fully digital OVA works, “Blue No. 6” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” He joined Khara in 2012, and in the same year, he was in charge of direction, scriptwriting, image boards, storyboards, and design works for “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo”, and was in charge of concept art and design for ” Mad Max: Fury Road ” released in 2015. He was in charge of director, concept art director, storyboard, art sets, and key animation for ” Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” in 2021. He is in charge of monster design and detail works for the anime “Kaiju No. 8” which started in 2024. Recently, he has been actively involved in the design work, storyboards, and detail work for the theatrical re-release of “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX -Beginning-” in January 2025.
This “Miscellaneous Maeda Mahiro Exhibition” is Maeda’s first exhibition to commemorate the publication of the “Miscellaneous Maeda Mahiro Miscellaneous Art Book” scheduled for release on February 28. The exhibition will introduce carefully selected drawings from the vast work he has been involved in, which will be included in the art book in three dimensions. In addition to Maeda’s masterpieces such as “Blue No. 6”, the world’s first complete digital OVA work, and the TV anime “The Count of Monte Cristo,” more than 20 works will be exhibited, including the movie “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” and “Mad Max: Furiosa,” tour pamphlet illustrations for Tomoyasu Hotei, as well as valuable sketches and drawings.
This is a must-see exhibition where fans can fully trace the trajectory of Maeda Mahiro’s creativity. The exhibition will also sell a PARCO-exclusive Special Edition, “Zatsu Maeda Mahiro Miscellaneous Art Collection,” with a cover featuring a key visual explicitly drawn for the exhibition. It will also sell original merchandise commemorating the exhibition and collaboration products with GEEKS RULE. Be sure to pick one up if you visit.
The first exhibition by Maeda Mahiro, an animation director affiliated with Color, “Zatsu Maeda Mahiro Exhibition,” will be held at PARCO FACTORY on the 7th floor of the main building of Ikebukuro PARCO in Tokyo from January 31, 2025. After that, it is scheduled to travel to Nagoya PARCO and Shinsaibashi PARCO, starting from the Ikebukuro venue. For more information, please visit the official website. [Exhibition details] Title: “Miscellaneous – Maeda Masahiro” Exhibition Venue & period Friday, January 31 – Monday, February 17, 2025, PARCO FACTORY (Ikebukuro PARCO Main Building 7th Floor) 1-28-2 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo The entire building will be closed for maintenance on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Friday, May 16 – Sunday, June 8, 2025, PARCO SQUARE (Nagoya PARCO South Building 7F) 3-29-1 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Friday, July 18th – Sunday, August 3, 2025, PARCO GALLERY (Shinsaibashi PARCO 14F) 1-8-3 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture Admission fee: 1,200 yen (tax included) Free for preschoolers Organizer: PARCO Planning: Carta + map Production cooperation: khara Inc., Diamond Head Inc. Business days and times are subject to change. For details, please check the Ikebukuro PARCO website.
Information on tours at Nagoya PARCO and Shinsaibashi PARCO will be announced on PARCO ART from time to time. The plan’s contents are subject to change without notice. If the Ikebukuro venue is expected to be crowded, information on how to enter will be provided on the official PARCO ART and PARCO FACTORY X accounts.
