Fans of P.A. Works may have heard of Kazuki Higashiji, the Animation Art Director behind works such as Nagi no Asukara, Angel Beats! and Charlotte. His Earth Colors exhibition took place from the 17th to 28th March at 3331 Arts Chiyoda, close to Akihabara. Being an enthusiast of his work, this was something I didn’t want to miss!
It featured the background work from six of his projects: Angel Beats!, Charlotte, Tari Tari, Hanasaku Iroha, Hanasaku Iroha the Movie: Home Sweet Home, and Nagi no Asukara. The exhibition also exhibited not only cuts from the anime themselves, but also artwork from DVD/BD covers and CDs, plus the two artworks which were created just for the exhibition.
There were a lot of beautiful pieces which were easily overlooked such as a cut from the Charlotte! OP which only shows up for a few seconds, and Earth Colors gave people a chance to appreciate these more which was why I enjoyed it so much.
Attendees could purchase the Earth Colors collection book which collates all of the artwork from the exhibition, postcards, canvases, clearfiles, compact mirrors and a tote bag. The goods are also now available for the public to buy from either the P.A. Works store or Infinite Store (book only), so you can pick up some of these limited items now! I personally bought the book as well as the Nagi no Asukara postcard set since it features my favourite pieces. You can tell that the book was lovingly put together as it has a hardcover and removable transparent slipcase. Removing the slipcase shows off the covers in full glory.
Overall I enjoyed seeing Higashiji’s beautiful work being displayed in a gallery where not only anime fans can appreciate, but also the general public. I hope we get to see more animation exhibitions like this in the future!
