50 Years of Shaft Works in One Exhibition: Exploring the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition

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There are very few animation studios in Japan that can claim to have reached the prestigious 50th anniversary milestone. And now, renowned studio SHAFT can claim its place among the pentagenarian animation studios. As part of the studio's Golden Jubilee celebration, it has launched the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition on the 6th and 9th floors of Mixalive Tokyo. An exhibit of the studio's 50-year history, the Exhibition is home to displays of key art, storyboards, storyboard notes, and other fun little items. ANN was invited to the premiere to check out the exhibitions at the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition.

Entering the exhibition, fans of Shaft are treated to a recreation of the exhibition's key visual by Bakemonogatari franchise character designer Akio Watanabe, using pop-up stands. It's a wonderful opening piece and gives a different sort of depth to the key visual.

The SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition opens in four main exhibition areas. The first area begins with a brief history of Shaft and some of the early works the studio was involved with. Notable works include finishing animation work on Mobile Suit Gundam, Doraemon, Touch, and City Hunter 2 and serving on the production committee of anime series such as Hitotsuboshi-ke no Ultra Baa-san, Pasokon Travel Tanteidan, Serendipity the Pink Dragon, and Mori no Tonttu-tachi. The section also examines popular works Shaft was involved with between 1975 and 2000. Only a small selection of animation cells and key art is displayed.

It's not until the turn of the millennium that Shaft began its run of popular anime series, starting with 2001's Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden. Highlighting series such as Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden, Popotan, Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase-, Pani Poni Dash!, Negima!, Hidamari Sketch, Kino no Tabi - the Beautiful World, REC, ef: a tale of melodies, Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, Maria Holic, Natsu no Arashi!, and Arakawa Under the Bridge, fans are treated to a primer on each series and a selection of key art and storyboards.

One of Shaft's first major original anime successes is 2011s Puella Magi Madoka Magica. And the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition does not disappoint with the presentation of the franchise. Dedicating an entire section to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the section features a large display of Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi and art pieces featuring Madoka, Homura, Sayaka Miki, and Mami Tomoe. Displayed throughout the section are key art from around the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise.

Shaft did not rest on its laurels with the success of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The animation studio found major success with the Monogatari series starting in 2009. Opening with a large display of the Monogatari franchise and posters from the 11 series, it gets you into the mood of Monogatari from the get-go. Inside the Monogatari section, fans are surrounded by key art, storyboards, and storyboard notes from across the franchise.

The Monogatari section of the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition ends with two small displays of Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregoto Tsukai and Pretty Boy Detective Club. However, unlike the previous displays, the small section includes an interactive animation flipbook and an opening animation full storyboard for Pretty Boy Detective Club.

There is a small interlude between the Monogatari exhibition and the final exhibition at the SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition, as guests are ushered to a separate section of the venue, the ninth floor. However, guests to the exhibit aren't left wanting as the stairs to the ninth-floor showcase anime posters of Shaft productions.

The Mixalive ninth-floor SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition features Shaft works from the 2010s and beyond. Starting with Nisekoi, the exhibit weaves through March comes in like a lion, Luminous Witches, Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?, Assault Lily Bouquet, Fate/Extra Last Encore, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof, Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising, and the Virgin Punk film series, the exhibit offers a peek behind the productions with key art and storyboards.

The SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition ends with a short video featuring characters from Shaft anime productions running. While the video is impressive, the final room filled with autograph boards from the original creators of several of the works and those involved with the production is unforgettable. It's one of the greatest send-offs for fans of the animation studio.

The SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition is a great retrospective of Shafts 50-year body of work. The selection of key art and storyboards is broad and captures the essence and charm of each series. However, astute fans will also notice the folds and creases on many of the key art pages. Speaking with the staff at the Exhibition, those folds and creases come from the animators flipping between the art as they work. This small detail adds to the exhibition's experience and helps fans appreciate the time and work placed in each anime production.

The SHAFT 50th Anniversary Exhibition is taking place at the Mixalive Tokyo venue in Ikebukuro. The Exhibition will be split into two halves, with the first half running from December 27, 2025, to January 6, 2026, and the second half from January 8 to January 18, with new displays.

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