In the anime and manga world, CLAMP is responsible for some of the most iconic shojo and sein franchises of all time, including Card Catcher Sakura, Xxxholic, Magic Knight Rayearth, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles And Chobits – to name just a few. Now a major art center in Japan is honoring the group’s legacy with a three-month exhibition highlighting their most popular works.
On July 3, 2024, the 2024 CLAMP Manga Exhibition opened its doors at the National Art Center in Roppongi, Tokyo. As described on the exhibition’s website, this exclusive exhibition aims to “trace the evolution of CLAMP… (featuring) original manga drawings from its debut to the present day, created for a wide range of publishers and magazines.” Accordingly, the selection gives visitors the opportunity to see how CLAMP’s art style and technique have evolved over time. As shown below, CBR acquired a series of exclusive photos from Part 2 of the event, which began on August 14.
Related
Cardcaptor Sakura revives its legendary 90s anime series with an exclusive collaboration on high-quality jewelry
Inspired by “heartbreaking” scenes from the anime, Take-Up launches a retro jewelry line featuring high-quality gold and natural stones.
For this exhibition, the content has been organized around five themes that represent the central essence of CLAMP’s works: color, love, adventure, magic, and phrase. In addition, CLAMP provides detailed (and somewhat poetic) explanations of each theme. For example, love is described as follows: “No feelings are ever overlooked… express your love to the people you care about / This includes the determination to protect those you hold dear, the emotions that are silently hidden in your heart, tears that overflow involuntarily, and conflicts full of contradictions… what emerges is the unique contour of your own love.”
Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits are the biggest stars of the new CLAMP exhibition
As shown above, Chobits And Card Catcher Sakura are two of the most represented franchises at the CLAMP exhibition. The latter series is one of the group’s best-sellers of all time, with over 19 million copies in circulation worldwide (as of November 2023). Originally released in June 1996, Card Catcher Sakura revolves around the titular heroine, who is tasked with protecting the world using magical artifacts known as Clow Cards. Throughout the series, she also wrestles with romantic feelings for Syaoran Li, a former rival who once challenged her for possession of the cards. A healthy mix of action, fantasy, and romance, the series gained a huge Western fan base during the anime boom of the ’90s and remains a beloved classic of the magical girl genre.
Related
Cardcaptor Sakura’s adorable new cookies in the shape of Kero-Chan and more will ship internationally
With the new Cardcaptor Sakura cookie collection, fans can add an extra sweet shojo-style touch to a family gathering or cozy tea party.
Chobits debuted in Weekly Young Magazine in September 2000. The manga mixes science fiction with snippets of real life, and is set in a world populated by highly advanced, human-like robots called Persocoms, which are frequently employed as personal assistants, often by lonely college students or workers. While the main protagonist Hideki Motosuwa longs for one of these robots, they are far too expensive. One night, he stumbles upon an abandoned Persocom with no memory of who she is or where she came from. Hideki names her “Chi,” takes her in, and the two slowly begin to develop feelings for each other. While the manga is generally lighthearted and comedic, it also explores questions related to the nature of artificial intelligence and what it really means to be human. Madhouse (Hajime no Ippo, Card Catcher Sakura) produced the Chobits Anime series that aired from April 2002 to September 2002.
The second half of CLAMP’s 2024 Manga Exhibition will be open to the public every day of the week (except Tuesdays) until September 23, 2024. The opening hours are between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (JST). Tickets for the event are available through LAWSON TICKET, a well-known ticket company based in Japan.
Source: Official website of the CLAMP exhibition, photos via email correspondence
