News

Japanese University Plans to Open Anime/Manga Museum

Tokyo's Meiji University, one of the oldest in the country, has announced plans for what will be the world's largest museum devoted specifically to anime and manga. Once open, the museum's collection will consist of over 2.5 million items, including manga volumes, magazines, fanzines, videos and DVDs, toys, figures, and other materials. There will also be screening rooms, a dedicated library, and the museum may also be home to a research center hosting Japanese and international scholars specializing in anime and manga studies. It will be located in a 91,000-square foot building that was previously used as a high school.

In 2006, Japan's Kyoto Seika University, home to a dedicated Faculty of Manga, opened a similar museum, which proved highly popular, attracting over 30,000 foreign visitors in its first year. Outside Japan, notable museums that focus on comics include San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum and New York City's Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)