By Noma Faingold

Manga has a rich past, a phenomenal present and perhaps, a transformative future. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco recognize the current zeitgeist by presenting “Art of Manga,” the largest manga exhibition ever staged in North America.

Japanese comics and graphic novels, known as manga, have permeated pop culture around the world. The exhibition, opening at the de Young Museum on September 27, features rarely displayed genga (original drawings) by 10 major artists. More than 600 drawings will be on display.

There will also be teachable moments, such as an installation taking visitors through the creative process of how manga is made.

Let’s hear from a few experts, who explain why they are drawn to manga and how the artform became an integral part of their lives.

The Curator: Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, Ph.D.

“There is a manga for everybody,” Rousmaniere said, referring to the numerous manga genres, including fantasy, crime, sports, history, sexuality, friendship, food, science fiction, martial arts, humor and the human condition.

Rousmaniere, the Founding Director and current Research Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures in the UK, curated a more historically themed manga exhibit at the British Museum in 2019.

The “Art of Manga” exhibition is organized in 10 spaces, several of which showcase original drawings of notable contemporary artists. Two masters, Keiich Tanaami (1936-2024) and Fujio Akatsuka (1935-2008), will also be represented.

 

“Once you see the drawings, you can’t unsee them,” Rousmaniere said.

The exhibit also will guide visitors unfamiliar with manga how to read it. “It’s the future visual language,” she said. “Manga is already in textbooks in Japan. The images are carrying the content. It goes to another part of your brain. At the end of exhibition, you will be fluent in manga.”

The creative design and layout of the show is harmonious with the artform, including that some gallery walls are painted as a grid, resembling the paper used by manga artists.

As a teen, Rousmaniere became fluent in Japanese by reading volumes and volumes of manga. A personal favorite artist celebrated in the show is Takahashi Rumiko, who has used humor in her art and has broken gender barriers in the male-dominated manga industry. Her latest hit, “MAO,” is being made into an anime. “It’s gripping because it tells you about spirituality in Japan,” Rousmaniere said.

The Tattoo Artist: Mimi-Sama

Award-winning, globetrotting tattoo artist (Anna) Mimi-Sama started specializing in manga designs six years ago. She created a signature style she calls, “Mangala,” which combines manga characters and themes with background geometric patterns, inspired by historical Japanese Kamon (family crests) and contemporary pop culture.

Sama, 38, who lived and worked in San Francisco continuously from 2021-2024 at Black Serum Tattoo studio in the Mission, now leads a nomadic life, having created her art in more than 20 countries, including Japan, Singapore, France, Germany and Nepal.

She travels to tattoo conventions/expos all over the U.S. and returns to Black Serum periodically to work mostly on repeat clients. “I never do the same ‘Mangala’ design,” she said. “I have my own style with my own colors that no one else uses.”

 

Born in Portugal and raised in France, Sama did not have any formal art training, but she was always drawing since she was a child. She got introduced to manga by a friend when she was eight years old. The piece was “Battle Angel Alita” (known as Ganmu in Japan), a 1990s series created by Yukito Kishiro. “It’s sci-fi and has a female hero,” Sama said. “It was very aggressive and dark.”

Soon Sama was collecting manga comics, including first editions. Her curated stash fills three bookshelves. “Japanese culture has had a big effect on me forever,” Sama said. “I like the way manga artists create a universe around the images. I can see emotion on the paper – the body positions, the eyes, the clothing – it all carries emotion. I like to translate that from the paper to the skin. I love how the skin reacts to the needles. I love to create something that’s alive.”

One afternoon and evening in early September, Sama was working on manga tattoos for a couple. Bennett Boisjolie, 26, of Belmont, who has collaborated with Sama many times in the last two years, was getting a new arm tattoo of hero Tengen Uzui from the super popular “Demon Slayer” series.

The recently released anime, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle,” is the highest-grossing Japanese film ever ($555 million and counting). It topped the U.S. box office charts in its first two weeks ($104.7 million), breaking anime records in North America.

Sama anticipated the new tattoo would require a seven-hour session. Earlier that day, she had already completed the lower arm tattoo of Kyōjurō Rengoku (another character from “Demon Slayer”) for Boisjolie’s girlfriend, Taylor Falt, 29.

Because the Bay Area is Sama’s most in-demand market, she is able to charge a premium.

Boisjolie’s latest body art costs more than $2,000. “I’m an expensive one,” Sama said.

The Bookstore Owner: Brian Hibbs

He was working at a comic book shop in the Haight when he was 16. By age 18, Brian Hibbs was managing the small chain of three stores. He was enrolled at City College when he decided to open his own shop at a space on Divisadero Street, which he named Comix Experience.

“I thought City College was like still being in high school,” he said. “I knew I would learn more in the real world by starting a business. I was certainly overconfident. If I knew what I know today, I would have slapped that kid so hard and told him he was insane. But sh** worked out.”

It’s 36 later and Hibbs has never looked back.

In the beginning, he raised $10,000 by selling his comic book collection and convincing several adults to co-sign $1,000 loans. “They were low-risk investments,” Hibbs said.

The first year was brutal. He worked seven days a week. But he stuck to his mission of putting the creators first, above the publishers. “Most stores are clubhouses for what the owner wants. Most people who own comic stores are DC fans or Marvel fans, so they want a superhero story. It wasn’t that for me,” Hibbs said. “I didn’t care about the companies. I cared about the artform.”

He continues to study all different types of comics. Over the last decade, when manga started becoming popular in the U.S., he immersed himself in manga. “Comics are comics,” Hibbs said.

Even though the style of art, the pace of storytelling and the frequency of releases might be different in Japan, “What people like about them is that they’re never-ending stories in a big world with vast mythologies. Some are 70 or 80 years old,” he said.

The shop carries about 8,500 books. Manga accounts for 10 percent of sales. What keeps Hibbs loving owning Comix Experience is introducing customers to new creators and new genres. “There’s nothing more fun than setting someone on fire,” he said.

The Superfan: Kevin Tagupa

On social media, Tagupa, 30, uses the moniker, Kana Manga. He frequently goes live on TikTok because he likes talking about and answering questions about manga. He’s attentive, even if only a handful of followers are in the chat. “It’s fun to talk to people about manga and anime,” he said.

Tagupa sees himself as an O.G. manga resource, who wants to share his knowledge about the multi-faceted world, including its origins.

Born in Berkeley, Tagupa was first introduced to anime at age two by his mother. There was a lengthy period in his late teens and early 20s when he was a competitive video gamer. Six years ago, his doctor strongly advised him to stop, as he was staring at screens for 10-12 hours a day and damaging his vision.

The Academy of Art graduate with a degree in film got heavily into manga 16 years ago. He prefers the print medium to anime. (Successful manga serials are often produced as feature-length anime or as a series.) “As a collector, I want that physical thing,” he said. “It’s more impressive on the shelf.”

Tagupa, a Walnut Creek resident, who manages an escape room, has spent more than $15,000 on manga material and activities in the last six years. He goes to several conventions and watches streaming anime platforms, such as Crunchyroll. “It’s an expensive hobby,” he said. And he co-hosts the podcast “This Week in Geek.”

He is looking forward to visiting the “Art of Manga” exhibit, especially the section showcasing the work of Araki Hirohiko, who is best known for the long-running, multiple iterations of, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”

“He has a unique art style that stands out,” Tagupa said. “He pulls his inspiration from fashion magazines and renaissance statues.”

Art of Manga, September 27-January 25, 2026, de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. For more information: www.famsf.org.

Scroll down for more images.

Installation Photographs by Gary Sexton, courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Accompanying the exhibition, there’s an installation that takes visitors through the making of a manga, from hand drawing to printing and binding. The example used is from the celebrated 111-volume serial titled, “ONE PIECE” by Oda Eiichiro.

There is also a manga reading room.

The museum is encouraging manga enthusiasts to dress up like their favorite manga characters on “Cosplay Days,” September 27, October 25 and December 6, making for ideal photo opts.

The “Art of Manga” Fan Pass is the ultimate way for manga fans to visit again and again to see 600+ original drawings at the de Young museum.

Opening Day activities include a conversation between Yamazaki Mari (creator of “Thermae Romae and Thermae Romae Redux”) and exhibition curator Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere about Art of Manga and Yamazaki’s long standing artistic practice. 

October 25 Tagame Gengoroh (creator of “My Brother’s Husband”) will discuss his work as a gay erotic artist. The digital artist will be signing books.

The museum shop will carry an original drawing in celebration of the exhibition and San Francisco Pride. The commissioned artwork, titled, “Tomorrow,” features two men wearing and holding shirts with “Marriage Equality” and “Pride” messages, alongside the LGBTQ+ flag. The image will appear on a T-shirt, tote, mug, poster and postcard in the museum gift shop.  

The Gift Shop will also have a wide range of exclusive items.  Sign up for emails and get 10% off.

Gashapon by Bandai Namco

Other great sources for Manga, Anime, and other Japanese pop culture goodies include the above mentioned Comix Experience , open daily at 305 Divisadero St. in San Francisco.

In the Japan Town SF Center, 674 Post St., San Francisco, you will find a number of intriguing stores including the gift Amiko Boutique, Katachi Swords, Flying Raijin specializing in resin statues and wall art, Japantown Collectibles, the Tokyo Anime Center, and the huge Kinokuniya Bookstore featuring an entire floor dedicated Anime/Manga with a wide range of Japanese and English Manga, Art books, and Anime merchandise. There is an illustration drawn by Japanese artist, Katsuya Terada at the entrance on the 1st floor, which was live-painted when he visited the store in 2013.

Kimono MY House at 1455 64th St, Emeryville, CA. Open Friday-Saturday-Sunday 1-5pm. Check Instagram for updates. Facebook  and Ebay for more info and ideas. Kimono MY House was the first store in the U.S. dedicated to the sale of all things Anime, Manga, and Sci Fi Japanese live action merchandise.

Noma Faingold is a writer and photographer who lives in Noe Valley. A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunset District, Faingold is a frequent contributor to the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers, among others. She is obsessed with pop culture and the arts, especially film, theater and fashion. Noma has written about poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, artists Tamara de Łempicka, Isaac Julien, and Wayne Thiebaud, numerous independent filmmakers, and singer/songwriters Janis Joplin, Diane Warren, and Linda Smith for EatDrinkFilms.

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