Manga - Japanese art of comic books - has greatly risen in popularity worldwide in past few decades. The art form can trace its roots back nearly 1,000 years in Japan but it is only in recent times that it has taken off globally. Manga is now as synonymous with Japan as sushi, geisha and Mt Fuji. Such is popularity of manga outside Japan, exhibition of manga works proved to be most popular show at British Museum in 2019. It attracted more visitors than show on the Dutch painter Rembrandt. manga exhibition was largest display of manga material ever assembled outside Japan. Around 1,920 people paid to see it every day, according to museum.
manga exhibition showcased the 900-year history of the art. It included earliest forms of manga by master painters to sketches and illustrations of today's popular anime and video game characters such as Pokemon. There were also exhibits from animated films known as "anime". show included 70 manga series, including Osamu Tezuka's seminal work "Astro Boy". Hartwig Fischer, director of British Museum, said: "Manga is modern graphic art of storytelling first perfected in Japan and is now loved all over world. Building on Japan's centuries-old tradition, best manga have visual power to excite us and draw us into their world, with inventive storylines that engage our emotions."
