I did a thing. Hopefully, it’s timely for some of you guys who might be interested.

Gin no Saji (銀の匙)—or the English translation of the manga and anime, Silver Spoon—was written and illustrated by Hokkaido native Hiromu Arakawa, a very famous manga artist. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the manga, Sapporo city held an exhibit of various artworks at the Sapporo Art Park. It opened in July and will be running until this Sunday, September 11, 2022.

Since the whole thing is related to Hokkaido, I figured I’d go see the exhibit even though I have never read or seen the anime. I’m glad I went, of course, because it’s still a form of artistic expression, and I enjoy art in general. I’ve also watched Arakawa-sensei’s other masterpiece, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, so I’m a fan of her work. I only think I probably would have appreciated this exhibit more if I were more invested in the characters and the story.

The only thing I know of Silver Spoon is that it’s set completely in Hokkaido and follows the lives of young people who are immersed in the agricultural field. I’ve always planned on reading the manga and watching the anime, but I’ve never really had the time to go check it out. Now that I’ve seen some of the art from the manga, I’m now more curious to read about these characters and to see more of Hokkaido depicted in comic form. Once I am done with it, I might post something about it on this blog.

I have high expectations because the manga-ka is Arakawa-sensei, who grew up and lived in Hokkaido. I’m pretty sure she knows what she’s talking about. Besides, seeing some of the illustrated panels displayed at the exhibit, Silver Spoon seems like a story I can really get into.

The exhibit itself wasn’t that big. It’s composed mostly of black and white panels from the manga and some beautiful colored illustrations. The exhibit starts with scenes from the manga starting with spring and ends with winter scenes from the story, which is a romantic comedy.

I went on a weekday afternoon so it wasn’t too crowded. I love that there was so much space to walk around inside and observe the illustrations. I went with my husband and we took our time going through each of the displays. I think they did a good job spacing everything out to avoid large groups of people congregating over the art pieces. However, since this is the last weekend for the exhibit, I have a feeling that if you decide to go this weekend, it might get really crowded.

It seems like a really popular manga and anime because there were so many other people like me snapping pictures of the panels and works displayed. A quick glance at the cars in the parking lot showed that some people came from far away to see the exhibit. There were plates from Muroran and Obihiro. I also saw a couple of cars that came from Kitami!

All in all, it was a good way to spend an afternoon.

Besides, this was a wonderful excuse to go back to my favorite place in Hokkaido. I just love walking around the grounds of the Art Park.