Giant statues, themed food, and exclusive merchandise are all part of the event at Roppongi Hills.
The Mori Tower, which stretches to the skies above Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills entertainment complex, periodically hosts art exhibits in its 52nd-floor observation area. In the past, we’ve stopped by for such events saluting such Japanese pop cultural phenomena as the anime of Studio Ghibli, Sailor Moon, and Puella Magi Madoka Magika.
The source material for the celebration going on at Mori Tower right now, though, comes from across the Pacific. On April 7 the Marvel Age of Heroes Exhibition began, filling the event space with more than 200 pieces of memorabilia from the American publisher’s comic books and movies.
We took the elevator up to check the exhibition out for ourselves. Greeting guests at the entrance is a gigantic, five-meter (16.4-foot) statue of Iron Man, which caused just about everyone in the crowd to whip out their phone or camera and snap a picture.
▼ Given Tony Stark’s love of the limelight, we think he’d be pleased with all the attention.
The exhibit leads you through five different areas, beginning with History before passing through Heroes, Cinematic Universe, and Art before finishing in Culture. Each features a variety of artwork and props, from costumes to original comic artwork.
▼ Captain America’s costumes and shield, in different states of battle-damage
▼ A retrospective of the various stages of Iron Man suit development
While the large-scale exhibits are cool, we ended up spending the majority of our time at the individual character panels, which have bilingual English/Japanese descriptions of each hero’s background and exploits.
During exhibitions and fan events at the Mori Tower, the observation floor’s attached cafe often serves special menu items. This time the chefs came up with the Mighty Thor Burger, with a bun as red as the character’s cape being struck by his sacred hammer Mjolnir…
…and the Bruce Banner Banana & Hulk Green Smoothie.
There’s also a gift shop selling all sorts of cool Marvel merch, some of which is exclusive to the Tokyo event.
The Marvel Age of Heroes Exhibition runs until June 25.
Event information
Marvel Age of Heroes Exhibition / マーベル展
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Roppongi 6-10-1, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 52nd Floor Tokyo City View
東京都港区六本木6-10-1 六本木ヒルズ森タワー52階 東京シティビュー
Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
April 7-July 25
Admission 1,800 yen (US$16)
Website
Photos ©RocketNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]