Looking Back at Afternoon's Legendary Lineup Through Original Artwork: A Report on the 'Afternoon 40th Anniversary Exhibition'

The area covering 2012 to 2016, marking the halfway point of the venue, lines up more than ten works, including Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's Ama no Ketsumyaku, his first serialization in Afternoon, and Haruko Ichikawa's Land of the Lustrous.

The area covering 2017 to 2021 displays recently anime-adapted works such as Tsubasa Yamaguchi's Blue Period, Masakazu Ishiguro's Heavenly Delusion, and Misaki Takamatsu's Skip and Loafer. Also on display are works such as Tsurumaikada's Medalist and Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident. A panel compiling the "completing the program" scenes of three skaters from Medalist — Inori Yuitsuka, Iruka Okazaki, and Hikaru Okami — is also featured.

Bringing the timeline into the present, the area covering 2022 to 2026 includes works currently being serialized in the magazine, such as Hikari Matsuda's Asayake Refrain and Masayuki Ishikawa's Moyasimon+, joining the ranks of the magazine's history.

Closing out the exhibition is the 40th anniversary commemorative area, lined with newly drawn illustrations by the participating artists.

After enjoying the exhibition looking back on 40 years of history, be sure to check out the merchandise area as well. It offers the exhibition's official catalog and a wide range of goods related to the featured works — pick some up and join in walking through the years to come.

Afternoon 40th Anniversary Exhibition
Venue: Exhibition Hall A, Sunshine City, Ikebukuro, Tokyo
Dates: Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 26, 2026

Reporting, photography, and text: kato
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