Manga arrives at the British Museum

Held in the Sainsbury Exhibition Galleries, the Manga exhibition weaves the graphic novels' historical roots into a series of connected themes, from understanding how to read manga to the world of publishing, exploring storytelling and manga's role in society and its growing international reach and cultural influence.

Anime, gaming and manga fandom which grew out of the original art form are hugely popular in Japan and internationally, and Clark explained that one of the exhibition's messages is that manga is for everyone.

"When you come to the exhibition, explore all of the different subjects; sports manga, horror, Sci-fi, love, history and some very difficult stories about disasters, for instance," he said. "It's about the emotional engagement and setting up a close relationship between what the manga artist has created and you the reader."

The British Museum itself has also starred in a manga, which features in the exhibition. Professor Munakata's British Museum Adventure by Hoshino Yukinobu is a mystery inspired by the objects of the museum.

Visitors can also view the Shintomiza Kabuki Theatre Curtain, a 17-meter long painting decorated with demons and ghosts created in 1880 by Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai. The museum said that due to the delicate nature of the painting, it will be the last time it will travel outside of Japan. Although Kyosai was not actually a manga artist, Clark said he helped create modern manga.