From the pioneering robot animation of"Tetsujin28" (1963), followed by the huge success of " Mazinger Z" (1972), and under the influence of"Mobile Suit Gundam" (1979), which breathed new life into the robot animation trend, numerous mecha anime series have been produced and fascinating robots have been designed up to the present day.

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  スーパーロボットは会社の備品
  『地球防衛企業ダイ・ガード』（1999年）　©XEBEC・フライングドッグ／創通

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  本編物語を牽引する劇中スーパーロボアニメ『ゲキ・ガンガー３』
  『機動戦艦ナデシコ』（1996年） ©Production I.G ／ナデシコ製作委員会・テレビ東京

The evolution and expansion of these unique designs, which cannot be seen in animation from other countries, has fascinated fans with the ingenuity of the design and settings used to give visual ' reality' to the absurd robot of fantasy.
This exhibition examines the history of robot design and visual expression in mecha anime from "Tetsujin28" to recent years, with focus on the ' mechanism' and 'size' of the settings that played an important role in creating ' reality'. We hope that this will provide an opportunity to think together with the audience about 'what is a giant robot'.

Boarding, combination, and transformation constitute the template of giant robot animations. The designs, which were created with a view to being used for toys, reflect unique ideas, and are based on rational mechanisms. This exhibition showcases fascinating features of these mechanisms through objects created based on the design drawings and scenes in animations.

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  巨大ロボットに人の魂が宿る瞬間『マジンガーZ』（1972年）
  ©ダイナミック企画・東映アニメーション

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  ゲッター1の変形プロセス『ゲッターロボ』（1974年）
  ©ダイナミック企画・東映アニメーション

How have animations conveyed the size of giant robots? In the 198Os, giant robots were downsized to machines for practical use, and their depictions became increasingly realistic. What would such realistic robots look like, in part or in whole, when enlarged to life size based on the specifications in animations? Feel the enormous size from the viewpoint of an animation character.

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  ガンダムを劇中の設定サイズで体感できる
  （写真は福岡市美術館での展示風景）©創通・サンライズ　

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  ルパン三世に登場するロボット兵・ラムダ
  『ルパン三世 PART2』（1977年） 第155話 さらば愛しきルパンよ
  原作：モンキー・パンチ 　©TMS

Internal structural views have been drawn as if fictional robots really existed. Do the mechanisms, which lie behind the armor and can be seen through the openings, represent the desire to materialize fictional mechanisms or the fantasies of the creators? Take a close look at the inside of t he robots, which is often reproduced as a standard feature in contemporary plastic models and toys.

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  ディー・カイゼリン
  『ファイブスター物語』（1986年〜）／『花の詩女　ゴティックメード』（2012年）
  ©EDIT

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  ライディ―ンの内部透視図
  『勇者ライディーン』（1975年）
  ©東北新社

Mr. KAZUTAKA Miyatake (STUDIO NUE CO., LTD.) produced two original large paintings for this exhibition based on the theme of giant robots. Enjoy the world of robots drawn by Mr. Miyatake on canvases so large that they can only be displayed at a museum.

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  横須賀美術館での制作風景
  ©東北新社