JCC E-Magazine November 2022

Featured Article of the Month

In this edition of Kizuna Story, JCC speaks to Mr Yuki Imamura, Director at Leyouki Pte Ltd. Learn more about the unique features of The Doraemon Exhibition Singapore 2022 and how it came to Singapore.

Where is your hometown in Japan?

Fukuoka city, Fukuoka.

Doraemon is a beloved character in Japan and overseas, including Singapore. Why do you think Doraemon appeals to so many people around the world?

I think the appeal of Doraemon is that, even though the title is named after Doraemon, people who read (or watch) it can relate to Nobita. Whether it is empathising with how life does not go the way they want, or learning how important friends and family are, despite being bullied and reprimanded sometimes. Moreover, the story teaches us that only you yourself who can solve your own problem, no matter what useful tools you have.

Tell us more about the Doraemon-related projects you are involved in, and how you first started the collaboration with Fujiko Production.

Leyouki’s in-house brand ‘SGGS / Cool Singapura’ has been doing a mini collaboration series with Doraemon. I was acquainted with Fujiko Production through my professional / personal network and came to talk about various opportunities after several exchange of thoughts about the strong passion for Doraemon. When I saw the collaboration between Gucci and Doraemon, I sensed that Doraemon was going through a fusion of lifestyle and art & fashion, and thought that I should support this movement as someone who wants to create value.

Why was Singapore selected as the first overseas location for the exhibition? Were there any challenges in bringing the exhibition over to Singapore?

Singapore is a hub city, or should I say the “ANYWHERE DOOR”, to all ASEAN countries and China. Thus, it is the perfect location as the first international city to introduce the real essence of Doraemon from Japan. The Doraemon Exhibition is a contemporary art exhibition that emerged from the collaboration between Doraemon and artists. Hence, finding a venue partner who fully understands the concept, and can fulfil the strict conditions, such as temperature control and humidity control, was a real challenge.

What are the highlights of this exhibition that visitors should look forward to? How is the Singapore exhibition different from the Japan exhibition?

The background story of each artwork under the common theme of ‘create your own Doraemon’ is definitely something we would like visitors to understand before visiting the exhibition, so as to enjoy each artwork two-fold. We will be releasing the information little by little, especially about the Singaporean artists, including the BTS story. For Japanese artists, the information about the artists and their artworks will be uploaded on the website soon.

For the Singapore exhibition, there are two special additions: First, two Singaporean artists were selected and they each produced amazing and impressive artworks. We wanted all of the local people to be able to enjoy their artworks, and so we made their artworks open to public. In other words, anyone can experience the artworks by these local artists with or without tickets, although we truly want everyone to experience the entire event. The second one is ‘The Original Manga Drawing Exhibition’ that is a totally new exhibition created only for Singapore, thanks to the cooperation by Fujiko Production. 75 pages of original copies of manga scripts brought directly from Fujiko Museum will be exhibited. Visitors will be introduced to each character in Doraemon, discover how the story was made, and even see the reproduced desk of Mr. Fujiko. F. Fujio. It is not just about Doraemon, but also the authentic manga culture and the philosophy of Mr. Fujiko F. Fujio. Therefore, people can enjoy two exhibitions with just one ticket. Besides that, there will be an exclusive gift shop with limited edition exhibition goods, and a pop-up café in collaboration with a well-established Japanese confectionary that has over 400 years of history.

Gallery shots of MANGA Doraemon Original Drawings Exhibition, MANGA DORAEMON Original Drawings Exhibition © Fujiko-Pro / Image credit: National Museum of Singapore.

Doraemon-themed Café by Toraya Confectionery, THE DORAEMON EXHIBITION SINGAPORE 2022 © Fujiko-Pro. Image credit: National Museum of Singapore.

There are many artists collaborating for the exhibition, including Singaporean artists. Can you explain more about the collaboration and share about the inspirations of selected artists, including local artists?

The original contents of The Doraemon Exhibition consist of Act 1 (12 artists assigned to freely ‘create your own Doraemon’) and Act 2 (16 artists assigned the same theme of ‘create your own Doraemon’ inspired from Doraemon movies). Some of the Doraemon movies that were selected by artists as inspiration include “The New Records of Nobita's Spaceblazer”, “Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld”, “Nobita’s Little Star Wars”, and “Nobita and the Steel Troops”. With regards to the local artists, we selected artists who we believe can represent the art scene in Singapore, and who we believe can bridge Singapore and Japan.

What do you want Singaporeans to learn and bring away from this exhibition?

Doraemon is not just the animation, it started as a manga (in periodical magazines) 50 years ago before the TV animation started. We, including the participating artists, grew up with Doraemon be it the manga or animation and learnt many things from Doraemon. Through the lens of these artists in their youth, I would like Singaporeans to experience the emotions and lessons that we learnt from Doraemon.

Are there any future plans/dream to bring over more Japan-related content to Singapore? Any message or hope towards the relationship between Japan and Singapore?

I believe that the relationship and trust can only be developed if it remains interactive and mutual. In other words, if it is not one-sided. As a value creator, I would like to contribute to the mutual relationship by bringing new value to merging Japanese art, fashion, and culture in Singapore lifestyle beyond just commercialism. For example, establishing them to a Singapore value, and then introducing them back to Japan as another new value after a few years. I would like to keep the exchange on both sides in such an interactive way, and keep discovering new dreams. The Doraemon Exhibition is the first step, and I have other plans, but they will remain as future surprises.

< Home