Japanese Voice Actor Kikunosuke Toya Joins 'Chainsaw Man' Exhibition as Guest — Curator Hopes New Venue Becomes Hong Kong's Akihabara
January 25, 2025
Excerpted from Wen Wei Po: Click to read original feature (Chinese)
The “Chainsaw Man Animation Exhibition – Hong Kong” has officially opened at the newly relocated INCUBASE Arena in Mong Kok. This marks the exhibition’s first overseas appearance following its debut in Japan and is also the first anime showcase at INCUBASE Arena’s new site. The opening ceremony featured special guest Kikunosuke Toya, the voice actor for the main character Denji. Curator Sion Yip shared insights about his involvement and reflections on bringing this exhibition to life.
Among the many anime works in recent years, “Chainsaw Man” left the deepest impression on Sion. He initially followed the manga and was immediately struck by its wild and imaginative world: “Every chapter of ‘Chainsaw Man’ left me guessing — you never know what’s coming next.” After the manga’s success, its author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s other works, such as “Look Back”, began receiving attention. At the same time, Sion noticed that MAPPA, a major Japanese animation studio, was producing the anime adaptation. That was when he started envisioning an exhibition in Hong Kong, which finally became reality in 2025.
Sion admitted that organizing the exhibition with MAPPA wasn’t easy. “When we first approached MAPPA, they had never considered doing an overseas exhibition. They had no prior preparations, so we had to spend a lot of time discussing how to faithfully bring the original content from Japan to Hong Kong.” He cited the four high-quality life-size character sculptures from “Chainsaw Man” as an example: “Because of how beautifully crafted and detailed they were, transporting them safely to Hong Kong was a challenge. The team went through many steps, including reinforcing and disassembling the pieces, to ensure a smooth delivery.”
From Manga to Anime — A Behind-the-Scenes Showcase
Sion explained that this exhibition is quite different from past ones like “Detective Conan” or “Kamen Rider”. This time, the exhibition is designed to follow the flow of the anime’s 12 episodes: “Each section corresponds to an episode, but we don’t just display stills. We break down every aspect of the production — from planning, storyboarding, drafts, colouring, animation, to voice acting — to let fans fully understand how the manga was transformed into an anime.” He considers this a rare and special aspect of the exhibition that fans should pay close attention to.
Carefully Chosen Guests Reflect Thoughtful Curation
For the “Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary Exhibition”, INCUBASE Studio invited Japanese actress Nene Shida as a guest. Although “Chainsaw Man” is purely animated with no live-action cast, INCUBASE Studio invited Kikunosuke Toya, the voice actor for Denji. Sion emphasized that the key difference between anime and manga is audiovisual, making voice actors the perfect guests: “I thought Toya’s voice was a perfect match for Denji — he’s definitely a rising star in the Japanese voice acting scene.”
INCUBASE Studio often invites guests relevant to the featured works. Sion expressed his wish to continue this tradition: “I don’t just want to bring exhibitions to Hong Kong — I want to bring people connected to these works to meet fans here.” He hopes this approach will change the public’s impression that exhibitions in Hong Kong are done half-heartedly, and instead show the team’s true dedication.
Building Hong Kong’s Akihabara
Previously, INCUBASE Studio held exhibitions at a space on Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, but that venue closed due to business concerns. This forced the team to find a new home. Though initially at a loss, Sion and his team were determined not to let anime culture disappear in Hong Kong. While they considered Sino Centre (a classic anime hub), they ultimately had to give it up due to space limitations.
Then, one day, on a colleague’s recommendation, they checked out the Chong Hing Square location in Mong Kok. After a brief consideration, Sion signed a long-term lease and committed to turning INCUBASE Arena’s new venue into “Hong Kong’s Akihabara”. He hopes the new location will become a social hub for anime fans: “The space includes gaming zones, trading card game areas, a café, pop-up shops — and we hope to host autograph sessions, fan meetings, and talks in the future.” Through this new venue, INCUBASE Studio aims to nurture a more interactive and immersive anime culture in the city.