A movie theater building in Yokohama, Japan is receiving one final farewell in a way that manga fans have probably never seen before.
Sotetsu Movil, a landmark movie theater building near Yokohama Station that is scheduled to permanently close on September 30, 2026, has launched a one-of-a-kind project called “Weekly Movil: Mubii’s Great Adventure” (Shuukan Movil â Mubii no Daikatsugeki). Instead of simply displaying artwork, the entire building itself will gradually transform into a giant weekly manga magazine over the next three months.
Beginning on July 3, artists will draw directly onto the building’s walls, with new chapters being added every week until the theater closes.
Unlike traditional murals that are completed in one sitting, visitors can watch the manga being created in real time, return each week to follow the story, and even witness the artists while they are drawing. Sketches, unfinished pages, and completed artwork will all become part of the exhibition.
According to the organizers, this is believed to be the world’s first project where a building scheduled for demolition becomes a serialized manga that evolves week after week.
The artwork will stretch from the first floor to the fourth floor and eventually expand beyond the walls into restaurants inside the building, turning the entire structure into what organizers describe as “one giant manga magazine.”
Interestingly, the project embraces its temporary nature. Once Sotetsu Movil is demolished, every page of the wall manga will disappear with it.
The creators describe that disappearance as part of the artwork itself.
“In an era where works can be copied and shared instantly, we deliberately chose to keep drawing directly onto the walls by hand.
The artwork will eventually disappear together with the building. We consider even that moment of disappearance to be part of the work itself.”
The organizers also explained that visitors with memories of the theater, as well as people discovering it for the first time, are invited to experience the story unfold together during its final three months.
The manga follows an original mascot named Mubii, who once dreamed of changing the world during the 1990s but has since become a laid-back drifter living inside movie theaters. After learning that Movil is about to close, Mubii becomes involved in one final adventure.
Alongside the wall manga, a companion manga titled “Yokohama Where You Can’t See the Sea” (Umi Nante Mienai Yokohama) will also be serialized in the free magazine Monthly Movil, showing the fictional behind-the-scenes story of the wall manga project itself.
Public drawing sessions are scheduled throughout the event, allowing visitors to watch the manga take shape every week. The first sessions are taking place on July 3, July 10, July 16, and July 25, with additional dates for August and September to be announced later.
The serialized wall manga will continue until September 30, 2026, when Sotetsu Movil officially closes after nearly 37 years of operation. The story will conclude during the Story Crossing Art Fes, which will be held on October 3 and 4, shortly before the building is demolished.
Honestly, it’s a fascinating concept. Instead of preserving the building forever, the creators are turning its final months into a living manga that people can physically walk throughâknowing that every page will eventually disappear along with the building itself. That’s probably one of the most unique manga projects we’ve seen in recent years.
Source: PR Times
