As the Sotetsu Movie Hall in Yokohama prepares to close its doors for good on September 30, 2026, the building itself is being transformed into an unprecedented canvas. Starting July 3, a new wall manga series titled Weekly Movie Hall ~Muby’s Great Adventure will be drawn directly onto the cinema’s exterior walls, with new installments added every week until the building’s demolition.
The project turns the entire facade into a weekly serialized manga—a format rarely seen in the world of mural art. While typical wall murals are completed in one go, this one will evolve over time, inviting visitors to return week after week to follow the story as it unfolds across the building’s surface.
A Manga That Lives and Dies with the Building
The artwork will span from the first to the fourth floor, eventually spilling into the building’s interior cafes and restaurants. The entire structure will become a single, giant manga magazine. But unlike a printed comic, this story has a finite lifespan: when the building is demolished, the drawings will be destroyed along with it.
The production team, the Tsukuriba Editorial Office, states that they consider the work’s disappearance part of the art itself. This approach embodies what they call “Manga 0.1″—a practice that rejects permanence and ownership, opening the work to the city and its people.
Behind the Scenes: A Second Manga
The making of the wall manga will itself be turned into a fictional story. A separate manga titled Umi Nante Mienai Yokohama (Yokohama Where You Can’t See the Sea) will run in a free zine called Monthly Movie Hall, chronicling the behind-the-scenes drama set in the Yokohama Station West Exit area. The zine will be distributed for free at Sotetsu Movie Hall, Sotetsu Joinus, THE YOKOHAMA FRONT 42F Vlag yokohama, Hoshiten qlay PILE, Joinus Terrace Futamatagawa, and Yumegaoka Soratos.
No Precedent, Says Creator
The original story and production director, Miz, commented: “In an age where everything can be copied and transferred instantly, we are choosing to draw directly on the wall by hand. The work will eventually be destroyed along with the building. We consider even that disappearance part of the work. As far as we know, there is no precedent for a weekly serialized manga drawn on a building’s wall over three months before its demolition. We hope people who have memories of Yokohama Station West Exit, as well as those visiting for the first time, will come see how the wall changes each week.”
Schedule and Finale
The wall manga will run until the building’s closure on September 30. The story will conclude during the art festival “Story Crossing Art Fes” held at the same venue on October 3 and 4. Most of the drawing process will be open to the public. Public drawing sessions in July are scheduled for July 3, 10, 16, and 25 (afternoons). Dates for August and September will be announced later. The project also plans collaborations with various artists beyond manga; details will be posted on the Sotetsu Movie Hall official website.
Event Overview
- Title: Wall Manga Serial Weekly Movie Hall ~Muby’s Great Adventure
- Venue: Sotetsu Movie Hall (Sotetsu Minami-Kō 2nd Building), 2-1-22 Minami-Kō, Nishi-ku, Yokohama (Yokohama Station West Exit)
- Serial start: July 3, 2026 (Friday)
- Serial period: July – September 30, 2026 (planned)
- Closing event: Art Festival “Story Crossing Art Fes” on October 3 (Saturday) and 4 (Sunday), 2026
- Public drawing: Most sessions open to the public. July dates: 3, 10, 16, 25 (afternoons). August/September dates TBA.
- Organizers: Sotetsu Urban Creates Co., Ltd. & Sotetsu Building Management Co., Ltd.
- Production/Produce: Tsukuriba Editorial Office (General Incorporated Association)
- Original story & Production Director: Miz
- Artwork: Various creators with ties to Yokohama
