The "Sotetsu Movil" cinema building at the west exit of Yokohama Station will close on September 30, 2026 (Wed). For the final approximately three months, a mural manga series titled "Weekly Movil: Muvy's Grand Adventure" will be developed starting in July 2026, with new installments drawn onto the building's walls each week.
Visitors can follow the serialization as if it were a weekly magazine, witnessing the creation process firsthand.
The story will conclude at the "Story Crossing Art Fes," an art festival to be held on October 3 (Sat) and 4 (Sun) after the "Sotetsu Movil" closes.
This is an unprecedented attempt worldwide: drawing and continuously updating a manga as a weekly serial directly onto the walls of a cinema building that will soon be demolished.
Event Overview
- Title: Mural Manga Series "Weekly Movil: Muvy's Grand Adventure"
- Venue: Sotetsu Movil (Sotetsu Nanko 2 Building) (2-1-22 Nanko, Nishi-ku, Yokohama / Yokohama Station West Exit)
- New Series Start: July 3, 2026 (Fri)
- Serialization Period: July to September 30, 2026 (scheduled)
And at the closing event: Art Festival "Story Crossing Art Fes" on October 3 (Sat) and 4, 2026
- Live Creation: Almost all creation will be done publicly throughout the period.
Public creation days in July: July 3 (Fri), 10 (Fri), 16 (Thu), 25 (Sat)
(All scheduled for the afternoon).
*Dates are subject to change without notice.
Public creation schedules for August and September will be announced later.
- Organizers: Sotetsu Urban Creates Inc. / Sotetsu Building Management Co., Ltd.
- Production & Produce: Tsukuriba Editorial Department
- Original & Executive Producer: Miz
- Art: Various creators with ties to Yokohama
Collaborations with a diverse range of artists, not limited to manga, are also planned during the event period.
Details will be announced on the official Sotetsu Movil website as they become available.
An Intergenerational "Thank You" That Has Already Begun to Move
On May 29, 2026, the official Sotetsu Group X account announced the closure. The post exceeded 100,000 views on the day it was posted and later reached 419,000 views (2,617 reposts, 5,391 likes as of June 30, 2026).
"Movil was the first cinema I ever went to in high school," "Thank you for 37 years."
Replies poured in with memories spanning generations.
The announcement post from Movil's official account also reached 2.051 million views (9,817 reposts, 12,000 likes as of June 23, 2026), and the news of the closure continues to generate significant buzz.
The second-generation "Sotetsu Movil" upon its opening (©Sotetsu Group)
A Place That Has Screened the "Stories" of Countless People
Following the relocation of the first-generation "Sotetsu Movil," the second-generation "Sotetsu Movil" was born in 1988 (Showa 63), the last year of the Showa era, and has walked alongside the culture of the Heisei era, continuing to the present Reiwa era.
In addition to the cinema "Movil," the building housed "Sotetsu Honda Theater" (1988-2014), a jazz bar (1988-2019), and a live music venue, serving as a complex cultural facility where film, theater, and music intersected, supporting the vibrancy of Yokohama Station's west exit.
The approximately 37 years it has stood is, in itself, a memory of an era.
First dates, family outings, meeting friends, walking home after crying alone. This building has witnessed countless hours spent in front of the screen.
The Practice of "Manga 0.1" - A Weekly Updated, Serialized "Mural Art"
"Mural art" refers to large-scale murals painted directly onto building walls. It is cherished worldwide as an expression that reflects local culture on street corners.
This project will continue to draw a mural on Sotetsu Movil, treating it as a "weekly updated manga serialization media."
Typical wall art aims for completion. Manga also reaches readers only when it is finished.
However, "Weekly Movil" is different.
New story elements are added each week, allowing visitors to visit the building as if following a serialization. Even unfinished parts and the artists' hands at work are all part of the artwork.
The drawing will progress vertically across floors 1 to 4, eventually extending beyond the walls and into the restaurants within the building.
The building itself will transform into a complete manga magazine.
And with the demolition of the building, the mural will also be lost. The moment of its disappearance is also considered part of the artwork. It is conceived without the premise of completion or ownership, opening itself up to the city and its people.
This project is also a practice of what we call "Manga 0.1."
The "Behind-the-Scenes" of the Walls Becoming "Weekly" Will Become a "Monthly" Zine
The "behind-the-scenes" of the mural manga creation will unfold as a fictional narrative.
The "front" and "back" of the mural manga will progress as two separate works.
It will be serialized in the manga magazine Zine "Monthly Movil" as the manga "I Can't See the Ocean, Yokohama," which depicts a life restart set in Yokohama Station's west exit.
It will be distributed free of charge at Sotetsu Movil, Sotetsu Joinus, THE YOKOHAMA FRONT 42F Vlag yokohama, Hoshiten qlay PILE, Joinus Terrace Futamatagawa, Yumegaoka Solatos, and other locations.
*Visuals are under development and subject to change.
Five "Crossings" Born from "Re-editing" Yokohama Station West Exit in the 90s
Pager phones, cassette tapes, video rentals, arcades, magazine culture...
Yokohama Station's west exit was one of the central hubs in Kanagawa for 1990s culture, which is now being re-examined.
This project re-edits the atmosphere of that era in the form of manga.
As a result, five "Crossings" will converge through this project:
- Place and Story:
Sotetsu Movil holds memories accumulated by its visitors. These memories will be redrawn as a mural manga and passed down as "stories" even after its closure.
- Era:
Memories of the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras will overlap on a single wall, with analog culture of the past being redrawn from a contemporary perspective.
- Generation:
For those in their 40s and 50s, the same artwork on the wall will evoke the scenery of "those days," while for younger generations, it will appear as fresh retro culture. It will show different faces to each generation.
- Genre of Expression:
Various workshops and events will be held until the closing.
Film, manga, music, fashion, zines, art, analog games. Genres that are usually separate will intersect with "story" as a common language.
- Audience and Creators:
Visitors can witness the weekly changes on the wall and take photos as if stepping into a scene.
These crossings will merge into the finale art festival, "Story Crossing Art Fes."
"Weekly Movil" is an attempt to connect the closure of a building with the beginning of a new story for the city.
Comment from the Original Creator & Executive Producer
"In an era where things can be duplicated and shared instantly, we will deliberately continue to draw directly by hand on the walls.
The artwork will eventually be destroyed with the building and lost.
We consider its disappearance, including the manner of its loss, as part of the artwork.
Drawing manga like a weekly serial for three months directly onto the walls of a building to be demolished soon is, to our knowledge, an unprecedented attempt.
We hope you will come and see for yourself how the walls of the cinema, which has shaped the culture of Yokohama Station's west exit, will change each week.
We would be happy if both those who have memories of spending time at Yokohama Station's west exit and those visiting this city for the first time could witness this three-month story together."
Protagonist Character: Muvy
In the 1990s, Muvy was a revolutionary who rebelled against the order of the story world, causing chaos in an attempt to "change the world." However, with the passage of time, Muvy has become completely mellowed both mentally and physically, now sporting a fancy appearance. Muvy drifts through life, using various cinemas as roosts. Triggered by the closure of Movil, Muvy gets caught up in a major incident once again.
*Content, characters, and visuals are under development and subject to change.
For Media Coverage & Photography
On public creation days, you can cover the site while the drawing is in progress. As the mural is updated weekly, we can propose article structures that follow the story's progression through multiple interviews.
Movil itself is a space that retains the "Heisei Retro" atmosphere, with its neon signs, billboards, and aged interior now attracting renewed attention for their novelty.
With the addition of the mural manga, various locations within the building will become photo spots. Visitors can enjoy taking commemorative photos at various points.
We also welcome coverage and photography from media outlets and influencers who promote Showa and Heisei retro culture. Please feel free to contact us for inquiries regarding interviews and photography.
Inquiries
Tsukuriba Editorial Department
Email: [email protected]
Related Links
Sotetsu Movil Official Website
RE:MOVIL -Final Cut & First Action- ~The Story of 37 Years, and Beyond~
https://www.sotetsu-movil.com/
Story Crossing Art Fes
https://artfes.tsukuriba-edit.com/
Mural Manga Special Page
https://artfes.tsukuriba-edit.com/manga.html
Sotetsu Movil SNS
X
https://x.com/sotetsumovil
https://www.instagram.com/sotetsu_movil/
Tsukuriba Editorial Department SNS
X
https://x.com/tsukuribahensyu
https://www.instagram.com/tsukuriba_hensyushitsu/
Notes
*The mural manga is created with the permission of the organizers and with safety precautions.
*Please check the official website for the latest information, including the production schedule.
FACT BOX
- Source: PR TIMES
- Category: Event
- Organizations: Miz / RE:MOVIL / Story Crossing Art Fes