Capcom opens Street Fighter gallery in Japan

Capcom has opened an art gallery dedicated to Street Fighter as part of the 15th anniversary of the series. The Street Fighter gallery, which opened today in Akihabara's Asobit City, featured artwork used in the series starting with the original Street Fighter. Most of the pictures on display were nothing new--most of them have been used for ads, manuals, and other official purposes. The gallery did feature some rare developer sketches, but close-up shots were forbidden. One of the highlights of the gallery was a re-created scene of an artist's desk at Capcom, most likely that of Chun-li's creator Akiman (Akira Yasuda) as suggested by the illustrations and the Gundam merchandise all over the desk. The gallery was also selling lithographs of Akiman's work for around 200,000 yen ($1,700), and while the price may seem high, customers were seen ordering them.

Other merchandise featured at the gallery included Street Fighter credit cards, Street Fighter cell phone stickers, and an ad announcing a new art book to be released on June 28. The gallery's lounge featured a shop that sold Chinese meat buns, with a lady dressed as Chun-li holding the menu and escorting the customers. The gallery will be open until June 15 in Tokyo and will continue to tour through other areas of Japan.