“On Your Mark” / 「ジブリ実験劇場 On Your Mark」, Original Japanese Movie Poster 1995, B2 Size (51.5 × 72.8 cm) G276
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the original 1995 release of On Your Mark, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed animated science-fiction music film created for the Japanese pop duo CHAGE and ASKA.
Authenticity
As with many popular Studio Ghibli titles, there are later shop posters and commercial reprints of this design. The example offered here is a true first‑release theatrical B2, It was printed for the 1995 nationwide campaign and is not a later merchandise or museum‑shop reprint, so you can buy with confidence.
Presented as:
「ジブリ実験劇場」
“Ghibli Experimental Theater,”
the dialogue-free short was shown theatrically in Japan alongside Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart. This exceptionally attractive poster features the winged girl and the two central officers against the film’s distinctive industrial, post-apocalyptic setting.
Film background
On Your Mark is set in a dystopian future where the surface of the Earth has become dangerously contaminated and much of humanity appears to live within a vast enclosed metropolis.
The story follows two armed police officers who participate in a violent raid on the headquarters of a mysterious religious organisation.
Among the wreckage, they discover a young girl with large white wings being held in captivity. Although she initially appears lifeless, the officers realise that she is still alive.
The girl is transferred into the custody of government scientists and confined within a heavily secured research facility. Troubled by what they have witnessed, the two men decide to rescue her.
They infiltrate the complex, free the girl, and attempt to escape the city in a desperate pursuit involving security forces, armoured vehicles, aircraft, and collapsing machinery.
Their ultimate aim is to take her beyond the contaminated urban environment and release her into the blue sky.
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film was created around the song “On Your Mark” by the celebrated Japanese musical duo CHAGE and ASKA.
The animation was produced by Studio Ghibli.
Rather than creating a conventional performance-based promotional video, Miyazaki developed a complete cinematic narrative filled with recurring images, alternative outcomes, and ambiguous transitions.
The two principal male characters were designed as animated counterparts to CHAGE and ASKA, while the winged girl became one of the most memorable original figures created for the project.
On Your Mark combines several themes strongly associated with Miyazaki’s work, including flight, environmental destruction, oppressive institutions, mechanical technology, individual compassion, and the desire to escape into a freer natural world.
Poster design
The poster uses a character-focused composition set against the interior of a vast, rusted industrial structure.
At upper centre is the mysterious winged girl, shown wearing a simple white sleeveless dress.
Her short pale-brown hair, gentle expression, and delicate appearance contrast sharply with the corroded machinery surrounding her.
Two enormous white feathered wings extend from behind her body and fill much of the upper composition. Their warm ivory colouring stands out dramatically against the dark brown, grey, and rust-coloured background.
She appears seated or suspended above the two men, giving her an almost angelic presence.
In the foreground are the two police officers who risk their lives to rescue her.
The standing figure at left wears a white helmet, dark sunglasses, a navy-blue uniform, and white trousers. A cigarette hangs from his mouth as he adjusts his glasses, giving him a cool and confident appearance.
The seated officer at lower centre wears a similar navy uniform with a bright orange collar, pale-blue trousers, and brown boots. He looks directly towards the viewer with a calm and optimistic expression.
Both uniforms carry distinctive badges and insignia, suggesting their connection to the heavily armed security forces seen within the film.
Behind the characters is a dense arrangement of corroded steel plates, structural beams, heavy chains, bolts, pipes, and damaged machinery.
The detailed industrial environment reflects the polluted underground civilisation in which the film begins. Its worn surfaces and subdued colours form a strong contrast with the girl’s clean white dress and wings.
The upper-right corner carries Studio Ghibli’s Totoro emblem beside the words:
「ジブリ実験劇場」
“Ghibli Experimental Theater.”
Immediately below appears:
「宮崎 駿 監督作品」
“A film directed by Hayao Miyazaki.”
The nearby English sound-format credit reads:
SPECTRAL RECORDING
DOLBY STEREO
DIGITAL
The vertical white text on the right reads:
「翼を持つ少女を
汚染されたスラムから救出し、
青空へ放とうとした二人の青年……」
“Two young men rescued a winged girl from a contaminated slum and attempted to release her into the blue sky…”
This short description establishes the central narrative while preserving the mystery surrounding the characters and their world.
The lower-left section is anchored by a solid black rectangular field containing the title:
On Your Mark
The title is rendered in large white serif lettering with a warm red-orange glow.
Directly beneath it appears:
CHAGE&ASKA
in vivid red-orange lettering.
The restrained English typography contrasts with the detailed animation artwork above and gives the poster the appearance of both a theatrical advertisement and a major music release.
Along the bottom are the production and copyright credits for Studio Ghibli, Nibariki, the Yamaha Music Foundation, Japan Broadcast Publishing, and related rights holders.
The lower-right corner includes the Japanese theatrical distribution credit for Tōhō / 東宝.
Design note
The artwork was produced by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli for the project’s original Japanese campaign.
The composition differs from many feature-film posters in that it does not present action, spectacle, or an expansive fantasy landscape. Instead, it focuses closely on the relationship between the three principal characters.
The winged girl’s position above the two officers creates a symbolic triangular arrangement. Her wings frame the men while visually separating her from the oppressive mechanical environment.
The contrast between soft feathers and rusted steel reflects the film’s central tension between freedom and confinement, nature and technology, and hope and environmental collapse.
The officers’ relaxed poses are also significant. Although the film contains violent raids, pursuit sequences, and institutional oppression, the poster presents the trio during a moment of calm and trust.
The industrial detailing, police uniforms, futuristic insignia, and muted colouring give the image an unusual cyberpunk quality that differs markedly from the rural and historical environments associated with many other Studio Ghibli productions.
It is a particularly distinctive and highly collectable example of mid-1990s Studio Ghibli promotional art.
Release note
On Your Mark was created in 1995 as an animated film accompanying the CHAGE and ASKA song of the same name.
It was released theatrically in Japan in 1995 as part of:
「ジブリ実験劇場」
“Ghibli Experimental Theater.”
The short was screened with Studio Ghibli’s feature film Whisper of the Heart.
This poster was printed for the project’s original 1995 Japanese theatrical campaign.
It is a standard Japanese B2-size theatrical poster, measuring approximately:
51.5 × 72.8 cm / 20.3 × 28.7 inches
It is an original period Studio Ghibli theatrical poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.
Condition
Near Mint condition. An exceptional example with vivid colour, beautifully preserved animation artwork, sharp typography, clean paper, and superb overall display impact.
There are only the faintest signs of age or handling consistent with an original Japanese theatrical poster from 1995. The reverse remains clean, and there are no significant tears, staining, fading, or distracting damage.
Overall, it presents exceptionally well and would be very difficult to improve upon.
Reference: G276.
Please review the photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster for sale.
This is an original 1995 Japanese theatrical poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is now over 30 years old.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
