Review date: 8/15/2003

Publisher: Seishinsha

Artist: Shirow, Masamune

Released: 1992

Availability: NORMAL

Type: Artbook

Bound: Softcover

Review Edition: First Printing

 
 
Personal Story/ Introduction:
This is the first artbook by manga legend Masamune Shirow. I first saw this in a comic book store a long time ago. I had never seen this art style before. I couldn't get it because of the price it was going for. But a few years later, I managed to snag my own copy when I had money. The cover was burned into my mind and I had to get it. It was the FIRST artbook I had ever owned. This was probably one of the first artbooks to appear in North America by a Japanese artist.
 

Main Themes :
Girls, Mechs, Demons, Technology, Fantasy
 

Art / Content:
Watercolor/acrylic/color pencil art. This artbook showcases many of Shirow's early works. You'll find a ton of hot babes wrapped in technology in this artbook. The details in the machines and urban landscape are fantastic. There's page after page of great classic art by Shirow-san here. Excellent. There are a few minor pages with nudity and one page with lesbian sex but it's nothing to write home about.

One major feature of this artbook is the running commentary by Shirow-san himself. The text is in both Japanese and English so it's very accessible for people who don't know Japanese. It's very informative and contains a bit of humor here and there. It's great to read an artist's own interpretation of their own art. Aspiring artists will find it very inspiring.

There's also a poster included which is a cool bonus.

 
Overall: A+
Even with all the digital art coming out nowadays, this artbook can still duke it out with the best of them. Any fan of Shirow-san or hot babes will love this book. The layout and design was revolutionary and many artbooks today follow its style very closely. A must-have.
 

Where can I find this?
The popularity of Masamune Shirow is still going strong so this artbook can still be found quite easily at comic book stores and online.
 
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