Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano [Paperback]

Yoshitaka Amano (Author), Unno Hiroshi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2003

Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano began his career with exceptional design work on fan-favorite anime such as Gatchaman/G-Force and Time Bokan and popular graphic novels Sandman: The Dream Hunters and Wolverine & Elektra: The Redeemer, but it wasn't until he turned his attention to the medium of printmaking that his artistic genius began to flower.  Drawing from influences as diverse as Art Nouveau and Art Deco traditions, American comics, Japanese ukiyo-e, and traditional fantasy illustration, Amano's prints capture a breathtaking world -- sometimes whimsical, sometimes luxurious, and sometimes terrifying.  

Amano: The Complete Prints showcases hundreds of these captivating works, comprising an impressive, comprehensive look at one of the art world's visionary talents.  Art scholar and critic Unno Hiroshi contributes an insightful message on Amano,  the genesis of this style, and his place in the panoply of art history.  Also included is a brief timeline noting the high points of the artist's career.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese artist whose style and talents in a variety of media have won him acclaim worldwide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Harper Design; First edition. edition (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060567635
• ISBN-13: 978-0060567637
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Yoshitaka Amano, (born July 28, 1952) is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D, Shinjuku, and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix (formerly Square). His influences include Western comic books, art nouveau, and Japanese woodblock prints. He has won awards for his work, including the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Sandman: The Dream Hunters. In early 2010, he established Studio Devaloka, a film production company.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amano fans, REJOICE!, November 5, 2003

By 

H. Jenkins - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano (Paperback)

This is packed with Amano's prints obviously, they are all richly colored on matte paper. It's just beautiful! It includes his prints from some of Final Fantasy games, Vampire Hunter D, and many other projects he has worked on.

It's just fantastic - so don't pay $80 for Hiten or Biten, when many of the same prints are in this volume! Which is excellent paperback quality also.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just work, January 26, 2007

By 

L. Thompson (Gulf Coast, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano (Paperback)

The book is wonderful but keep in mind half of the book is a catalog of his work (for other words ton of pictures that are inch and a half by an inch).

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visions of Grace, December 27, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Amano: The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano (Paperback)

Yoshitaka Amano has played an active part in Japanese illustration from 60's to present times. He has lived through Anime, game design, illustration, and now printmaking - demonstrating at each stopping point a variety of imagination that has had an impact far beyond his own successes in Japanese visual art..

In the U.S. he is best known for Vampire Hunter D, the conceptual design behind the Final Fantasy series, and several recent collaborations with Neil Gaiman. But as this book quickly reveals, Yoshitaka has great power as a pure illustrator and artist. His roots are in Art Nouveau and the psychedelic styling of the 1960's, but he combines this with a mastery of Japanese traditional styles to produce a variety of effects and images.

This is a focused collection of just his prints, both those done for graphic novels and anime, as well as completely independent work. There are 192 pages page sized illustration followed by a large illustrated catalog of the rest of his print output. A final commentary by Hiroshi Unno completes the work. The most notable missing work is from the Final Fantasy series, none of which ever appeared as prints. However, the originality of what is included far outweighs any regrets about any unfortunate gaps.

A word of warning. Collections of Yoshitaka's work have a tendency to go out of print and disappear irretrievably. I have lived to rue not making several purchases when I had the opportunity. If you would like a representative collection of what made Yoshitaka Amano one of Japan's most formidable illustrators, this is a good selection at a very digestible price, with no sacrifice of quality. To have more at present, means searching out work that is out of print. Seize the opportunity.