The Art of Inuyasha (Inuyasha Art Book) [Hardcover]

Rumiko Takahashi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Inuyasha Art Book | Publication Date: December 6, 2005

Japanese high school student Kagome, magically whisked back to the past, accidentally releases the legendary doglike half-demon Inu-Yasha from his imprisonment. His crime? Stealing the powerful "Jewel of Four Souls." Now he must help Kagome reclaim the jewel to prevent other demons from using it for evil purposes. Thus begins the megapopular graphic novel series that has become a Cartoon Network and DVD phenomenon. Including both colorful cell art and paintings, this book showcases the fascinating characters and dramatic sequences found in the hit show. Page after page of full-color designs are here, along with character profiles, watercolors from the manga covers, and 66 pages of colored manga pages, many previously unpublished in the United States. The book also contains a discussion between the Japanese voice actors and creator Rumiko Takahashi, along with interviews with the series' co-creators.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 2 edition (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421501872
• ISBN-13: 978-1421501871
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The spotlight on Rumiko Takahashi's career began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan's annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another--Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma 1/2 from 1987 to 1996, and Inuyasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT ARTBOOK!!!!!!!!!!!, August 8, 2003

By 

Mireiko-sama - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Inuyasha: Anime Art Gallery (Paperback)

This isn't your normal artbook, like the Art of Cardcaptor Sakura (which has only page after page of art and nothing else). This artbook actually has facts, character profiles, colored manga/anime images, you name it! Anyone who is a fan of
Inuyasha should definitly get this!
now for the price. It's not THAT expensive, seeing as how the book is SOOOOO good. Spare a few dollars and buy it...you won't be disappointed!!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great companion to Inu-Yasha, August 27, 2005

By 

Suzanne Crowley (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Inuyasha: Anime Art Gallery (Paperback)

Although I may be biased as a long-time fan of Rumiko Takahashi, I must that this is a great artbook for fans of Inu-Yasha. Although this book caters more to the manga audience than to the anime adaption, content for the anime is also very well presented.

The book begins with a manga/anime comparison of the series' opening scene. This provides some interesting information on how storyboard artists and scriptwriters adapt a few pages of manga material into a full-fledged anime scene. It then collects the manga's color pages (which were sadly converted to grayscale in the graphic novels) from the first chapter up until the Ryuukotsusei story in volume 20. They are presented int their original right-to-left format, and a great collection of Takahashi's gorgeous watercolors. Next is a series of original manga illustrations that she created for Shonen Sunday covers and the like. A gallery of the graphic novel cover artwork for the graphic novels is included, but unfortunately the illustrations are downsized to mere thumbnails.

It's also interesting that you can really see Rumiko Takahashi's progression of artistic skill by flipping through these pages. They go from the light-hearted pastel colors and cute facial expressions of her Ranma 1/2 days to the darker, more distinct style that she would use for Inu-Yasha. Although I would not call Rumiko Takahashi's artwork pretty or refined, it has a certain vibrancy to it that really brings her characters to life, and converys her story in an entertaining manner.

The second portion of the book covers the anime. Character bios for the earlier major characters is included, with accompanying cel ilustrations. There is a comprehensive gallery of design sketches complete with interesting footnotes, and also background illustrations. While I am primarily a fan of the manga, I have to admit the artistry for the anime is extremely impressive. The background illsutrations are gorgeous, and the character designs are well-adapted. There is also an in-depth study of the opening and closing themes.

The final portion of the book is composed of entertaining interviews with the staff. Rumiko Takahashi discusses her characters with the voice-actors of Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Kikyo. The director also talks about challenge of adapting a manga like Inu-Yasha to anime, and the art director reveals his thoughts behind the character designs. Finally, there's a comprehensive Inu-Yasha glossary at the end.

Overall, this is a great book for those interested in the art of Inu-Yasha. The only drawback is that this book only covers the earlier parts of the series, and thus leaves out several key characters who come later. Thankfully, a second artbook will be released that will make up for this slight shortcoming.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book for all ages who are into Inuyasha, July 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Art of Inuyasha (Inuyasha Art Book) (Hardcover)

I am actually over 13 years old , however I didnt want to give my email address out so I said I was younger. This is a great book. I bought it for my 16 year old son and he absolutely LOVES it. He is into drawing japanese animation and this book was a great inspiration. All of his friends who are mostly the same age want to get the book to. I did see it at Borders also , for the same price , and you dont have to pay shipping and handling charges, also you dont have to wait for it to show up. Borders also had a huge selection of other Inuyasha books and other Japanese animation characters.