GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Satoko Kiyuduki (Creator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2009

It's Kisaragi's first year in G.A.: the specialized art and design department at her high school. The timid Kisaragi has a lot to learn, but with the help of a very unique group of friends, even the most difficult lesson becomes loads of fun - if not downright silly! With the aid of full-color pages throughout, you too can learn the basics of color theory and become a great artist yourself! Satoko Kiyuduki, creator of Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, melds art class and manga in a whole new way!

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Yen Press (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759529035
• ISBN-13: 978-0759529038
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For 4-Koma Strip Enthusiasts, September 15, 2009

By 

Kelly (OMAHA, NE, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I enjoy reading 4-koma manga, and having gone to art school myself, I figured this would be a great read. My final verdict? It's OK. Here's why:

What's Good:
* The quality of the printing with full color pages interspersed is fabulous.
* The illustration quality and character designs are cute and distinct. I had no trouble telling which character was which even in close-up panels.
* The characters are likable and have fun personalities.
* The last 2/3 of the book.

What's Not So Good:
* Translation notes. Normally I would put this as a "plus," but GA has FIVE PAGES of translation notes. Which means you are frequently flipping to the back of the book to see why that last strip was supposed to be funny. A lot of the notes are for art terms, and even as a former art major, I had no idea what some of the terms were without flipping to the notes. The constant flipping also ruins the comedic timing on a lot of the strips. However, if you're a purist for literal translations, you'll be in heaven.
* Frequently, it's just not that funny. A lot of the jokes just don't translate well, even with the translation notes.

Final thoughts:
The book really gets better as it goes along. Personally, I found the first third of the book to be downright tedious to the point I almost gave up reading it. But then things started to get rolling, the translation notes were a bit fewer between, and the overall story began to improve. I think this book is best suited for people who have already read a number of other 4-koma books, love translation notes, and have at least an interest in art.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art Class with Unique Girl Students: Funny Four-Panel Comic from the Creator of "Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro", July 27, 2009

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Hugely entertaining four-panel comic "GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class" revolves around the life of five delightful high school girls. The manga's premise may sound a bit familiar like that of my favorite comic "Azumanga Daioh" and "Lucky Star," but Satoko Kiyuduki, better known for her unique fantasy comic "Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro," has created something different, using the theories and lessens you will learn in art school as the basis of comedy.

First, meet a group of five lovely girl students: serious and klutzy girl Kisaragi Yamaguchi (said to be modeled on the creator herself); always cool Miyabi Oomichi (aka "Professor" or "Masa" depending on the situation); boyish and noisy Tomokane; mature Namiko Nozaki (who looks more like their elder sis); and cute, cheerful, maybe too cheerful Miki Noda. The five girls are all in the first year of Art and Design Department of Ayanoi High School. They have many things to learn and it is fun for the girls (and for us) to learn them in the often hilarious way.

As you know, "GA" is not the only manga whose main actions take place in art school. (There is Ume Aoki's "Sunshine Sketch," for instance.) One of the uniqueness of "GA" is that the comic is mostly set in the classroom and often (but not always) makes use of basic art theories as sources of jokes. But don't worry as they are not difficult at all and like any good comic books, the real stars of "GA" are these likeable and delectable characters you can relate to. Though the comic contains some serious moments, its overall tone remains light-hearted, much lighter than the same author's "Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro" (which by the way, is another manga you should not miss).

"GA" was originally serialized in the now defunct magazine "Comic Gyutto!" from its first issue on July 23, 2004 to its third (and last) issue on December 9, 2004. Then it moved to "Manga Time Kirara Carat" published by Houbunsha, first as one-shot comic in the August 2005 issue, and then has been serialized since the November 2005 issue. The animation based on the comic started in July, 2009.

[TRANSLATION] Yen Press's English edition has the original's color pages intact. In fact, Satoko Kiyuduki is famous for her colorful and stylish illustrations. The English translation is near perfect, but as is often the case with any verbal jokes, there are a few things "lost in translation," most notably, the funny "suneko" joke, which is based on the fact that a Chinese letter meaning "drawing a sketch" looks very similar to another letter that means "a cat," hence Noda-chan's mispronunciation. Still the translation is very good, especially the "AIDMA" law part (p.74) which is brilliantly done.

[TRANSLATION NOTES] The English edition has a five-page translation note, which is helpful, but some part is misleading or simply wrong. For example "Siberian Super Express" is an action movie, to be sure, but is actually known as "cheesy" action, without which you will miss he point of the joke. Also, those "Ito" and "Saito" jokes have no implications the note says. They are just names.

[FORMAT] In most cases comic books (called "tankoubon") published in Japan comes with dust jacket. That means the manga creators can provide TWO cover arts: one on the dust jacket and the other on the book itself under the jacket. For the reason I don't know, Yen Press failed to include the latter specially made for the Japanese edition of "GA" Vol.1, which is a clever parody of art magazine, including a funny fake ad of a "suneko" cat. I like Yen Press and its unique line-up, but this is slightly disappointing.

In conclusion, "GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class" is a comic with funny and endearing characters. Please enjoy reading it.