How to Draw Manga : Illustrating Battles (Japanese Language Edition) [Paperback]

Hikaru Hayashi (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Books Nippan; Japanese edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4766110331
• ISBN-13: 978-4766110333
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,875,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illustrating Battles--very helpful for martial arts scenes!, October 5, 2000

By 

TW (Austin Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: How To Draw Manga: Illustrating Battles (Paperback)

I started taking martial arts a couple of years ago just to help my cartoon characters learn to fight in a realistic way... this book can save you a couple steps (and dollars!)

Beautiful pictures, very helpful, but I would not recommend this as a "how to draw" book for beginners... it's not good with 'step by step' stuff. If you can already draw, and want to figure out how to lay out 'speed lines' and dynamic action scenes, then this is a very good book for you!

This book has shown me many moves I already know, but it puts it in an artists perspective, something my martial arts teacher lacks... It also has many other things I didn't know, it covers many styles of fighting.

Being a Japanese release, it also has a big "Girls in Sailor School Uniforms Fighting" chapter, very helpful if you are drawing girls fighting in Sailor School uniforms.(?!) You have to love Manga to have an appreciation for that... heehee.

In short, you don't have to sign up for Martial Arts lessons to learn how to draw realistic fighting scenes... this book WILL help. (I will continue to take my classes though!)

The other books in this series are wonderful, as well, I can't wait for them to release more!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for the advanced manga drawer, October 30, 2000

By 

Evan Miller "Hedonist and All Around Geek" (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How To Draw Manga: Illustrating Battles (Paperback)

This is by no means a beginners book. You'll want to start with the "Compiling Characters" book to start. By the time you have the basic techniques down, then this book will help. The four star rating is a bit misleading, let me tell you why. The art in the book is great. It does a great job in showing you how to make fight scenes look dynamic. How different styles of hitting are used in comedic and hard-boiled action. But as si the problem with earlier translated versions, sometimes the language comes off as stiff. It reads as if you're listening to a stereotype Japanese speaking "engrish". As a result sometimes the descriptions aren't as good as the should be. Other than that this is another great book to add to your "How to Draw" collection.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful For Drawing Fight Scenes!, January 24, 2001

By 

Daniel Looney (The Moon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Draw Manga: Illustrating Battles (Paperback)

This book is one of a large series of books, and is not for beginners. It doesn't provide a step-by-step guide for drawing, and if you are a beginner I suggest searching for the first three books in the series. The guidelines and pictures provided in the book are very helpful, however. It covers many different forms of fighting, how to show a character dodging or being hit, jumping, tired or defeated characters, and an entire section devoted to fighting girls in sailor suits. Be warned, there is a bit of nudity to provide outlines for the characters, but it is fairly mild. The translation can be a bit choppy in placed, which is why I gave it four stars, but the illustrations are very helpful. Check it out if you want to draw manga!