Customer Reviews

Manga Mania Villains: How to Draw the Dastardly Characters of Japanese Comics

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have read this book and I returned it to the store minutes after buying it. Not only is the artwork ugly and non- manga style but it tells you nothing about how to draw the pictures. How can they call this manga when it is clear mr. hart has never read a manga in his life. warning: stay FAR away from this book

I've been hosting anime drawing workshops at local libraries, and I've always been on the lookout for books I can recommend to kids interested in continuing to draw in the anime and manga styles. So I checked out this book at a library recently with the intention of compiling a new list of drawing books that I would recommend to the people attending the workshops this summer.
This book will not be on that list.
Quite frankly, despite the fact that there are several very talented artists who contributed to this book, it's lousy. Most of the artwork featured is either mediocre or *not* done in the manga style Hart claims the book revolves around; in fact, seeing how Mr. Hart's art numbers among the worst in the book, I'm skeptical as to whether or not he is a credible source regarding non-Western artistry at all. (His Western-style cartooning is really quite good, so I'm rather surprised at his ineptitude in this field, myself.)
As I said, there are some very good pieces in this book as well--they really stand out when you see them--but they simply make for good references, as most of the "step-by-step" diagrams are about four steps long, adding up to a pretty useless instruction method overall. The proposed "villains" in the book, in fact, are rather one-dimensional from a character perspective, but I can understand how it would be far easier to resort to stereotypical black-and-white personalities than to flesh out a really interesting villain (because, well, that wasn't what this book was supposed to be about, so I can't really hold it against him.)
Most, if not all, pictures were colored digitally--something that most people won't have access to--and a number of them were printed with rough and jagged edges as if they had been drawn with the pencil tool in a Photoshop (or even paint. Strangely enough, these rougher works are actually some of the better ones in the book, if I recall correctly.)

Please, if you're interested in drawing in the anime or manga style, find another book. If you're interested in Western comics, check out Hart's other work (or the Marvel/DC instructional books, which are quite good.) But if it's manga style you're looking to learn about...then this is NOT the book for you.

I had mixed reviews about this book, but I had to admit the reason why I bought this book was because of the title. Afterall, no one has drawn a book totally dedicated to villians.

First of all, the book starts off by introducing you to drawing villian’s eyes, which is rather helpful since eyes are one of the important aspects when drawing villains. There’re also the “Good” vs “Bad” expressions and some explanations to go along. Then, there’re various types of baddies, from fighter chicks to medieval villains, and not to forget villains such as monsters, demons and aliens.

Unfortunately, there are mostly one or two examples for most villains, which can be rather limiting if you’re trying to draw the same type of villain in a different way. However, I think this is where your imagination will come in. Some of the arts also strike me as rather kiddy (or perhaps, it's meant to be more for children), although some of the full-page color artworks are very nice.

In addition, I’ve also noticed that most of the examples have a certain “American” (instead of Japanese”) style to it. For the serious mangaka-wannabe though, you are better off getting more “technical” and “Japanese-Style” books such as the “How to Draw Manga” Series, but overall, this book will make a nice reference or resource book for people interested drawing American cartoon.

Got this for my 12 yr old son and he's been using it but i dont think he is feally impressed with it.

Ok, Christopher hart is not the best in the manga business. I think this book is more for expanding your horizon of villians, not teaching you how to draw them. I have to admit though, it showed me some things I didn't think of before. It also showed that some of the harder aspects of drawing are not so hard if you break them apart. Three stars.

First of all, this book centers around a style of art, not teaching art itself. All its shortcomings revolve around the fact that it doesn't adequately teach this style of art.

Christopher Hart's entire artistic background is in American cartooning and comics. Now, that's not to saw that an artist of Western background can't perfectly render Japanese-style art (some can and have books on it, Katy Coope for example has a pretty good kids' book), but the sad fact is that Christopher Hart simply can't, and he teaches people, essentially, "how not to" draw in anime style.

So, if you like anime, and you want to learn to draw anime-style art, then you will be disappointed if you use a book like this as reference, and people make comments like "Western/Americanized" when they see your art.

For a great example of failed attempts at anime, watch the show "Totally Spies" currently airing on Cartoon Network. It was produced by a French studio and has all the common flaws of "Western" anime. Also, like in this book, the villains look goofy or cute. Sadly, neither Hart nor the creators of "Totally Spies" know how to design anime villains.

If you like mediocre "anime" like "Totally Spies," then this is right up your alley.

I flipped through this book at a bookstore and was not very satisfied with the contents.

First of all, MUCH of this book was in color. Not only is that not necessary, but it causes the guide to be unneccesarilly expensive for its size. The fact that many of the chunky images have been colored (and clearly not done so by hand, either!) seems to imply that it is meant more for children. (Obviously, young readers would lose interest if the book had been printed completely in black and white.) As most people should have noticed, many of the other manga-drawing series have been primarily in black and white, with a few exceptions.

Furthermore, many of the examples (such as the rich man, his girlfriend and the bodyguard) were extremely one-sided and conventional. And there were many parts where I had the impression that a female "manga" villain had to be bursting with sex appeal or something of the sort.

I strongly believe that most if not all manga villains are not completely evil. An excellent example would be 'Magic Knight Rayearth' by CLAMP. Every single person fights for their own wishes and ideas, and those with opposing ideas become your enemies. Absolutely none of the characters were truly evil-even Zagato, the main antagonist, had reasons for what he did that almost anyone would easily understand.

A vilain is not someone (or something) who simply exists to make your life miserable or kidnap a princess. In fact, there probably shouldn't even be a book devoted entirely to how to draw villains. I would recommend that someone who has trouble creating manga villains should read a few varied volumes of manga, and come up with their own ideas on what an antagonist should be like.

And finally, to conclude this review, I must add the comment that the "manga" is not quite manga at all. Everything is basically just Western cartoons with anime/manga faces.

Once again Christopher Hart presents the subject matter in such a way that an amateur artist like myself can sink his teeth into. The author discusses various villian types and characterists that make a villian, villainous - all in a humorous style that is a joy to read. The drawings are incredible - from the pencil to the full color versions. This book is a must have!

However unfairly, I believe that it is necessary to be able to draw manga before publishing a book instructing others how to do it.

Unfortunately, the art in this book is very westernised (not to mention ugly) and most of it does not even approach a "manga" style, and threfore is pretty much useless to most aspiring manga artists.

Avoid this book (and all other members of the same series by Chris Hart) at all costs.

Outstanding! Hart not only illustrates the technique required to create but takes you into the soul of the character as well; allowing you to interpret the temperament of the creature and spirit of the scene. The many different characters described with the evil powers attached to the wicked weapons topped by the background descriptions provide all the tools needed for a great storyboard. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys feeling the characters they create.