Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique, interesting and fun art, June 13, 2009
Length:: 0:18 Mins
Okami is an action-adventure video game released on Playstation 2 and Wii. And this is not a game guide; it doesn't show you how to take on enemies.
Okami features the most unique art direction I've seen for any computer game. It is heavily inspired by Japanese watercolour painting and wood carving art of the Ukiyo-e style. It's an amazing concept to combine watercolour in computer game art, moreover, use it in the actual game itself.
This thick 288-page art book is filled to the brim with content. There are official character art including the concept sketches, storyboards, paintings created by by Issun the Celestial Envoy while on journey with Okami Amaterasu and even some music sheets at the end. The application of watercolour to create cute character design is very refreshing.
Everything in the book is captioned. Characters have their introductions. The character designs are explained to the detail of why they wear what they wear. Concept sketches come with artists' reflection. And then there's the journal of Issun, which is a whole big section by itself. There's so much stuff to read, so much information and stories into background of the characters and places.
This book is highly recommended and worth taking a look even if you have no idea what the game Okami is about.
There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you buy one art book this year, make it this one., June 24, 2008
This book is an astounding value, and one of the best art-related purchases I've ever made. I was a huge fan of Okami from the beginning, but this book is excellent enough that even people that have never played the game before can get enjoyment out of it.
The book includes a brilliant holographic cover, high-quality paper stock, and vibrant coloring. My single favorite feature, though, had to be the "Gossip" section that followed up on what happened to the characters after the game was over. The storyboards, sheet music, and production sketches were all absolutely brilliant as well.
This art is not only striking and memorable, but it also manages to evoke real emotion. Any person that places any value on good artistry should look past any biases against the videogame origins of this art book and pick it up.
Best book purchase I've made in the past three years, undoubtedly.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent addition to any Anime/Video Games Concept Art Library, June 20, 2008
This massive collection of sketches, conceptual art, Japanese-print style illustrations, stage and character designs, and bestiary are a joy to behold and a great source of inspiration for budding artists, anime fans, and gamers. I am glad I waited for this English translation of this book, for it's certainly nice to be able to read the text of such a beautifully printed book at a fraction of the cost of the imported version. The bright color palette and the watercolor cartoon sketching style of these illustrations is not only strikingly bold but also deceptively simple to emulate which would make them an ideal non-threatening goal for beginning artists to strive for.
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by Capcom
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