Customer Reviews

Yoshitaka Amano's Mateki: The Magic Flute

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4 star:		(2)
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Let me preface this by saying I'm no fan of anime, and most of Amano's work doesn't pique my interest. What I found interesting about this collection (apparently based on "Mozart's The Magic Flute" is that there is a minimalist purity to the imagery, that unlike Amano's work on Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy, evokes traditional Japanese art in a very special way. Some may complain that there aren't a wealth of "finished pieces" but I counter that by defining the book as Amano's experience of the music of Mozart, and like lyrical music, the imagery in the book makes swift, deft use of color, minimal linework and mature composition.

I do have one small quibble. For a book that's centered around Mozart's 'The Magic Flute', I feel there's a missed opportunity in the fact that there's no "collector's edition" that also comes with a companion disc with the recording that Amano referenced while creating the images. It would have been something special to listen to what the artist himself listened to while viewing the book...perhaps bringing the reader one step closer to the mind of Amano himself.

That being said, the collection is worth picking up (especially at this reasonable price for a "coffee table" book) and a must-have for fans of Amano's work.

I wonder if Amano has more books in this "music series" to do. That would be very interesting. I'd love to see what he would do while listening to Coltrane's "A Love Supreme".

This might not be a typical review of amanos work, but I feel that it represents a wonderful synthesis of both old and the new (in terms of artwork, arrangement) philosophical concepts and spiritual values to be explored by the reader at their own level and experience.

As far as art work or drawings/paintings are concerned, they are of a unique style, that anyone who has enjoyed amanos work previously will appreciate, and a certain raw element to it that blends with the literature of the material presented, and at certain stages develops into more refined images/states.

Anyway, that said and done, I have really enjoyed the book, and anyone with any inclination towards amano's work, philosophical, artistic or spiritual, should enjoy this work and will not feel to have their money wasted on what is essentially another amano jem in progressive art. This is coming from a scientist....

enjoy reality :)

This book is an essential *must* for any Amano fan.

For those who may not like or be familiar with his works in video games or anime this book is very elaborate and minimalistic at the same time. I have not seen anything like this before - the colours jump at you on the page and the story (if you are not an opera fan) is simple enough. The style of painting is somewhat Japanese but also somewhat European influenced, it is very hard to put a finger on the direct influences but nonetheless it should not stop anyone enjoying this book.

My only critique was the length of this book was very short for the price I paid. While I enjoy Amano's Final Fantasy works to another this could be one big "final fantasy version of the opera" to another reader.