Title: Yoshitaka Amano Illustrations
Author: Yoshitaka Amano
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Genre: Art
Publication Date: August 9, 2016
If you were to ask any Final Fantasy fan to name someone who worked on the series that is not a game developer, two names would instantly come to mind. The first is Nobuo Uematsu, who has created some of the most beautiful and iconic music in not just Final Fantasy history, but in video game history. The other is Yoshitaka Amano, whose commissioned character illustrations have been a staple in Final Fantasy’s rich history.
Of course, Final Fantasy hasn’t been the only franchise Amano has worked on in the past fifty years and to commemorate that, VIZ Media has worked with Amano to capture some of best works in the Yoshitaka Amano Illustrations art book!
Of course, in an art book, the art takes the center stage and it does very prominently. The book kicks off with what this generation associates him with most: Final Fantasy. Once you get past the opening pages you begin to realize that Amano was so much more than a Final Fantasy character illustrator. He had designed covers for manga volumes such as Vampire Hunter D and The Guin Saga.
The book moves in to some of his sketches of different men and women before it showcases some of his character design and artwork on such titles like Gatchaman Crowds and N.Y. Salad. The book even touches upon how he even lent his talents to Tatsunoko at the young age of fifteen. In fact, one of Tatsunoko’s most popular characters, Casshern, was designed by Amano himself!
While book continues to feature beautiful sketches, murals and other works by Amano, artwork isn’t the only thing you get with this book. The book takes a break from the artwork towards the middle and displays an interview between Yoshitaka Amano and Akira Uno. Uno mainly focused on underground art during the 1960s and 1970s. He used a colorful and flamboyant style in his artwork and used that to create many illustrations.
The interview contains many topics such as sketches and vegetables (referring to N.Y. Salad), Amano’s time with Tatsunoko, how they searched for their own art style and how you don’t have to be bound by realism. The interview was very in-depth and gives you a great look into the minds of two fantastic artists.
Later on in the book, Amano discusses his past, the present and what is in store for him for the future. Even when looking forward to the future, Amano is still looking to refine his work. It is truly a testament when you can do something for over fifty years and still want to improve yourself and get better. A true artist’s work is never done and Amano knows that all too well!
The book then caps off with a great Chronology; depicting Amano’s artwork and contributions from the very beginning all the way up to the present. It ties a nice little bow around the entire package and it, to us a pun, paints a tremendous picture of who Yoshitaka Amano really is.
Overall, the book is gorgeous and filled with Amano’s unique style which is a pleasure to sit down, stare at and appreciate. While the book mainly focuses on the art (as it should), the written portions are very informative and provide a nice look into Yoshitaka Amano’s life. In addition to the interviews, Amano gives us a nice little blurb at each section explaining what it is about or how he was influenced by what we are about to see. So while you can turn each page and feast your eyes on some amazing pieces, you get a great balance of substance that helps explain how those art pieces came to be. Amano is clearly proud of his work in this book and I believe it is a must-have for anyone who has ever enjoyed his illustrations!
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The book and sample images were provided for review by Viz Media
