Posters – Otomo Katsuhiro X Graphic Design is a gigantic sized, sumptuous collection of the famed anime director’s poster designs.
There are already a couple of excellent Otomo Katsuhiro art books ( like Otomo Genga, Kaba & Kaba 2 ) out there, so how is this one different ? Points are as follows –
1) The element of graphic design. Books like Otomo Genga and Kaba 2 features Otomo’s illustrations pristine and in their unvarnished state; in this book the emphasis is on seeing Otomo’s art work as a completed product in poster form, incorporating Type and graphic design.
2) Scope of genre/work. Included in this book are posters that feature Otomo Katsuhiro’s foray into other disciplines other than anime, like live-action filmmaking (Mushishi), World Apartment Horror, as well as illustrations for books, amusement partks, events, etc.
3) Updated portfolio. Posters feature Otomo’s latest work up till late 2013, including illustrations for the animated film Short Peace and Casio.
4) Interview/notes in English language. Near the end of the book there is an interview with Otomo regarding the design process of his posters, as well as footnotes that provide additional background information on his various projects – these are seldom available in English.
(above) An annotated Otomo sketch showing the director’s rough layout and design for some of his Akira/Memories poster designs.
Most Otomo fans will probably be familiar with Akira art work so I’m posting just a few here, although the Akira posters included is very comprehensive and take up almost 1/3 of the contents of the book. Also included is a A2 sized fold-out poster featuring Tetsuo. ( design above )
(above) The original Otomo painted acrylic/gouache illustration of Steamboy seen above used to hang off a partition wall behind my seat in Sunrise Studios. Otomo had a office in the studio but he works mostly at home.
(above left) Poster design for 2013 animated film Short Peace, based on Otomo’s manga of the same name. He also illustrated the cover for the upcoming art book. ( below right )
(above) Posters for the live-action Mushishi film that Otomo directed, based on the hugely popular manga/anime by Yuki Urushibara. It wasn’t very well received but I do like the visuals and character design.
(above) A series of character illustrations Otomo painted for a Casio ad. See this older post.
This is the most comprehensive collection of Otomo posters (more than 150) available, and the sheer quantity, quality and sumptuous size of the prints make it one of the best art books I’ve seen this year. My highest recommendations.
Some technical details – This book is identical in size to the Otomo Genga art book, which is huge ! The reproductions are crisp, and the paper quality is very good – it’s thicker and feels more durable than what was used in Otomo Genga.
I want to thank the publisher PIE Books and especially Sekizawa-san for sending me this copy of Posters for review.
“Posters – Otomo Katsuhiro X Graphic Design 大友克洋 宣伝ポスター 作品集” art book details :
– Dimensions – 14.2 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
– Softcover with dust jacket, 176 pages. Comes with an A2 sized foldout poster.
– Full color, in Japanese/English language
Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
You might also be interested in these items :
Otomo Katsuhiro – 20 Posters Collection
20 Posters – Otomo Katsuhiro Posters Collection Review
THE MACH55GO WORKS Anime Graphic Design Book Review
Kaba 2 – Otomo Katsuhiro Artwork Book Review Part I
Farewell To Weapons – Otomo Katsuhiro Manga+Art Book Review
March 28th, 2014 at 9:46 am
Which of the Otomo artbooks currently in print (that new one’s already sold out?!), which would you say is the one own?
March 29th, 2014 at 12:57 am
If you absolutely had to choose one, I’ll probably say his Genga book. The 2 Kaba books and Posters all contain enough great art work to warrant a serious look though.
I assume the out of print book you are referring to is “Farewell To Weapons” ? I’m waiting for it to come back in stock as well. 😛
April 7th, 2014 at 6:45 pm
Do you know when in rhis book will be released in Europe (excact date)? I already ordered one in a local book shop and they say it will be releases in April. Just want to know when i can except it 😀
April 7th, 2014 at 10:35 pm
King of the youth – Unfortunately I’m not aware of the release date for the UK or US edition yet. Amazon UK doesn’t seem to carry a release date too.
April 22nd, 2014 at 1:13 am
How much of this book is in Genga?
April 23rd, 2014 at 12:01 am
Luis – It’s hard to give an actual number without going through both books, but the biggest difference is that the pieces appearing in Genga feature only pure artwork, but the ones in Posters are with typography, ie as actual poster works.