Light And Darkness ( Hikari To Yami ) is a compilation of Japanese background artist Ogura Hiromasa’s spectacular body of work, including such great anime films like Jin-roh, Patlabor II, Last Exile and GITS Innocence. The image above is the painting of the bullet riddled Tree Of Life bas-relief appearing near the end of Ghost In The Shell.

A significant portion of the book covers background art from Ghost In The Shell, and some from the sequel Innocence. These striking images, coupled with Kenji Kawai’s haunting soundtrack help define the aesthetic mood of a few key sequences in the film.

(above and below) Background art depicting the “floating museum” that was the stage for the climatic showdown in Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost In The Shell. It’s easily one of the most dramatic and impactful finale in anime feature films, period.

(above and below) Ogura-san also worked on some of the background art in Hiroyuki Okiura’s Jin-roh ( see review of art book here ), including the dank, moody subterranean waterways featured at the start and end of the film.

(above and below) Background art work for Gonzo’s Last Exile ( see art book review here ) and Innocence.

(above) A short section near the end of the book touches on Ogura-san’s painting techniques; but in Japanese only.

I am not aware of any other publication/art book showcasing the background artwork from Ghost In The Shell, which I feel is worth the price of this book on their own. Highly recommended.

“Of Light & Darkness – Ogura Hiromasa Background Art 光と闇 小倉宏昌画集” book details :

Dimensions – 30 x 23 x 1 cm
Soft cover, 103 pages
Color, in Japanese

Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK

You might also be interested in these items :