In This Corner Of The World is a critically acclaimed animated film directed by Katabuchi Sunao, based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Kono Fumiyo. Released in 2016 after a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign to cover its production costs, the story follows the life of young woman named Suzu who experiences the hardships and horrors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during WWII.

While the subject matter is certainly poignant and sobering, the harshness of the topic at hand is cushioned by the gentle and soothing visual style of the film, executed in soft, pastel colors, especially the stunning backgrounds.

This official art book for the film includes not only the materials used during the movie production, including background plates, layout boards and some select genga ( a full genga art book is also available ), but also quite a few gorgeous color illustrations by the original manga artist Katabuchi Sunao. Many panel excerpts from the manga that were used as reference materials are also featured in the book.

(image above) The book also comes wih a mini fold-out poster illustrated by Katabuchi Sunao.

I recently re-watched the film while visiting my good friends Takeshi and Kojima in Tokyo, and while they did not experience the war first hand were able to share quite a few stories and anecdotes as children living in post-war Japan, making the film even more relatable.

This excellent art book is a great companion to the film, especially with the many beautiful illustrations of manga artist Kono Fumiyo included. Highly recommended.

In This Corner Of The World Art Book 「この世界の片隅に」公式アートブック details :

– Dimensions – 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
– soft cover, 161 pages
– full color, in Japanese

Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

You might also be interested in these items :