The Art Of Shin Godzilla is the gargantuan sized art/making of book for Hideaki Anno’s ( of Evangelion fame ) rendition of the King of Monsters, Godzilla. The film is markedly different from all the other Japanese Godzilla films that had come before it ( and indeed, both the US versions as well ), and is also my favorite Japanese version so far.

Due to the immense volume of the book ( 560 pages ), I’m splitting up the review into two parts; I’ll cover the package contents and concept art in this first part.

Weighing a hefty 3.5 kg, the 2 volume book set is delivered in a white exterior cardboard box, and the books housed in a sturdy black cardboard slipcase.

(below) Included with the books are 2 flyers, one for the upcoming blu-ray for the film, and the other the extremely high quality Godzilla figure/replica.

(above) The cardboard slipcase comes embossed with the film’s Japanese title.

(above) The 2 volumes, with the main tome featuring a towering view of Godzilla. The 2nd book contains the screenplay for the film. This will probably hold little interest for most readers unless they understand Japanese well.

(above) Included in the main volume are 2 foldout posters illustrated by Uruta Kenji ( see his art book Future ) and the creature designer for this film, Mahiro Maeda ( director of Blue Submarine ).

The first section of the book dives right into the concept art and Godzilla creature designs by Mahiro Maeda. The sketches and image (concept) boards are detailed and of really high quality, and it’s interesting to see the different variant looks of Godzilla before the final one is bought off.

(above) Maeda-san even played around with the idea of a self replicating Godzilla that had two heads but the idea was rejected by Toho studios.

(above & below) These are some of the most intriguing concept art pieces in the book, because they clearly depict humanoid creatures that are spawned from the tail of the now dormant beast. The film ended on such a note, but the details of these creatures were hard to make out. Perhaps we might expect their appearance in the next film ( if there is one ) ?

My thoughts on the art book so far – Mahiro Maeda’s concept art pieces are just amazing; I’ll post part 2 of the review in a week or two.

“The Art Of Shin Godzilla ジ・アート・オブ・シン・ゴジラ” art book details :

– Dimensions – 32.5 x 23.3 x 6.6 cm
– Hardcover ( main volume – 560 pages ) + soft cover ( screenplay book – 280 pages )
– Books come in a protective exterior cardboard case and housed in a sturdy cardboard slipcase
– Full color, in Japanese language

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