The Art Of Shin Godzilla is the art/making of book for Hideaki Anno’s latest iteration of the King Of Monsters. Because of the sheer amount of content ( 560 pages ) in the book, I have broken up the book review into 2 parts; read Part 1 here.
After the concept art section, the book moves on to the incredibly detailed maquettes/models of the new Godzilla modeled by Takayuki Takeya, a prolific character sculptor/designer who previously worked with Anno to realize the giant God Warrior ( originally from Miyazaki Hayao’s Nausicaa ) for a special Tokusatsu exhibition.
(above) Incredibly detailed maquette of the stage 2 Godzilla. (below) Takayuki-san working on the models.
(above & below) Stage 3 Godzilla, now fully bipedal and able to stand on its hind legs, albeit with tiny arms.
(above & below) And finally stage 4 Godzilla, the film adult form.
(above & below ) Models of the skeletal humanoid creatures spawning from the tip of Godzilla’s tail, the final shot in the film.
From here onwards the contents cover the more physical aspects of the filmmaking process, the location hunts, principle and 2nd unit photography, miniature creation and photography, production/set design and lastly CG/VFX.
The CG in the film is created primarily by Japanese VFX house Shirogumi.
The last few pages in the book covers the numerous promotional and marketing materials for the film.
Final thoughts – Publisher Groundworks has created a most comprehensive art/making of book for Shin Godzilla, and together with the screenplay and 2 foldout posters make a fantastic package.
That said, the main volume itself is very wordy – despite the fantastic coverage on the concept art, Godzilla maquettes and other production photographs, the rest of the book are filled with interviews and articles – in Japanese language only.
The question to ask yourself if you are keen on getting this book is whether the visual content offered in the book is worth the $92; if so, you’ll be happy with the purchase.
Read Part 1 of the book review if you haven’t already.
“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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January 28th, 2017 at 1:47 am
This book is a must have! Wonder will there be or is there a live action making of on the blu ray? Regardless this book is going to make an awesome companion with the movie. A friend of mine who lives in Japan interviewed Bob Werley on his podcast called WHY COME JAPAN #4 : Bob Werley.
February 3rd, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Hello, loved the detailed review, certainly makes it easier deciding on whether or not to get this! I had a quick question in regards to how much concept art there is compared to the interviews and other non-visual information?
February 10th, 2017 at 3:07 am
Geoffrey – Sorry for the late reply ! I would say the visual content make up about 40-50% of the book, and the concept art about half of that ( 20% of the book’s total contents ).