It’s true, what many of you have heard – Otomo’s catalogue for his Genga Exhibition is even more wicked than his latest art book Kaba 2. From cover to cover, its a grand celebration of artist’s 39 years of superfluous art work.
To begin, check out how this monster trumps even Otomo’s own giant art book Kaba in sheer size and volume :
And now to address a question that many Otomo fans have been asking – how much content is actually as yet unpublished art work ? From a cursory browsing of the book, my guesstimation is that most of the art work contained within have been published in one form or another.
This I am pretty certain with regards to the 2nd half of the book, because they are relatively more “recent” work which I am more or less familiar with; but the content in the first half of the book ( images below ) are really old work which will be much harder to track down I think. ( Otomo experts out there, please correct me if I’m wrong. )
All that said, there are 2 things that are worth mentioning.
The first is that even though many of the art work aren’t new, its the first time they are presented in their “raw” and unvarnished form, uncropped too, lending a pristine quality to the work. It’s as if Otomo himself dug out all his original pieces of art work, stacked them in a neat and tidy pile and then diligently reproduced them with a giant flatbed scanner.
Which is probably how it was done, only it was a couple of his jimusho (office) staff slogging away and not him, no offence intended sir. )
The 2nd is size – the prints are humongous and delicately reproduced, the colors vibrant and eye-popping, the sharpness spot on and crisp. One might need to inspect the book in person to tell the real difference, but its definitely there.
I don’t think Otomo fans will want to miss out on this one. It’s a good thing Amazon Japan is selling it, which makes the book available to his fans all over the world. And because I won’t have to lug this big and heavy book all the way back home after the exhibition.
Highly, highly recommended. ( folks who already got the book, I’ll love to hear what you think. :] )
“Otomo Katsuhiro Genga Exhibition Catalogue” art book details :
– Dimensions – 36.2 x 25.6 x 2 cm
– Softcover, 256 pages
– Full color/Black & White, in Japanese language
Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
You might also be interested in these items :
Otomo Katsuhiro Genga Exhibition Wallpapers
Visiting The Otomo Katsuhiro Genga Exhibition
Farewell To Weapons – Otomo Katsuhiro Manga+Art Book Review
Posters – Otomo Katsuhiro X Graphic Design Art Book Review
Kaba 2 – Otomo Katsuhiro Artwork Book Review Part I
April 25th, 2012 at 3:51 am
Does this book has the same art work you find in kaba?, because im thinking in getting both since the two are avilble (in stock) in amazon.co.jp
April 26th, 2012 at 6:52 am
I just received this book and it’s amazing. After reading your post, I still didn’t realize how large this book was until I opened the box. Seeing Otomo’s work on this scale is breathtaking and very inspiring. I picked up Kaba2 a few weeks ago and Genga is way better. This definitely makes me want to track down some of Otomo’s earlier works. I only have Akira and Domu. Any suggestions?
April 26th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
You should track down a copy of Memories- there’s an english edition out there. It has early works like Fireball and other gems of otomo’s early work
April 27th, 2012 at 3:30 am
I’m still waiting for my order to ship! I can’t wait to get it! Thanks for the review!
April 28th, 2012 at 9:52 am
David, I recommand you to save your money on Kaba and buy the Genga catalog instead, see my review of Kaba on the page of this site.
April 28th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Thanks Cobalt
i will take it in to consideration
April 28th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
i just got this in the mail today. fantastic. to answer maybe a question or two:
i think i have most everything in one form or another, though there were a couple panels that i didn’t recognize. the first thing i noticed that i had never seen before was the first few pages. from what i have read and seen, quite a bit on the first pages is actually from some unpublished, or at least very limited, early work of his. much of the work in this can be seen in his early anthology books such as Short Peace, Highway Star, Sayonara Japan, Hansel to Gretel, Good Weather, Kibun Wa Mo Senso, and Boogie Woogie Waltz. i think that most of the rest of it has been mentioned on this blog at some point, but the other works also include Domu, Akira, his Memories and SOS anthologies, as well as selections from other artbooks, magazines, films, and posters/ads. this really is an Otomo omnibus if there ever was one, and highly recommended, even if you own the published versions (trust me, i have had them for years, and getting to see his work as it is presented in this book amazed me to no end). this book is worth it, without a doubt.
i will add that even with the pieces in this book that i have already seen, many of the work that has been used in his early anthologies shows up here for the first time that i have ever seen it in color, and as simple as that may sound, it is a real treat.
an absolute, no-brainer, recommendation.
April 28th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
I love Otomo’s work and I’ve just ordered it from amazon japan. Pretty expensive shipping to EU and I will probably have to add some import tax later on. I hope it’s worth it.
April 29th, 2012 at 1:31 am
Don’t worry fluppeco – you don’t pay import tax on books into the E.U. Yeah the shipping is expensive – just think of it as an investment!
May 3rd, 2012 at 12:08 am
Just received my copy! It’s a wonderful addition to my Otomo collection, and I a sure anyone else’s. Being an exhibition book i’d recommend anyone interested to pick it up quickly, as these book tend to vanish quickly. I wouldn’t consider it a replacement for Kaba 1&2 at all, but a unique supplement. You really see the hand of the master and details you do not see in the two Kaba books, and the layout in Genga is more akin to being immersed in his work – as one would be in the exhibit..the Kaba books have a more spacious layout that lets the work breathe, which Otomo’s work demands, I think.
May 19th, 2012 at 1:40 am
@March Castle
Don’t know where you’re situated but I’ve paid import tax a couple of times on books from Japan to Sweden (EU). It so worth it anyway. This book is fantastic! Doesn’t matter if one has the Kaba books. This one has its own edge/angle. I agree that it’s feels more rich contentwise than the second Kaba.
Just when it looks like this has sold out I spotted a version that replaces the red part of the artwork with orange. A second edition I guess?
I sure hope they make all prints etc available for purchase online when the exihibit closes. Those lenticular cards look great from what I’ve seen.
September 5th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Good news has happened! They are releasing this book in America early next year. Pretty much untouched as there will be no english translation, just availability. You can preorder on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4756242731/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Very Nice price too!
September 14th, 2012 at 6:45 am
Just fyi, this is already available through Amazon UK and for a pretty good price as well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Genga-Otomo-Katsuhiro/dp/4756242731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347572476&sr=8-1
August 21st, 2014 at 2:06 am
One of the most scientific artist on planet earth and those that have worked with Otomo, studied amongst him or worked on associated projects are elite human beings in my book. Congratulate all of them whom has been bless with such honor. To join the ranks would be a dream.