A Japanese animation industry veteran that has been working on background art paintings since 1980, this sumptuous hardcover volume showcases the extensive portfolio of art director Kusamori Shuichi (草森秀一) spanning over 40 years of work and includes background art paintings from such highly acclaimed films such as Metropolis, PSYCHO-PASS, Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost In The Shell and the sequel Innocence, Patlabor The Movie and many more.
The whopping page count is close 400 pages and it is impossible for me to showcase the true scope of the book with just the limited preview images below, so I have chosen some of the more iconic ones from Metropolis as well as Ghost In The Shell.
Also, my small preview images do no justice whatsoever to the beautiful reproductions and an actual viewing the physical book will allow for a much more immersive and satisfying experience.
All the background paintings and art work collected in this art book are outstanding, but the ones for Ghost In The Shell and Metropolis are the biggest highlights for me. This volume would make a handsome addition to the shelves of any anime background art fan and comes highly recommended.
If you have a particular interest in anime background art, I recommend checking out my Anime Background Art Books Round Up post, currently standing at 26 titles.
“Kusamori Shuichi Anime Background Art Book 草森秀一アニメーション美術画集” details :
Dimensions – 7.17 x 10.12 x 1.18 inches
Hardcover, 384 pages
Full color, In Japanese language
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April 13th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
Gorgeous!! I’ll have to add this one to the list!! Metropolis had so many striking moments, it’s a shame the film kind of fell into obscurity.
April 13th, 2025 at 6:17 pm
Coffee – Agreed ! It’s time for a re-watch myself !
April 15th, 2025 at 4:57 am
If I manage to find it in Europe, it is a sure purchase!
But in my opinion the book “Anime Architecture” (that I think you have already reviewed) is better, since it explains the technics used to create the background images shown. I see the same images of the other book. Many movies shown are the same.
In anycase, there is always something special in the “pre-digital era” anime…
April 15th, 2025 at 9:25 pm
Are there any illustrations from “Grave of the Fireflies” in this book? Thank You!
April 16th, 2025 at 10:53 am
Cristiano – Yes, the ‘Anime Architecture’ book is more of a scholarly volume to give readers a better understanding of anime background art, and this one is purely a monograph for the artist. I like them both ! I’m definitely with you on about the uniqueness of traditionally painted work !
Denis – To the best of my knowledge, no. I am not aware that the artist worked on the movie ?
April 16th, 2025 at 2:14 pm
yonghow – This is from the biography on the Riekeles Gallery website: “Kusamori worked as a background artist on Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) under art director Nizo Yamamoto.”
April 19th, 2025 at 2:07 pm
Denis – I stand corrected. I’ll take another look at the art book again when I have the chance and will let you know if there are indeed any work on Grave Of The Fireflies in the book !
April 19th, 2025 at 11:24 pm
Such an underrated branch of art+design. This person has obviously mastered the discipline. Top notch work.
April 20th, 2025 at 2:06 am
Chris James – Couldn’t have said it better myself ! :]