In very much the same vein as the excellent Anime Architecture art book by Stefan Riekeles, The World Of Anime Background Art (アニメーション美術の世界) showcases the stunning background art paintings of top art directors working in the field, including industry veterans like Ono Hiroshi ( Kiki’s Delivery Service ), Hiromasa Ogura ( Jin-roh The Wolf Brigade ), Shuichi Kusamori ( Ghost In The Shell ), Kimura Shinji ( Steamboy / Tekkon Kinkreet ), Kazuo Oga ( Princess Mononoke / Totoro ), Yamamoto Nizo ( The Girl Who Leapt Through Time ) and more.
On top of the artist showcase and interviews, there is also a section that charts the developmental history of background art in Japanese animation.
Having a good grasp of the Japanese language will allow you to immerse in the written interviews of each artist showcased, but the book itself still stands up very well by virtue of the many excellent background paintings included. Highly recommended.
If you’re keen to discover the work of more anime background artists, I also recommend checking out my curated list of background art books here.
“The World Of Anime Background Art Book アニメーション美術の世界” details :
Dimensions – 8.66 x 0.43 x 11.42 inches
Softcover, 144 pages
Full color, In Japanese language
Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | CDJapan
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September 14th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Gorgeous! I should get this book at some point. Love the fact that it has a painting from Metropolis on the cover. A criminally underrated film that is only remembered by animation people for some reason.
September 21st, 2026 at 8:40 am
Coffee – Oh yes, it is the same cover used for Kusamori Shuichi’s BG art book as well. Hoping a 4K UHD release of Metropolis is in the works.