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Kazuo Oga Background Art Exhibition

Posted By yonghow on July 23rd, 2007

One of the perks of living in a big metropolis like Tokyo must be the wide and wonderful choice of art exhibitions. Over my 3 years of stay here I have been fortuitous enough to attend some truly breathtaking ones like Mucha and Pixar’s 20 Years of Animation, certainly not exhibitions that strut by your house everyday.

Kazuo Oga’s exhibition at the Tokyo Museum of Comtemporary Art, which I visited with Ros yesterday, is the latest addition to that fine list.

Kazuo Oga Background Art Exhibition & Art Book

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Posted in Anime, Art, Book Reviews, Ghibli, Illustration

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Art Book Reviews

Posted By yonghow on June 11th, 2007

This is a complete list of ALL the art books that I have reviewed on my blog, in chronological order. You can also browse the reviews sorted by year through the links below –

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

Click on the book’s banner image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Every time you purchase an artbook via a link on my blog I earn a small referral fee at absolutely no additional cost to you. I use the fees to leverage the cost of running this ad free site, as well as buying more books for review ( it takes many many referrals to earn enough credits to buy just one book, I assure you, which is why I appreciate all the support I can get ). You can also support me by buying me a coffee.

Here’s an article I’ve written on how to order from Amazon Japan, with simple step by step instructions from adding items to your cart to the final payment stage.

Or read this F.A.Q if you’ve hit a snag while ordering items :

I want to say thank you if you have used my links for purchasing books, and if not, thank you anyway for visiting.
Current total book review count : 1006+/-

2024 Book Reviews (63 total) –

2023 Book Reviews ( 68 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
Read the review for Unleashing Oppenheimer: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Explosive Atomic-Age Thriller

Mitsuo Iso Animation Concept Art Book 磯光雄プリプロダクション CDjapan purchase link

The Boy And The Heron Ghibli Anime Storyboard Book 君たちはどう生きるかスタジオジブリ絵コンテ集 CDjapan purchase link

Dominion Conflict - Shirow Masamune ドミニオンC1―コンフリクト編士郎正宗 CDjapan purchase link

Tamiya Mini 4WD Box Art Collection タミヤ公式ミニ四駆　パッケージアートコレクション CDjapan purchase link

A Gun Report ( Otomo Complete Works ) Manga 銃声大友克洋全集 CDjapan purchase link

RECORD - Eguchi Hisashi Poster Art Book 江口寿史画集 CDjapan purchase link

Paranoia Agent - Satoshi Kon Storyboard 今敏絵コンテ集妄想代理人/オハヨウ CDjapan purchase link

Toraji Art Works アートブック CDjapan purchase link

Tokyo Hotel Sketch - Kei Endo 東京ホテル図鑑遠藤慧アートブック CDjapan purchase link

STEP 2 – Eguchi Hisashi Illustration Book 江口寿史画集 CDjapan purchase link

The Art Of Decadence - European Fantasy ヨーロッパの幻想美術-世紀末デカダンスとファム・ファタール(宿命の女)たち CDjapan purchase link

Fireball ( Otomo Complete Works ) Manga 大友克洋全集 CDjapan purchase link

Vampire's Box / Takato Yamamoto 吸血鬼の匣山本タカト CDjapan purchase link

Circus - Higuchi Yuko Art Book ヒグチユウコ画集 CDjapan purchase link

Josee Shimazaki Illustration Works 永い季節しまざきジョゼ作品集 CDjapan purchase link

Suzume - Makoto Shinkai Anime Background Art Book 新海誠監督作品すずめの戸締まり美術画集 CDjapan purchase link

AKIRA Layouts & Key Frames Vol 2 ( Otomo Complete Works ) 大友克洋全集 CDjapan purchase link

Rondo - Matsuo Hiromi Illustration Book マガジンロンドマツオヒロミイラスト集 CDjapan purchase link

Samura - Oku Manga おくコミック CDjapan purchase link

2022 Book Reviews ( 71 total )

2021 Book Reviews ( 80 total )

2020 Book Reviews ( 73 total )

2019 Book Reviews ( 62 total )

2018 Book Reviews ( 74 total )

2017 Book Reviews ( 82 total )

2016 Book Reviews ( 62 total )

2015 Book Reviews ( 70 total )

2014 Book Reviews ( 85 total )

2013 Book Reviews ( 56 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan
Read the review for The Amazing Screw-On Head Comic Book.

2012 Book Reviews ( 59 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Read the review for In The Mood For Love Criterion Blu-ray.

2011 Book Reviews ( 36 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Read the details on Otomo Katsuhiro Artwork – Kaba 2.

Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
Read the review for “Rakuga King” Katsuya Terada Sketches art book.

Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
Read the review for “The Art of Evangelion 2.0” Complete art book.

Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon CA | Buy From Amazon UK
Read the review for “Princess Mononoke – The Storyboard ” art book.

2010 Book Reviews ( 32 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Read the review for “The Sartorialist” photo book.

2009 Book Reviews ( 36 total )

Click on the image for the purchase link to Amazon, or “browse” through the book by reading my review first. ( the link below the image )

Read the review for “Kuroki Meisa’s Love Meisa” pictorial.

Book Reviews Sorted By Year –
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | Back To Top

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Howl’s Moving Castle

Posted By yonghow on November 22nd, 2004

If, Miyazaki Hayao fan or no, after a viewing of his latest animation film Howl’s Moving Castle one detects a perceptible difference from his previous works, not so much with the style and visual treatment, but storyline, that’s because it is – the script is an adaptation of a children’s book by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Though this detail does little to hinder the film’s overall greatness, I cannot but feel a sense of detachment, as if the distinctive, Hallmark Miyazaki visuals are just one soul removed from the story. It is not typical of Miyazaki to center his theme and message on the romantic relationship of the protaganists, themselves usually contributing only a certain fraction to a bigger, broader subject that is the more important message he wishes to convey.

Of course, this simply isn’t a Miyazaki story to begin with. Certainly my deplorable level of japanese is also hindering my ability to understand the story fully. ( no, no subtitles for a Japanese film in Japan, it makes sense. ) Let’s hope I get to see the dvd soon with subtitles and personally no, nothing comes too close to Mononoke Hime , period.

Posted in Animation, Film

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Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

Posted By yonghow on June 27th, 2004

Coming unbelievablely close to crying to happy tears, today’s visit to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo had me see the entire creative smorgasbord of Miyazaki’s background works, so overwhelmingly powerful in its unique beauty and expressiveness I was in absolute awe time and time again. While many of the exhibits were clearly designed with children in mind ( in another sense Miyazaki’s works tend to bring out the hidden child in our psyche ), the mockup animation studio, plastered all over with ORIGINAL MIYAZAKI coloured concept sketches, storyboards, stole most of my time as I pored over each drawing, in particular those of Mononoke Hime, as if the close physical proximity in the presence of such grandeur would transfer some of its creative potency to me. Alas, nothing.

By a mere stroke of luck, Pixar Animation Studios was also hosting an exhibition of its concept works under the auspices of Miyazaki. On its own this would have generated an enormous amount of excitement ( all the concept works are also originals, the pastels on the Finding Nemo coloured storyboards still flaky ), but when pitched against Ghibli’s wonderful work I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate it fully. Certainly the animators from Pixar attest to the influence of Miyazaki’s works ( see picture above ), where they’ve painted a much iconic Totoro poster complete with Mike and Sullivan, surrounded by signatures and praises from many of their animators, the main caption reading “To Hayao Miyazaki : Your work is an inspiration to us.”

Posted in Animation, Ghibli, Life

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Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli

Posted By yonghow on April 11th, 2004

Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, the birthplace of revered animation pieces like Mononoke Hime and Spirited Away, is located in Koganei, Tokyo, a quiet suburban neighbourhood about 15 minutes trainride away from Shinjuku. Hidden in a peaceful corner surrounded by typical Japanese households, its identity is only revealed by the studio sign in front of its front porch, no totoro statue, no Ohmu figurine, as unassuming and modest as it can be. On its side entrance a meeting room with glass windows reveals original Miyazaki artwork hanging on the walls. Entrance into the actual building is strictly for staff members only, but I was already more than awed to be in such close quarters where some of the world’s most wondrous animation pieces were created.

Next stop, Ghibli Museum, Mitaka Tokyo.

Posted in Animation, Ghibli, Life

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The ten most influential films

Posted By yonghow on September 1st, 2002

The ten most influential films poll

Recently I was reading up BFI’s Sight and Sound magazine special issue on the most influential films in cinematic history. There were a few regular contenders like Welles Citizen Kane, Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. That got me thinking quite a bit, and interestingly too : What then, are the ten most influential films for me, as an animation/media student ? By influential I do not just mean favourite movies but in the sense that the movie have had a certain impact in changing the way you look at films, the way you would create a treatment should you be making an animation or film, maybe even the way you look at life. It doesn’t even have to be an award winner or anything. And so on. Inspirational stuff. I sorted through my memories archives and came with this ten : ( not in any order of importance )

1) Love Letter ( Iwai )

2) Akira ( Katsuhiro )

3) Ghost in the Shell ( Oshii )

4) Amelie ( Jeunet )

5) Mononoke Hime ( Miyazaki )

6) Gattaca ( Niccol )

7) Il Mare ( Seung )

8) Hackers ( Softley )

9) Contact ( Zemeckis )

x) One Fine Spring Day ( Jinho )

Introspective : Starting out as an animation student, the earliest and biggest influences were obviously animation works, but Akira in itself I percieve more as a sophisticated, stylized work of film art for its unprecented use of avante garde camera works and framing, superb cinematic devices and grand scale of motion. Its also worth noting that other for 3 english shows and 1 french, the rest of the list is dominated by Asian movies/animation for which I feel still exert a very significant influence over the way I look and treat films.

Perhaps evil rei and Gatchaman ( or anyone else that view this blog ) might be interested to cast their own poll for a wider demographic.

Posted in Film

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