Manga Books

This is the first time I have ever really, seriously enjoyed a Street Fighter manga. Most of the SF manga is fairly average but finally we have a top quality product with high production values. The art by Udon is stunning with full color frames resembling animation cells. All the characters look spot on perfect particularly Balrog and Blanka. Besides art the other thing I look for in SF manga is the fights. There is a lot of fighting and it's quite good. The only thing I would have preferred is more one on one battles but that might be nit picking.

It's in the story that most SF manga falls apart but this one is decent. It's pretty much an extension of the basic SF storyline with Cammy struggling as she discovers her disturbing past with Shadaloo, Chun Li fretting over her deceased father and Ryu and Ken being hunted by Shadaloo's top heavies, Vega and Balrog. The story isn't going to blow you away but it's more than acceptable.

I have one issue with this book and it's a biggie. The pages are printed on thick, heavy stock paper which is all well and good but unfortunately can cause the books spine to become rather delicate. I tried to be as careful as possible; opening the pages only part way but about half way through the book CRACK went the spine. I imagine most people are not as cautious as I am and with normal use readers probably end up with a handful of loose pages after a short period of time. Books printed on thin, cheap paper tend not to have this problem. It's disappointing because the book is so good I would love to keep it as a collectable but I would be afraid to read it again. The term `cracking open a book' takes on a whole new meaning.

Despite being rather fragile I was wholly impressed with the effort put in here. It's rare that you see a licensed product look this done so well. This book is just about exactly what I was looking for and I intend to buy the rest of the books in the series.

If you are a SF fan, you will enjoy the artwork and stories in this second volume. I enjoyed Volumes 1 and 2 more than I did 3, and much more than Volume 4. This continues the battles and adventures, from the first Volume, of all the characters from the SF II and SF Alpha era and merges them. SF Alpha is a precursor to the SF II. It is a quick read with excellent artwork and an interesting story, and although there are some small parts of the story that are boring for a few characters, most of the story and battles are worthwhile. Do a search to find sample pages of what the artwork looks like. The book is in digest size, which is smaller than the comic book sizes. There is also an Ultimate SF book available which collects the entire four volumes and shows them in larger-than-comic-book-size pages if you can find that version. I recommend this book to all fans of SF, and to any non-fans who know of SF but have never tried to learn the backstories.

This is such a great book that belongs to a great series. It brings back a sense of nostalgia and really intertwines all the street fighter characters and their backgrounds into one storyline that is true to the character backgrounds. As far as I have seen, this is the best looking graphics I've seen a graphic novel have and is accompanied with a great storyline. It even has quotes from famous people, such as how Fei Long says something Bruce Lee once said. And they translate the moves from the game with detailed stories as to how they learned those moves or where they got what scars. A DEFINITE PICK UP FOR ALL STREET FIGHTER FANS OF ALL AGES. :)

this books and the others are really good, I ordered this book with 4 more and all were delivered in less than a week!!

excelent work, excelent art, WOW

I LOVE STREET FIGHTER

These book is amazing for real Street Fighter fans. The contains inside just couldn't stop you from reading it again and again.I just love it.

This is a great series. I wasn't quite sure but optimistic before but now I'm getting quite involved in the story. The alternate world has a princess and castle in it. The princess comes on stormy winter nights to lure children to the castle. Sakura ends up being lured too. What will happen?

This volume finds the gang arriving at a creepy European-style village in a situation bearing a strong resemblance to the Pied Piper of Hamelin legend as they try to help by finding the whereabouts of children who have been disappearing after seeing the ghostly apparition of a golden-haired princess.

The story in this arc is nothing particularly special, although it's a good enough read for ghost story affectionados. It's the landscaping of the cursed town that's the draw this time, laden with ominous atmosphere and looking like something out of Irving or Poe. It's one of those volumes that you don't want to page through too quickly to make sure you drink everything in.

Syaoran has understood from the beginning exactly what the cost of his exchange with Yuko would be, and it's in this volume that he starts to pay for his decision as an agitated Sakura - starting to regain more of herself - begins to sense the large hole in her memory that should have started to fill in.

Perhaps not a classic, but a very decent bridge volume.

These Books are so kewl! theres mild language but nothing i woulden't suggest nessacarialy(spelling?) I loved these books and hopefully you will too (cheesey line)

What more needs to be said for this series? Clamp is an excellent group of four female manga artists. The books are each a work of art in their own right.The story is compelling.You can't help but root for the four travelers.

Clamp's cross-over chaos manga takes off in this fourth installment, and reaches new heights of excellence.

After bogging down in the Hanshin Republic and an alternate Korea, our heroes reach a world strangely reminiscent of late 18th-century Europe. They find a village where a dead princess is said to be stealing children, and things get a lot more interesting.

The fourth volume of Tsubasa really seems to "click": the story, art (especially the panel and page layouts), and dialogue all seemed to come together suddenly, and I tore through this volume at a teriffic rate, only to spend hours paging through it again and marvelling at the individual panels; they're gorgeous. Moreover, the characters are finally starting to come into their own, and the interactions between our five heroes are often hilarious and sometimes poignant. It's a big plus that Sakura has regained enough memories so that she's no longer a space case; in this volume she officially "joins the group" by formally introducing herself etc (the effect is almost irreproducible in English, but the translation notes make a gallant effort). On a side note, I was a little reminded of the recent "Brothers Grimm" movie, but that's not Clamp's fault, but rather a tribute to their ability to create an atmosphere.

In sum, fans of Clamp, Cardcaptor Sakura, and manga in general should not hesitate to get out their wallets for this one. The story is picking up speed, and it retains its interest by being both episodic (world after world), and a saga as well (who are those mysterious villians who pop up every now and again?). Clamp fans will find hours of entertainment by playing "spot the cameo" or "what Clamp series is this character orignally from?" I don't have enough words to praise Del Rey's efforts at translation; not only do they retain the honorifics, without which it's virtually impossible to understand the relationships between the characters, but their translation notes are well-informed and very useful. Manga doesn't get better than this.

Alright, so I've been reading manga for a while now, and of course you get some great stuff in this genre, and of course you get some stereotypes. This is flat out, the greatest manga of all time. I've finished the first three, and can't wait for the next one. Alright, I'm a 27 year old male, so don't think it's a kiddie thing... but this book just rocks. It's got some really heartfelt romance (some a la sappy manga style-- so what???) and it's got great action... and it contains THE most laugh-out-loud hilariously funny sequences ever. I would feel almost embarrased to read it in public because it makes me laugh so much... And, hell, it's about a boxing penguin who is the reincarnation of a guy who just fell in love with a girl at first sight... only to be snatched away before they even had their first date. That part kinda reminds me of Meet Joe Black.... Ahh, but I ramble. If you like any of the following: penguins, romantic elements that aren't too girly and sappy (but I'm sure they'd appreciate it too), Straight up AWESOME and original humor, if you want something different in your stereotypical manga or stereotypical life, if you ever wanted to see Rocky remade as a Penguin.... GO OUT NOW AND BUY THIS!!!!!! you will love it... I can read this book over and over... I can read it once and then pick it up and read it all over again, And feel completely immersed in the beauty and genius of Gin-Chan!!!!!

I loved Tuxedo Gin. I mean it was funny about the whole reborn as a penguin. I liked it and I read it over and over again. I think anyone will enjoy this manga! My rating A+++++++++++.

Like the Seattle reviewer, I also only bought the book because I am a big penguin fan. The book starts off slows, and it is awkward as a westerner to read it right-to-left style, but it is worth it. The subtle comedy and the nifty drama makes it a can't-put-down book. Seeing a penguin try martial art moves, or the varios sprinkling of penguin trivia, just makes it the perfect magna for penguin lovers.

A must have if you love penguins.

This manga is surprisingly good, containing a good mix of comedy and romance.

Graphic: 5/5, Crisp and Clean
Storyline: 4.5/5, Excellent mix of Comedy and Romance - I suppose it's heartfelt if you're a male
Characters: 4.5/5, a bit static at time and each has simple motives, but the motives help in each storyline and you gain a better feel about the characters with each story.

Overall: 4.9/5 - One of my top ten favorite mangas.

so... viz is FINALLY coming out with a whole line of new titles? Interesting... Basically, this was my first and only thought when I found this out. And when I saw that the new manga line up consisted of a 'girl-meets-penguin?' romance, I thought it was simply the most ridiculous thing ever. Out of all the good manga that has yet to be published... they bring something like this?

However, like aways, looks can be deceiving. I read a sample chapter from the viz manga sampler book and was immediately sucked into the storyline. Tuxedo Gin is surprisingly really, really good! Yeah, it looks lame. That's what I thought too, but this book is pretty darn funny and interesting. Trust me. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.

Three months has pass since the beautiful Aoi went away back to her home to get things set up so both Kaoru (her first love) and her could live together in harmony. The second when she arrived, things feel "normal" again for Kaoru and when they arrived back to his apartment they had the shock of his life. He was robbed! Well actually, no. Turned out Miyabi-san moved all of his things to their new home.

Miyabi-san would be patroning their (well Kaoru's especially) every move and she eye his every mistakes for the chance to him lectures. There's a couple of new characters in this volume who join in living with them, Tina (an American girl with a perverted sense of humor) and Taeko (Kaoru's geeky friend who cleans the house on hire by Miyabi-san - after she got herself fired from the other job)

Kaoru and Aoi gets to know each other more and the attraction between them are obvious - other than the obvious illustration of adult humor portray. but of course living with company means, people barging into the room when they were just getting into the moment.

This volume is full with beautiful artwork drawings equip with great adult humor dialog and adult scenes. Great plot and awesome read. I've really enjoyed this one.

do you rember your first love? how it felt:) this is another cute story and its all about how one young girl fell in love. but the man left. she is willing to give up everything just to have him as her husband, she goes as far as to shame her family and ditch everything. it has very funny parts, and some of it is a little risky so i would say 16 and under not alloud to read, but other than some parts its very giddy giddy happy good no great manga

In this second volume of the True Blue Love manga Aoi and Kaoru find themselves being moved into a Western style house. The idea is that nobody will know about their relationship because it might cause a scandal. The logic is flawed - when they get married won't there also be a scandal? Well, their problem is that they're not alone - Miyabi-san is there to act as a chaperone. Soon Tina, an American-born Japanese-raised college student, has moved into also, believing that Aoi is just the landlady and Kaoru is just renting a room.
Taeko soon joins them (having been fired from her other job) and is soon both cleaning and breaking up the house. In other words the boarding house idea back-fires.
Will the couple EVER get together? When will the families allow them to marry? Can you have TOO many nude scenes in bath houses?
This volume seems to cover a lot of ground and a fan of the anime will notice it seems much shorter than the DVDs. Much of the plot elements are spread out over many of the anime's episodes, DVD 2,3& 4, in fact. This is because the anime came AFTER the manga, so the TV series added fillers that ADDED to the plot without slowing it down.
The manga is for 16 and up, being a tad more mature in both scenes and humor than the anime, and a fan of the anime would enjoy the slight difference in the details.
I plan to get the third volume, yes I DO!

The story takes a dramatic shift in tone with "Ai Yori Aoshi - Book 2." The intimate, romantic love story of Aoi and Kaoru is thrown into disarray, as Kaoru moves into the Sakuraba mansion, under the watchful eye of Miyabi. Introduced into the mix are the crazed American, Tina Foster, and the naive classmate and photo-club member Taeko Minazuki coming on hand as an incompetent maid. Hijinks ensue.

Fortunately, even with the introduction of wacky characters, the focus of the story stays on Aoi and Kaoru, who now must continue their shy courtship in the face of Tina's wild drinking parties, Miyabi watching every move, and Taeko stumbling into every corner. In a way, the cast becomes much like the Disney cast, with Aoi and Kaoru being the good-hearted Mickey and Minnie, with Goofy (Taeko) and Donald (Tina) causing all sorts of trouble. The additional cast members are good foils for the wholesome two-some.

The editorial reviews seem to place a big emphasis on "fan service," but I find this not to be the case. "Ai Yori Aoshi" is one of the sweetest comics I have read, and the story stays true to the heart of its main characters, Aoi and Kaoru and never degenerates into a panty-fest.

this is the first series i have started in my new found fandom of the anime/manga world, and i love this series. Its funny, sexy, and a good story overall. In this, the second installment of the series, we find that three months have passed since Aoi and Kaoru have last seen each other. Aoi has gotten permission to stay with kaoru, but when they reach his house all his stuff is gone. A note tells him to go to a certain adress that just happens to be a summer home of the Sakuraba family, and who is waiting for them. None other than Miyabi. Miyabi puts out flyers that the mansion is a new appartment complex and is looking for tenants and Kaoru is forced to sleep in the servants quarters while his new girlfreind, Aoi, stays with Miyabi in the mansion. Things start to heat up when a friend and classmate of Kaoru, Tina Foster (an american raised in Japan), moves in with them. Soon they are joined by another classmate, i forgot her name, who is beautiful, kind, and downright clutzy. She comes seeking a job as a Maid and barely passes the tests Miyabi gives her.
overall I thought that this manga was just great and i would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Romanc/Coemdy manga.

Ok, so I am very picky with the stuff I read and I'm always looking for something new and refreshing and Angel Diary covers that perfectly. I really like the main character, they did a really good job on her. Volume 6 delves a little into the pass and it teases us with some revelation to come...it ends in somewhat of a cliffhanger and leaves you asking yourself what just happened?

Fits right in with the others in this series. Took too long in coming out.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it twice the first time I got it even. There is so much revealed in volume six and it leaves off at an intense cliff-hanger. If I didn't recommend anyone else who has started the Angel Diary series to read it, then that would be a shame to myself. I love this series and the art is phenomenal. Kara and Lee YunHee do an awesome job on this one. I am so eager to read the next one, for the stage seems set for a continuously excellent storyline.

Princess is captured by Bi wal's twin brother. Bi Wal reveal his true idenify and Princess mad at him for use her as pawn.

For everyone wondering when teh heck ice kunion is going to release anew title... sorry. i recently found out that ice kunion is failing and has been bought out by Yen Press, which will get all of ICE's titles out in March or May..... This goes for popular manhwa titles like Cynical Orange, Bring It On!, Angel Diary, Moon Boy, One-thousand and one nights, and Antique Gift Shop. Er, at least the titles i thought were pretty popular (and that i own for the most part). So, if Yen Press doesn't get these things out soon, use your rite as an american (if u r american) and sue their Arses!!! I will post this on other ice knion manhwa review....__....

This is the second in the five-book series, Angelic Layer, and picks up immediate where the first book left off. The Angelic Layer tournament in Kanto continues, presenting Misaki Suzuhara with a series of challenges that test both her ability to control her angel, and her love for her angel. But, along with her cheering friends and strange mentor, there are others watching her back. There's more than one mystery involved here!

This is another excellent manga, every bit as good as Angelic Layer 1, which is saying a lot! I enjoyed the characters and the interesting plot-twists. I must say that you really quickly get drawn into the story, feeling all of the excitement of the tournament. The story is intense, and yet quite fun and friendly, making this a good story for kids as well. As with the book 1, this book is printed so as to be read from back-to-front, right-to-left, in the Japanese style, helping to give the reader the feeling of entering another world. I really enjoyed this book, and found the story to be absolutely enthralling. I highly recommend this book!

This Angelic layers is one of the funniest and one of the most action-packed Angelic layers. I very Highly reccomend this to anyone, just get the first one along with it though or you may have to read it a few times before you get who everybody is.

I really reccomend the manga book "Angelic Layer"
I am sorry but I am obsessed with anime and manga, especially Anigelic Layer! AHHHH! I wuv it so much! Borders, you will make hundreds of dollars off of me buying your angelic layer and other manga books! seriously. please do not bann me from giving a review because i will never buy from you again if you do!
from,
JMG
p.s. my rating is higher than five but borders rater thing cant go any higher so therfor; i must give my rating below.

(infinity)

When I first saw this, I was thinking: Oh [shoot], not ANOTHER pokemon! But really, it's much better than that. It has decent artwork, a semi-believeable plotline, good characters, and is funny,too!! The only problems I had with this were: 1. It's a bit unbelieveable that one of the biggest Angelic Layer champions is in preschool. Second grade, I might buy. But PRESCHOOL?!
2.Darn those cliffhanger endings!

Okay, this anime by CLAMP is closer to Cardcaptor Sakura than to say, X1999. It's pretty light hearted and i would say this is one of my favorite manga series....

Angelic Layer is about an 12 year old girl named Misaki Suzuhara (AKA Misakichii by her friends! ^^) who, after watching a TV commercial of Angelic Layer, wants to play Angelic Layer! She loved seeing how the smaller angel was able to defeat the larger angel, cuz she's not exactly what people would call big for her age. Someone even thought she was 9!Angelic Layer is having to "angel" (like dolls) fight. You use a special thing to communicate with it (Sorry, i don't know what its called.).

In the beginning of Angelic Layer you'll see a newspaper like thing and if you're a CLAMP fan, you'll DEFINITELY recognize alot of the stuff they're talking about! *Grins*

The intricate, well researched tale of Angel Sanctuary has always been a shojo favorite. The detailed art, disturbing concepts, religous imagery, and tragic love that circle the storyline are all exceptional and this book only makes it more amazing. At the beginning of the manga, we see two "evils" retrieve the crystalized body of the beautiful organic angel Alexiel so they can return her soul to it before the battle between heaven and hell. It seems that in the past, manly ALexiel rebelled against Adam Kaddamon, God's ultimate creation. Because of the rebellion, she was crystalized and is supposed to be reincarmated over and over until her new body untaps her powers and destroys themself. THis si the story of her current incarnate, the mixed up and ignored teenager Setsuna Mudo, whom only wants to live his life as an almost normal teenager. Kaori Yuki's spintinglingly gorgeous artwork from both Angel Sanctuary and Count cain (as well as some others) is truly wonderful, and she may be the most skilled creatr I have come across. There is also an interview with her in the back of the book, and a calendar she created based on Lewis Carroll's Alice and Wonderland. If you are hesitating, stop it. This book should be treasured by all true manga fans.

Once this book came out I was iching to get my hands on it. When I saw it on the shelf at Waldenbooks, I grabed it, barely flipped through it, and bought it. It was damn well worth the money.

I always have and will be a fan of Angel Sanctuary as well as Kaori Yuki's gorgeous art. For any fan of AS, this book is an essential!
The material of the book is good quality, and the pictures are astounding. The great thing about this book is the style of art varies; it's not just dark gothic art or happy pictures, but a combination of both. Plus, it's got an interesting chart in the middle of the book that gives detailed information on the legions of heaven and the 7 layers to heaven and hell (I think they're 7).
Another plus is an interview with Kaori Yuki in the back of the book talking about Angel Sanctuary, her British influences, and an Alice in Wonderland calendar she created.
I really don't think anyone needs to hesitate on buying Angel Cage. Obviously, if you're reading this review, I suggest you buy the book from this here amazon.com [...]. For the price compared to the amazing quality, this is the best deal!

Finally, America is starting to wise up and realize the value of translating artbooks-- common in Japan -- so that we can enjoy the lush color and technique that is usually edited to a blurry black and white copy when it makes its way stateside.

Kaori Yuki is no less than a genius, and her work truly shines when you see the depth of her artwork.


Angels and devils; not all beautiful, not all ugly, but all seriously intriguing and entertaining. This is a must see!!

The Art of Angel Sanctuary: Angel Cage is a simply dazzling collection of art from the Manga series created by Yuki Kaori. As a relatively new reader of Manga over just the past year or so I've long admired many of the artists but always lamented the fact that the books I read are in black & white unlike the color comics we've all become used to. Thankfully VIZ has addressed this with this wonderful collection of art from Angel Sanctuary.

Angel Sanctuary is an acclaimed and hugely popular Manga created by Yuki Kaori in Hana to Yume, a bi-weekly shoujo manga magazine published by Hakusensha and now being published in America by VIZ Media. Based somewhat loosely on the biblical New Testament, it deals with Evil striking one of the corridors of heaven and taking back the body of the fallen angel Alexiel in preparation for the coming battle between Heaven and Hell. Alexiel's body has been sealed in a crystal for her rebelling against God. As Punishment for her defiance, Her soul is reincarnated as a human being over and over in a never ending loop where she dies violently, always at a young age. As the story begins Alexiel has been reincarnated as a teenager named, Setsuna Mudou who is the Messiah prophesied to save humanity in the Black Book of Revelation.

This beautifully illustrated hardcover book shows off Kaori's amazing talent as a digest sized, black & white book simply cannot do. Filled with the characters from the story, Kaori's stunning use of color makes these full page, and two-page illustrations suitable for framing (but don't tear up your book!) The illustrations run the gamut from dark gothic, to deeply sad, to wryly humorous as Kaori is able to evoke all of these emotions through her wonderfully expressive art. In addition to the art, there is a reference section in the middle detailing all the main characters of Angel Santuary, broken down by both Heaven and Hell. Also included are cutaway diagrams of the upper and lower planes and the hierarchy of angels.

Finally, there is a lengthy interview with Kaori where she discusses her work as well as her influences. Kaori reveals her love for Lewis Carroll's original Alice in Wonderland story, particularly Carroll's rather moody art, which is far different than what is displayed in the animated versions of his tale. Included is the calendar that she created based on Alice in Wonderland. Kaori also reveals her thoughts on ghosts and things spiritual and makes for a nice accompaniment to the art. It's a gorgeous book that includes a gold-lettered front cover. Simply a must have for fans of Angel Sanctuary or any fan of Manga art.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

If you are a fan of Angel Sanctuary or Kaori Yuki, then this artbook is a must-have. If you've read any of her manga, then you already know what an amazing artist Kaori Yuki is, but these pictures look even better because they are in full-color! These stunning, intricately detailed pictures show many of the different characters in Angel Sanctuary, sometimes amidst poignant imagery and symbolism, sometimes posing with other characters, and sometimes just by themselves, but even then their facial expressions are so real that no other details are needed. Like the series, the mood of the artbook ranges from happy and laid-back to dark and depressing to creepy and mysterious. But having such varied themes doesn't make the book seem disjointed, it actually makes it seem more complete.

Of course this book would be worth buying for the beautiful artwork alone, but it also includes a really helpful reference guide for the Angel Sanctuary series, including brief descriptions of nearly 40 important characters and where they rank in the hierarchy of heaven or hell, and explanations of different places and events from the manga. Considering how complex the series is, I think it's great to have such an easily accessible guide sitting next to my bed when I'm reading, in case I need to refresh my memory. The artbook also contains an extensive interview with Kaori Yuki (in English, don't worry) that's both interesting and informative.

The gorgeous art and all the cool extras that come with it are more than worth this book's price. Even if you aren't a fan of Kaori Yuki or her work, after looking through Angel Cage, you probably will be.

Sakura was the first Manga that I got to know. I love the TV show, and I have all the Manga books (both series). I love to draw, and I get a lot of ideas from this Sakura art collection. The big pictures are amazing!

Sakura was the first Manga that I got to know. I love the TV show, and I have all the Manga books (both series). I love to draw, and I get a lot of ideas from this Sakura art collection. The big pictures are amazing!

Since I already have all 3 and I must say that CLAMP have almost out done themselves! All the characters are in this book plus even Pictures of Nadeshiko which are just stunning! I have been a CCS fan for about 3years and I enjoy CLAMPS work very much. All the art books of CCS are worth buying you get great quality for a good price. In this book are lots of pictures of Chibi-sakura which are so cute! Even if you are staring out this is perfect to get! if you know someone who likes Anime or CLAMP or is familar with manga get this for them!! IM Sure they will LUV it!

This book does have a lot of beautiful pictures. But most of them you have probably already seen before or can find scanned on the internet. The reason why I only gave it 4 stars is because there was a little to much white space on some of the pages and I did not like the pictures that span over 2 pages since this is a paper bound. Then paper it was printed on is good quallity and you will probably fiind the cheapest copy from amazon. If your a big fan of Cardcaptor Sukura then buy this book. (there are a few pictures with other characters to but the focuse is on Sukura)

I do think this artbook isn't as good as the other ones because it doesn't have a poster or a mini comic. However, it's still worth gettig no matter what. Also, this includes pictures from both season arcs and pictures from the first and second movie. And yes, it does include the Clamp notes, like the other two do.
I've probely been a ccs fan for more than 3 years and I've started a great collection which incudes{ this is the most stuff I own}: 7 artbooks and all 12 comics, plus more. I even preordered the second Cardcaptor Sakura movie.

I am a big fan of anime and Miyazaki's hand in anything is well looking over. I have most of his movies on DVD, and this book makes seeing this movies over and over more a thrill. I have plans for all my fav movies of this genre to add the book if available as well.

If you're an artist or a fan of this type of work, the "Art of" series of Miyazaki's movie books are just precious, essential, exhaustive, and very satisfying.

The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service is a wonderful art book for fans of Miyazaki's film who also happen to be artists. The background paintings are phenomenal and the quality of the printing brings them out so very clearly. If you're an artist, you'll drool over the artwork.
It is a collector's item.

I'm an artist, and I bought this book because I like to see how other artists work. This book has lots of sketches by Miyazaki, who is tremendously facile at sketching. He also adds loose watercolor washes to some pictures. I'd like to see him at work, because it all looks so effortless. There are also pictures from the actual movie, of course, and work by other artists who prepared the film, as well as a complete plot synopsis.

This book is excellent, you'll love it. I read it, and it probably the best reads I've had in a while! The shipping is fast, and priced perfect!
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It's imazing book. It's very beautiful and colourful. I've bought it for my friend. She was very happy to take this as a present. In Russia this book is not present in shops.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RKDGQ8B47SU56 Fans of Miyazaki's movies won't be disappointed by this book. It has lots of concept art, sketches, water colour storyboards, character design and beautiful paintings of the countryside.

Some of the art are captioned by Miyazaki to give you insight into the scenes.

At the end of the book is a summary of the film's production process. There are interviews with key production staff, including the music director Joe Hisaishi.

This book is easily a classic, just like the anime movie itself.

If you loved the movie, you'll love this book.THe beautiful art and concepts makes you appreciate Miyazaki's work even more.

This book has so many sketches, illustrations and conceptual drawings that one gets a better idea of how such a masterpiece came into being. A section on animation techniques shows many special effects used in the film. The overall impression is magical and very inspiring. This book will motivate any developing artist to search for better ways of expressing his/her ideas.

If you're a Miyazaki's freak, you will love this series of books.
Beautifully edited, hard cover, with original sketches and storyboards.
The Art of My Neighbor Totoro: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki, has the particularity to transport you to the movie in seconds and you get the same happy and heartwarming feelings with just watch their pages.

Also explains what a Totoro is and why Miyazaki wanted to do this movie. Characters development, full color illustrations. A must have if you are into animation.