Art of Mana


Book Description

Celebrating the first twenty-five years of Mana adventures! Since the first game's release in 1991, Square Enix has been dazzling fans worldwide with the fantastical and action-packed world of Mana. More than twenty-five years later, the magic of Mana still lives on and now Dark Horse Books and Square Enix are proud to present The Art of Mana. The first official art book of Square Enix's hit Mana video game series, The Art of Mana collects more than twenty-five years' worth of memories with over 200 pages featuring more than 400 illustrations from the original creative team along with detailed explorations of every character, original sketches, world designs, and much more. Presented in English for the first time, this beautiful collection is not to be missed.




The Mana of Mass Society


Book Description

We often invoke the “magic” of mass media to describe seductive advertising or charismatic politicians. In The Mana of Mass Society, William Mazzarella asks what happens to social theory if we take that idea seriously. How would it change our understanding of publicity, propaganda, love, and power? Mazzarella reconsiders the concept of “mana,” which served in early anthropology as a troubled bridge between “primitive” ritual and the fascination of mass media. Thinking about mana, Mazzarella shows, means rethinking some of our most fundamental questions: What powers authority? What in us responds to it? Is the mana that animates an Aboriginal ritual the same as the mana that energizes a revolutionary crowd, a consumer public, or an art encounter? At the intersection of anthropology and critical theory, The Mana of Mass Society brings recent conversations around affect, sovereignty, and emergence into creative contact with classic debates on religion, charisma, ideology, and aesthetics.




New Mana


Book Description

‘Mana’, a term denoting spiritual power, is found in many Pacific Islands languages. In recent decades, the term has been taken up in New Age movements and online fantasy gaming. In this book, 16 contributors examine mana through ethnographic, linguistic, and historical lenses to understand its transformations in past and present. The authors consider a range of contexts including Indigenous sovereignty movements, Christian missions and Bible translations, the commodification of cultural heritage, and the dynamics of diaspora. Their investigations move across diverse island groups—Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Hawai‘i, and French Polynesia—and into Australia, North America and even cyberspace. A key insight that the volume develops is that mana can be analysed most productively by paying close attention to its ethical and aesthetic dimensions. Since the late nineteenth century, mana has been an object of intense scholarly interest. Writers in many fields including anthropology, linguistics, history, religion, philosophy, and missiology have long debated how the term should best be understood. The authors in this volume review mana’s complex intellectual history but also describe the remarkable transformations going on in the present day as scholars, activists, church leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs take up mana in new ways.




Mana: A History of a Western Category


Book Description

In Mana: A History of a Western Category Nicolas Meylan proposes a critical account of Western imaginations of mana, a word belonging originally to Oceanic languages but borrowed by European languages in which it acquired the meaning ‘supernatural power.’ While mana is best known for its tenure in the disciplines studying religion, Nicolas Meylan situates such academic uses in a wider context, analyzing the ways Westerners conceptualized mana in the earlier colonial context as well as its mobilizations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries by (video)game designers and Neo-Pagan witches. This focus on various Western uses of mana allows for the critical investigation of the ways power has been mystified in conjunction with religion.




Mana Master


Book Description

In a world where mages and monster grow from cultivating mana. Isaac joins the class of humans known as mages who absorb mana to grow more powerful. To become a mage he must bind a mana beast to himself to access and control mana. But when his mana beast is far more human than he expected; Isaac struggles with the budding relationship between the two of them as he prepares to enter his first dungeon.Unfortunately for Isaac, he doesn't have time to ponder the questions of his relationship with Aurora. Because his sleepy town of Locksprings is in for a rude awakening, and he has to decide which side of the war he is going to stand on.Disclaimer: There are adult situations and harem relationships.




Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana


Book Description

An illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the beloved role-playing game told through the paintings, sketches, illustrations, and visual ephemera behind its creation, growth, and continued popularity. FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE DIANA JONES AWARD From one of the most iconic game brands in the world, this official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS illustrated history provides an unprecedented look at the visual evolution of the brand, showing its continued influence on the worlds of pop culture and fantasy. Inside the book, you’ll find more than seven hundred pieces of artwork—from each edition of the core role-playing books, supplements, and adventures; as well as Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels; decades of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; and classic advertisements and merchandise; plus never-before-seen sketches, large-format canvases, rare photographs, one-of-a-kind drafts, and more from the now-famous designers and artists associated with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The superstar author team gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collections of top collectors, as well as the designers and illustrators who created the distinctive characters, concepts, and visuals that have defined fantasy art and gameplay for generations. This is the most comprehensive collection of D&D imagery ever assembled, making this the ultimate collectible for the game's millions of fans around the world.




The Road to Mana


Book Description

In this absorbing story, written by a physician and military officer, witness a unique holistic approach to wellness, health and healing unfold through the eyes of five people all struggling with difficult life events. They find themselves together for one week at a Hawaiian retreat. All from diverse backgrounds, each with a different story to tell. Lew-veteran husband and father with PTSD having trouble keeping it together; Sara -a physician, appears happy on the outside but experiencing burnout and compassion fatigue; Uncle Ira -struggling with guilt, anger and grief has almost given up on life; Nora -3 children in 4 years with dreams deferred is struggling with her identity and value as a mother; Reiko - biracial and bilingual drifting between both cultures, not really belonging to either. The caretaker Sister, a wise elder, provides tools for a mental checkup so each can learn to a take a deep breath in the business of life. "Less is more" and "healing is by digging in the soil of your soul." They learn to cherish the simple treasures of life as Sister intertwines hope and enlightenment into their reality. Discover how to approach life challenges through self care with individual reflection, inward exploration and self discovery on the journey to health. The practices of nutrition movement, mindfulness, meditation, massage and yoga are used at this fun and engaging retreat.




The Art of Loish


Book Description

Discover the world of digital artist Lois van Baarle, a.k.a. Loish, in this high-quality collection of her most beautiful work.




Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Official Artworks


Book Description

Experience SEKIRO's unique take on the blood-soaked history of Japan's Sengoku Period with over 300 pages of storyboards, character designs, and concept art!




The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria


Book Description

Magnificent hardcover art books featuring the incredible images and lore of Magic: The Gathering®! Step aboard the legendary airship Weatherlight and explore Dominaria, an ancient world whose stories are known throughout the Multiverse. Dominaria has weathered one apocalypse after another and emerged into a time of rebirth and renewal. In these pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering®, you can step into the world where it all began. Whether Dominaria is new to you or as familiar as an old friend, you’ll find enough lore and legends here to make you feel at home. A new age is dawning on Dominaria. Come and be a part of it!