Haruhiko Mikimoto Illustrations


Book Description

This book features illustrations from Mikimoto's most famous science-fiction animations, including Macross, Orguss, and Gunbuster.




Staging Desires


Book Description

Closely examining staged images of Japanese femininity, this study centers on the mid-Meiji souvenir photography of Kusakabe Kimbei, approaching from the artist’s perspective while referencing his culture’s visual and traditional practices. The analysis attempts to construe visual material in its original context using various points of departure, including the sociocultural significance of the staged models, the visual display of the photographic models in relation to the visibility problem of Japanese women in Meiji visual media, and Kimbei’s visual encodings of Japanese femininity. By means of contextualized analysis, this survey seeks to illuminate the intricate structure of significations embedded on the visual plane, ultimately demonstrating how Kimbei’s female images present a locus of multilayered meanings.




Mirrored Years


Book Description




Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition


Book Description

Universal Principles of Design, Completely Updated and Expanded Third Edition is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia, now with fully updated references for existing entries and expanded with 75 new entries to present a total of 200 laws, guidelines, and considerations that are important to successful design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, this essential design guide pairs clear explanations of every design concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. Whether a marketing campaign or a museum exhibit, a video game or a complex control system, the design we see is the culmination of many concepts and practices brought together from a variety of disciplines. Because no one can be an expert on everything, designers have always had to scramble to find the information and know-how required to make a design work—until now. Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The first page contains a succinct definition and a full description of the principle, examples of and guidelines for its use, and side notes that provide elaborations and references. The second page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle. The book is organized alphabetically so that principles can be easily and quickly referenced by name. From 3D Projection to the Zeigarnick Effect, every major design concept is defined and illustrated, including these new additions: Feature creep Gamification Root cause Social trap Supernormal stimulus A landmark reference for designers, engineers, architects, and students, Universal Principles of Design has become the standard for anyone seeking to broaden and improve their design expertise, explore brainstorming ideas, and improve the quality of their design work. The titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.




The Dragon and the Dazzle


Book Description

"In the worldwide circulation of the products of cultural industries, an important role is played by Japanese popular culture in European contexts. Marco Pellitteri shows that the contact between Japanese pop culture and European youth publics occurred during two phases. By use of metaphor, the author calls them the Dragon and the Dazzle. The first took place between 1975 and 1995, the second from 1996 to today. They can be distinguished by the modalities of circulation and consumption/re-elaboration of Japanese themes and products in the most receptive countries: Italy, France, Spain, Germany and, across the ocean, the United States. During these two phases, several themes have been perceived, in Europe, as rising from Japan's social and mediatic systems. Among them, this book examines the most apparent from a European point of view: the author names them machine, infant, and mutation, visible mostly through manga, anime, videogames, and toys. Together with France, Italy is the European country that in this respect has had the most central role. There, Japanese imagination has been acknowledged not only by young people, but also by politicians, television programmers, the general public, educators, comics and cartoons authors. The growing influence of Japanese pop culture, connected to the appreciation of its manga, anime, toys, and videogames, also urges political and mediologic questions linked to the identity/ies of Japan as they are understood--wrongly or rightly--in Europe and the West, and to the increasingly important role of Japan in international relations."--Back cover




Anime Interviews


Book Description

In this book, the first collection of its kind, you will hear insights directly from the mouths and minds of the anime and manga creators themselves, in interviews with are often the only ones on record in English. some of these creators are larger-than-life legends in their native Japan, some are up-and-coming young talents, but all have a lot to say on the subject of their work.




Asian Illustration


Book Description

Asia is now the center of comic illustration. This cutting-edge collection showcases the work of illustrators from Asia. Many new artists have been emerging recently from Asia, taking their place in the international comic illustration industry through social media. Although their work shows influences from Japanese anime and manga, the superior drawing skills and pursuit of originality in each of these artists' work results in a fresh and intense take on traditional styles. This book showcases 46 illustrators focusing mainly on young up-and-coming artists and collects over 250 illustrations in total. Each artist is introduced in 2 to 6 pages. Most artists does digital drawing but there are some who does watercolor and ink painting. Immerse yourself in the work of these artists working at the forefront of the creative world of Asia. The Cover illustration was done by a Singaporean artist Guweiz.




The Notenki Memoirs


Book Description

A tell-all account of Studio Gainax, the creators of the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Yasuhiro Takeda, a member of the Gainax company since its inception, talks about everything from the untold stories of Eva to the Gainax tax evasion scandal that plagued its production. Including a series of stunning revelations, this history of Gainax is a must-read for any serious anime fan.




Hatsune Miku Graphics


Book Description

Superstar Japanese idol Hatsune Miku stars in her own character artwork showcase! CV01 collects more than 40 artists' spectacular takes on the Vocaloid diva. Over 150 illustrations feature themes from high-fashion to everyday activities, pin-up style pieces to musical performance, and more!




Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan


Book Description

From computer games to figurines and maid cafes, men called “otaku” develop intense fan relationships with “cute girl” characters from manga, anime, and related media and material in contemporary Japan. While much of the Japanese public considers the forms of character love associated with “otaku” to be weird and perverse, the Japanese government has endeavored to incorporate “otaku” culture into its branding of “Cool Japan.” In Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan, Patrick W. Galbraith explores the conflicting meanings of “otaku” culture and its significance to Japanese popular culture, masculinity, and the nation. Tracing the history of “otaku” and “cute girl” characters from their origins in the 1970s to his recent fieldwork in Akihabara, Tokyo (“the Holy Land of Otaku”), Galbraith contends that the discourse surrounding “otaku” reveals tensions around contested notions of gender, sexuality, and ways of imagining the nation that extend far beyond Japan. At the same time, in their relationships with characters and one another, “otaku” are imagining and creating alternative social worlds.