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Kinokuniya artbook blitz

While visiting Kinokuniya today to claim my prized Zero no Tsukaima perfection visual collection, I was pleasantly surprised to find their artbook section better stocked than ever. The new additions may not necessarily be Japan's latest releases but are all surely solid artworks by very popular illustrators.

One of the finds was Kozue Amano's 1st 2 artbooks, Alpha and Stella. I was simply elated to be cradling these gems in my bosom as I headed out to the service counter for a preview. Sadly, I was rather underwhelmed. Amano sensei's artwork in Alpha was not as polished or mature as her later artbooks while Stella suffered from an over-expanded Roman Club (RC) and Crescent noise (SN) section that was honestly, less than stellar. Even though the Aria and Aqua segments were breathtaking as in Cielo, the RC and SN bits in Cielo were very much superior, making it the clear choice for cash-strapped Aria fans (like myself).

Mutsmi Sasaki fans in Singapore would also be glad to learn that she has a new artbook, EST which is now available in Kinokuniya. Besides her favourite works from Happy Lesson and Futakoi, EST also features artwork from Myself; Yourself. Pity there's not enough Hinako goodness in it.

Nao Goto's Galaxy's Child and GotoP's Hiyori Nagomi have also been restocked. These 2 artbooks are ranked 4th and 2nd in my artbook collection respectively. Grab them while stocks last!

Note: This is a community broadcast service to fellow fans of Japanese artbooks in Singapore. No bribes or monetary incentives of any kind occurred between Kino and tanuki-kind, though they are most welcome to start.

Related posts:

1. [Artbook] Cielo – Kozue Amano Illustration works III
2. [Bootlegged artbook] World's end ~ Fairy's diary
3. [Artbook] Dengeki Hime Illustration collection ~ Girls museum