Eager to capitalise on the store-wide members 20% discount at Kinokuniya, I browsed through the artbook section and was instantly captivated by the vibrant artwork of Nao Goto in the form of Galaxy’s Child. Some artists are good at background art while others excel in character design but Goto sensei appears to be a maestro of both. I’d let the scans do the talking.
Seeing my Kinokuniya cash voucher to be expiring in a couple of weeks, I waltzed into an outlet yesterday, eager to expend the coupon. And so here it is, my prize from the expedition – Girls girls girls! ~ E*2 illustration collection.
I know little of the E2 (etsu) magazine except that it’s heavy on bishoujo content which is right at home with the tanuki. Featuring artwork from Tony Taka, Tinkle and many more artists whose kanji names eludes me, this book is the perfect anthological resource to the bigwigs in the Japanese bishoujo art scene.
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My favourite artwork, of K-Books’ Trump collection, has to be the Ace of Hearts gothloli (pic above), illustrated by Tinkle. The Trump collection is, by far the most illuminating gift of 2007, opening my eyes to the world of bishoujo art and educating me about their artists. It prompted my purchase of Nanairo Ice and fueled my desire for Tinkle’s illustration collection – Moonlight Tea Party (Tsukiyo no Chakai). But alas! I’m one and a half years too late. Moonlight Tea Party is currently out of print with 2nd hand offers going as high as 12000 yen (it was originally sold for 2600 yen).
Thank Haruhi for Aethereality where I’m able to soothe some of the pain by basking in its, albeit nerfed, digital glory. Below are a sampling of a few favourites.
I agree with TheBigN. “Moe” ranks up there with ‘loli’ and ‘tsundere’ when it comes to abuses of anime terms. But unlike ‘loli’ and ‘tsundere’ where there are still widely recognisable traits (whether physical or behavioural) governing their definitions, the meaning of ‘moe’ varies greatly from individual to individual. This is not a post to define moe. This is a post about the art of Nanao Naru, an artist whose work DEFINES moe for this tanuki.
While I still wake up screaming from Crescent Love nightmares and have developed an allergy to cabbages, Yoakena (the game) remains undisplaced as my favourite artwork in the 2D realm. So when I found that my local Kinokuniya is unable to bring in the Yoakena perfect visual book (due to its H-content), I was completely shattered and spent the next month wearing Mai’s twin tails in mourning But with this purchase, I need not grief anymore. The Yoakena Complete official guide is my dream come true. Devoid of h-scenes but packed with more CG goodness exclusive for the PS2 release, it’s an upgrade that’s legal both in my republic island and household.
