Archive for September, 2008
Manga =O
Sometimes I have this fear that I’ve just bought a volume I already own =x I think it hasn’t happened yet, but with something like 300 volumes and 15+ series (I lost track a while ago), it’s kinda hard to keep track of what I’ve bought already. What makes it even harder is that I have most of it in my room at my parents’ house (some in boxes, some in shelves), and about 50 or so volumes at my apartment here (they’re all over the place x_x). Some series I’m struggling to keep straight are – fma, ouran host club, skip beat, beauty pop, vampire knight, bleach, d.gray-man, death note… I think I’m up to the latest volume on all of those after my last shopping spree; the question is, if I bought duplicates x_x;;
I still read scanlations despite buying lots of manga. Anyway, I don’t think reading scanlations deter people from buying. I probably would buy a lot less (if any) if I wasn’t exposed to all those series via scanlations.
Nabari no Ou artbook – Liricamente
Taking another break from studying XD I guess I’ll review the Nabari no Ou artbook. Liricamente is a hardcover A4 sized artbook. The price for this one is 2381yen. The cost to get it in your hands varies depending on where you purchase it. I think the average amount is about $35. The cover features Miharu and the back Yoite on matte paper. I like the feel of it (kinda like cotton paper). The inside cover is orange with some leaves and butterflies. The book is divided into 3 movements and has about 50-55 color illustrations, a couple of black and white images, and some sketch art in the back for a total of 80 pages (with all the pages counted). The pages feel thin to me, but I like the texture. It’s different from the typical thick pages. What I don’t like is that you can leave pretty obvious finger prints on the dark pages as you’re thumbing through, or as I was flattening it to scan. As far as the illustrations included, they’re pretty, but I have to say I’m not too impressed… I guess part of it stems from the lack of illustrations included. Overall, I’d recommend it you’re a nabari fanatic.
ISBN: 978-4-7575-2345-6
Rating: 3.5/5
~ sample images ~
== Download sample pages == front and back covers and 10 color illustrations inside, sized to about 1000×1500.
Okay, that break was way longer than I intended x_x;; Buy a copy of this artbook to support Yuhki Kamatani. You can find this artbook at yesasia, amazon.jp, akadotretail just to name a few places.
Junjou Romantica Illustration Collection by Shungiku Nakamura
This is a great artbook with tons of pretty illustrations. In my opinion it’s well worth the money. This is a softcover A4 sized artbook. The price is 2200yen. It’ll cost about $35 if you’re not in Japan or somewhere close. Colored illustrations take up 112 pages, and there’s a short comic at the end, bringing the total page count to 128. The dust cover is a bit unusual in that it has a plasticky feeling instead of the matte ones I’m used to. It’s not a fancy artbook by any means, but it’s solid with lots of illustrations (very good bang for your buck). Page thickness is average, nothing special. Overall, I highly recommend it if you’re a Junjou fan; you won’t be disappointed.
ISBN: 978-4-04-854184
My rating: 4.5/5
Now on to some sample pages~ click on to enlarge
== Download artbook part 1 == includes cover and first 18 pages (1000 x 1550 px) | mirror
== Download artbook part 2 == includes the next 18 pages (1200×1750 px) | mirror
== Download artbook part 3 == includes next 12 pages (1000 x 1550 px) | mirror
Please buy a copy to support the mangaka. You can get find artbook at yesasia, amazon.jp, jpqueen and lots of other online stores. Remember, these packs are intended to be a preview and not for replacing purchasing the artbook itself ^^;;
New artbooks added to collection
I have 4 recent additions to my artbook collection ~ the nabari no ou artbook – liricamente, the junjou romantica illustration collection, the spiral alive artbook (#3 in the series), and the zombie loan artbook. That brings my collection to about 35-40 artbooks. I consider the junjou and the zombie loan ones to be excellent buys. I’ll write a review on them later with preview scans from the artbooks if I find some spare time.
Will add some info on these books in a few weeks after my exams are “done.”
== Download some Junjou artbook samples == ~ first 18 pages
Whoa~ this is the first post I’ve made in 2-3 months o.O I’ve been super busy so I haven’t had time to scan stuff.