Yoshitaka Amano: Things to Know
One of the first announcements
which came sooner than expected was that
Yoshitaka Amano would be one of the guests at next year’s Anime Expo If you don’t
know Anime Expo is the largest anime convention in North America. In the recent
years it’s grown to exponential levels while being based in Downtown Los
Angles. It’s current location has been the best thing for the convention as attendance
has sky rocketed, often getting a piece on the news, Anime Expo holds concerts
with guest from Japan even sometimes performing with a few surprises.
A couple of
years ago Hatsune Miku performed, last year it was Kiss and Momoiro Clover Z.
It’s been visited by politicians and now has even earned a holiday in Los
Angeles, people come from all over the world to attend including Japan and has
become a four day massive meeting place for old fans and new fans alike. Even
so the announcement of Yoshitaka Amano is huge and while many know who the
legendary artist is, you might be surprised at some of the things you didn’t
know. Everything you know and some
things you might not, for example novelist and actor along with so many other titles, these are
but a few you may like to know.
Things You Probably Know
Final Fantasy:
It’s not surprising as the mythical art, a distinctive Japanese style or should
I say a distinctive Amano style has become synonymous with the series, always
capturing the essence of the characters and the feel of the story that lies
underneath. There theme runs through because beyond the title design, Amano has
also had his hand in the character design, crushing the usual spiky hair
association that the series is often given, with his smooth flowing art format.
So when people
complain about some of the designs in the games they’re overlooking some of the
promotional art that they use for the series, art that comes from Amano. For
everyone else it seems destined that he could capture the large scope of the
series adding a heavier fantasy tone while also giving them appearances that in
some strange way I feel makes them appear alive. Also his style is always fresh
and eye popping, unique, versatile, all things that each Final Fantasy is. One
thing Final Fantasy isn’t is repetitive as each number game is its own world
and feel, making Square Enix storytellers above all else and seemed destined to
have Amano San’s art bonded with the franchise.
Vampire Hunter D
– The story of a vamphir hunter that kills vampires and all matters of demons
in a post-apocalyptic world, once in pieces, than held by vampires and now at a
sort of stage of rebirth that flirts at times with ancient, future technology,
a story that maintains the story of a stranger coming to a village, modern day
myths, and a level of grit told quite beautifully driving down real honest
human stories and the capacity of ambition and the nature of human hearts that
still exist even at this stage of the world is a sort of epic scope all on its
own.
The anime films
and the fantastic novels that inspired them are iconic and of course Amano’s
art is an integral part to ( )’s
novel series. It was perfect for Amano-San who would do so much in the
illustration business for fantasy novels and is one of the first things that
Amano is associated with in certain parts of the world. If you’ve never read the novels that inspired
the classic anime films or that will be inspiring the new anime in the works
than this is the best time to do so.
Things You
Might Not
Neil Gaiman’s Sandman- One of the greatest comic series of
all time which has been praised for its contributions to the comic book and
storytelling community has a connection to Amano. If you know nothing of
Sandman it incorporates characters called the endless that are truly something
that intersects with the very human stories told, even to those that do not
seem human, philosophical, captivating and deserving of all its praise. Following
Dream or Morpheus, it’s unlike anything you’ve read but has done so much for
the stories that you will. Sandman is
the comic that opens all your senses to the greatest things you’ll ever read
and when you move on, it will leave a thin unseen layer of dust upon it, only
to be wiped off and read again.
So who better to
contribute to this than someone who seems to be weaved from the mind of
Morpheus, who paints his thoughts or all the thoughts of the fantastic and the
dream like, no one I say is better suited to that than Yoshitaka Amano. In a volume entitled the Dream Hunters, his
art goes along a story that is focused more so in the myths of Japan while
still having the series main character Morpheus but doing what the series did
best, tell stories and by telling stories tell something real, yes in all of
it, because you keep it with you and carry with you afterwards.
American Comics- This wouldn’t be the only contribution Mr. Amano
would have to American comics, he would also team up with Greg Rucka on Elektra
& Wolverine: The Redeemer which once again his unique Japanese art that
flirts with the woodblock techniques hones to its own vivid style works well
with two characters that are far more than familiar with Japanese culture (read
their comics and see). It isn’t strange
to have seen him doing art for American comics as they had an earlier influence
in him along with American artist.
He would
continue to later work on various projects working with names or people incorporated
in the work, everyone from David Bowie to Quentin Tarantino. This wouldn’t be very surprising as his involvement
with art galleries alongside other people would prove him to be time and time
again a renowned international artist.
Animation: What shouldn’t
be surprising is one of the earliest acts in Amano’s career and that is in
animation. Anyone who digs credits can
find how some directors of anime get their start or artist of any sort and like
any other genre of film, it’s in the many of the key positions in Anime. In
Yoshitaka Amano’s case it was on a now classic anime, one that like the ones
before it would show North America the first light of animation in Japan. For
Speed Racer his first gig, it would be foreshadowing into a series of classic
anime, everything from Gatchman to Time Bokon, where his contributions would
first be felt greatly.
Often his role was character designer which of course would
be essential considering some of the projects he’s been attached to. Even when
he began to focus his powers on being a fantasy illustrator, it would be
something he would return to. Which now credits him with a long list of
projects which of course would lead into his own productions Studio Devoloka.
Art : Above it all Yoshitaka Amano is an artist and has
released countless art books, full with mind blowing drawing with color that
leaps off of every page. It’s hard to turn the page because you’re still
staring at the previous one and as solely an artist Amano is well respected. Galleries
and exhibitions are no stranger to Amano who travels to several countries to
present his work. So if you are an art
enthusiast but have never dabbled in anime, games, comics, Japanese novels than
you may still find something that can make you excited with his North American
experience next year. With his wide
range of talents and the influence of the works he’s done, it promises to
continue the growth of the Anime Expo and has people eagerly anticipating next
year’s convention.
A Podcast Companion
*Need more otaku time, well for more ideas why not hop on to the newly minted podcast Rats On A Plague Ship. A podcast that speaks on all matters of geekdom with yours truly and my fellow co-host Sal Almaraz. The true cure to when the hours feel like they drag!
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