Yoshitaka Amano – The Fantasy That Never Ends

Yoshitaka Amano deserves no introduction for Final Fantasy devotees such as myself. He isn’t the guy who builds the 3D models of the characters in the games, but the person who draws the cover, the booklet, and designs the actual look for the characters, although that only applies for the first six Final Fantasy games. Since Final Fantasy VII, he settled in doing character’s artwork and designing the title logo for Final Fantasy games. Mind you, he doesn’t work in the videogame industry exclusively, his work can be seen in anime, fantasy novels, high class painting exhibits, and even theater design.

Amano’s work has to be one of the finest and intricate designs I’ve seen so far; it has very minimalist and wispy quality to it. It’s elegant, fresh, atmospheric and dynamic. His creation definitely has stood the test of time. In order commemorate his excellent work and his 56th birthday (July 28th), I’m going to change the banner of my blog and replace it with one of his fine work.

The Legend of Zelda: The Manga

If you are a Zelda fan, than you’re going to love what I got for you. I recently have discovered a site that contains the translated manga based on the Legend of Zelda videogame series, and they are totally free and downloadable. The stories aren’t exact replicas of the games, in which the writers made couple of neat tweaks of the original stories to add a brand new fresh air. The artwork is superb, especially the Ocarina of Time manga, and the story was translated perfectly from the original game. Whether you are a big fan of Zelda or not, you have to pay the website a visit and check the manga out. Now, if only Nintendo would release an anime version of Zelda…

The manga are based on the following series:

• The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracles of Seasons
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracles of Ages
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Click Away

Mangas I Picked

Fruits Basket

This book is hilarious and has a unique sense of humor. The story follows an orphan high school girl (Tohru Honda) that resorts to live in the family house of her friend Yuki Sohma (in which she is secretly in love with). Tohru soon discovers Sohma family’s secret, and the reason why Yuki is so private and secretive: thirteen members of the family are possessed by the 12 animal spirits of the Chinese Zodiac including Yuki himself. The book sees Tohru in her new life with the family and how she gets adjusted with the Shoma’s family.

Recommended

 

Death Note

This is one of the most interesting manga I have ever got to read; and it has an original story like no other. The story sees a high school student named Light whose life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the “Death Note”. Death Note’s instructions claim that, if a human’s name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the Death Note’s authenticity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, Light seeks to become “the God of the new world” by passing his judgment on criminals.

Highly Recommended