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Being a huge Ranma ½ fan and also a collector of art books, this was one art collection that I simply had to buy. Also when I purchased the book it was one of the few art books to be translated into English made this an essential purchase. This had to be the greatest art book ever surely? Sadly this was not the case. Although Rumiko Takahashi is a superb artist this is a disappointing collection as many of the pages contain several small images which have no order to them. This gives the effect of a scrapbook which is odd considering this is an art book and these images should be presented in a professional manner. Also, several images have been stretched to fill out a page and this is often noticable when looking at the jagged outline produced by the stretching. There is also very little insight into how Takahashi
produces her work as no line-art has been included at all, normally an essential
addition to any art book. The comments from Takahashi offer a
little more despite their shortness, with Takahashi giving honest
opinions throughout on her work. These comments show that she is a
perfectionist, but also enjoys her work very much which is a refreshing change
to the arrogant attitude many artists can have. Takahashi does not
feel her work is special and just wants it bring enjoyment to those who see it.
A small interview with Takahashi is included, although
the questions are all about her favourite Ranma ½
rather then herself, which would have been
more interesting. Two charts are also included - one showing the vastly
complex relationships of the characters of Ranma
½, the other the equally complex rivalries. Some line-art would have
been better!
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