Book Description

Doing a Literature Review offers students from across the social sciences and humanities a practical and comprehensive guide to writing a literature review. It takes the reader through the initial states of an undergraduate dissertation or postgraduate thesis. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More than Just Doing the Lit Review
When I purchased this book, I was looking for a potential text for a short-course on writing the disseration I'm teaching. I really expected the standard "here's how to search through the library and databases." This is simply much more that that. It's less about how to do the review itself and more about how to think about your topic. In fact, Hart raises the questions I should have been asking myself--if only I had known--and my advisor wasn't. How much better my work would have been if I'd had an understanding of how to analyze a text from various perspectives. Many texts offer advice on how to write but few talk about how to think about your question and how to fit it within the context of work in your discipline. Hart does this.

Magnificent book on literature review in research
Hart, Chris. 1998. Doing a literature review. Releasing the social science imagination. London: Sage Publications.

Chris Hart's guide to doing a literature review presents a comprehensive perspective on the literature review as a research tool. While it is addressed to scholars in the social sciences, this book is useful in most areas of design research. Hart discusses the role of literature in research. He explains how reviewing earlier work releases the imagination rather than constraining it. He shows how to classify and read research literature, how to analyze arguments, and how to organize and express ideas. He also teaches the reader useful ways to map and analyze the ideas that each body of literature reveals. Finally, he demonstrates in careful, clear stages how to develop and write the literature review. At each point, Hart develops a serious, well-reasoned explanation that helps the scholar to understand why each step is important and how to do it well.

Book review published in Design Research News, Volume 6, Number 5, May 2001 ISSN 1473-3862.

Probably the only book of its kind
I have read several books on doing literature reviews. Except for this one, they were all about the quantitative style of review called meta-analysis.

This is a well-written and informative text, though it is a little too wordy for me to rate it excellent. It is the only book I could find that describes exactly how to produce the lit review section of a thesis. This is something that even books on dissertation writing tend to leave to your imagination. ... Read more

Book Description

March 6, 2035. Motoko Aramaki is a hyper-advanced cyborg, a counter-terrorist net security expert heading the investigative department of the giant multi-national, Poseidon Industrial. Partly transcending the physical world and existing in a virtual world of networks, Motoko is a fusion of multiple entities and identities, deploying remotely controlled prosthetic humanoid surrogates around the globe to solve a series of bizarre crimes. Meanwhile, Tamaki Tamai, a psychic investigator from the Channeling Agency, has been commissioned to investigate strange changes in the temporal universe,brought about by two forces, one represented by the teachings of a professor named Rahampol, and the other by the complex, evolving Motoko entity. What unfolds will be all in a day's work...a day that will change everything, forever. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Chris Hart Does It Again!
Without a doubt, Christopher Hart is one of the most prolific and talented cartoonist around. Having worked with companies such as Disney, his cartoon style is entertaining and stylic as well. It's got personality and it will make you want to engross yourself in the book. If you've not read any book by Chris Hart, this is one of his best. However, it is a wonderful book with lots of helpful ideas on becoming a cartoonist yourself.

It covers everything from how to place the features to costumes to animals. It would definitely be a useful starting (and ending) ground for anyone interested in this art.

Excellent find!
This book is great! There are a ton of helpful tips and techniques that range from how to draw facial expressions and body types to how to draw ice cubes and water... and even how to convey wind or rain. The author, Christopher Hart, even explains why cartoon characters have only three fingers.

This book is very clear, very informative and very funny! I highly recommend this book!

Great Stuff Here!
Christopher Hart has brought many hours of both fun drawing and thoughtful learning in my atristic journey. Not only does he explain everything you need to know for beginners, but some fresh stuff for the experienced artist as well. I'm sure anyone of all ages will enjoy learning form this and all of his great books.

Good book
I have had this book for a few years now and I love it. Hart gives lots of examples of a character in different situations. He also shows how to lay out your comic and gives advice on colors and such. This book /would/ have gotten the full 5 stars, but I felt that the section on animals could have either been expanded to include a basic rundown on construction for beginners, or left out entirely. The section is mainly about the relative height of animals to others and, above that, an intermediate construction of the animal itself, plus a brief written guideline. I should be getting Hart's book on cartooning animals today, so hopefully that will be more of a help to me in the animal area. All in all, this book is great for those who are just starting out or need a refresher.

really fun book
This book will help you transit from doodling to drawing cartoons. It is great for distracting your collegues during long meetings, delighting younger children who should be concentrating on other things, and annoying your spouse who is trying to pay attention.
Get it. ... Read more

Book Description

The explosive finale to one of graphic fiction's greatest achievements is here! The mad psychic colossus Tetsuo, the world's military, and the remaining psychics of The Project face off -- with the child psychic god, Akira, the wild card -- in what may not only decide the fate of mankind, but may determine the next step in human evolution! This long-awaited volume -- a staggering 440 pages -- features the impossible-to-find final chapters of Akira, never before collected in the U.S., presented as they were intended to be seen in their original, stunning black and white! Featuring a revised translation and top-quality art reproduction, this is the final edition of one of comics' definitive works, a six-volume epic of over two thousand pages. Katsuhiro Otomo's entire masterpiece is finally available -- only from Dark Horse! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The end of THE epic!
Wow! Akira has finally ended. Some twenty years after Otomo got the Akira project started, it still remains as one of the greatest tales of our time.
From the beginning of this 400+ page book to its end it is well written, drawn, and presented. We learn what is to come of Tsteuo, Noe-Tokyo, and the universe. The ending is very unclear and ambiguous, but it really shows the status of the entire story.
Otomo has given us a beautiful masterpiece that needs not to be forgotten. Long live AKIRA!

Wow...
The only other Akira book I have read is Book 2 (though I am attempting to rectify this situation) so when I came to this book, although I knew the basic storyline and the characters, I still had quite a few gaps. It didn't matter. This book was dramatic, powerful and eerie. The drawings are excellent and it's an amazing finale to the story.
Part of the reason I was so impressed with this was that although the story is sci-fi/apocalyptic, Otomo has not (unlike quite a few others writing in this genre) neglected character development and complexity. I don't want to give away the story, but I'll just say a lot of this book made me cry - and not a lot of things do that.
The ending is...ambiguous, and pretty poignant - something about Tokyo rising from the ruins still gives me a lump in my throat. I disagree with those who say it's a cop-out, or too weird - it suited the book, and it was such a contrast to all that had happened.
The only reason I took a star off is that sometimes there's too much violence for my taste, and also I found the expulsion of the soldiers at the end sort of weird. But this may simply be due to my lack of knowledge of the other books.
Overall, I would recommend this book HIGHLY, but do read the others first. It can only enhance your enjoyment of this one.

Compelling
All in all, the book is a satisfying read. It leaves some of the mysteries open, like whatever happens to that mega-psychic boy Akira, and what's with Kaneda, Kei, and their motorbike gang with the ruined Tokyo.
It is both satisfying and saddening to see a good story ends, yet I would rather see it end there than be dragged on and on as in the case of many other comic books.

Non-Stop action!
Akira Volume 6 brings the story to a shattering conclusion, as all of the surviving characters converge to attempt to stop the mad Tetsuo. And what will they do with the Godlike child Akira..?

The great thing about epics, in any medium, is the amount of time they have to develop their characters. I can't imagine the Akira movie being as satisfying as the books. (I'll see soon enough- I loved the books so much I ordered the Akira DVD.) Considering that the final chapter is 400+ pages of non-stop action, it's a good thing Otomo built his characters up heavily in the previous 5 chapters. The art is sensational, and the writing is top-notch; Otomo manages to deliver a satisfying (If somewhat head-scratching...) ending. Maybe the highest compliment I can give is that I was sorry to see it end.

Climax, Conclusion...and Beginning...
Allow me to reiterate:

Amidst the flotsam and jetsam of former pop-culture sensations, there are a few items of media that, through sheer visceral creative force, transcend the 'cool one moment, cliché the next' element of disposable entertainment. The Japanese manga/movie _Akira_ is among these rare and dignified. Although the movie version is cluttered and convoluted, an epic mess--and what can one expect from the effort of reducing 2000 pages into two hours?--there still remains a power and presence to it that is at once unnerving and captivating.

I "got" Akira upon my first viewing, but like many others found the movie unsatisfying on a basic level. Characters and concepts popped up out of nowhere, seemingly important to the overall arc, yet remaining undeveloped. It felt as if an enormous amount of back-story was left untold. Thankfully, Dark Horse has decided to give the manga version of _Akira_ the definitive publishing it deserves, to fill in the gaps and give us a deeper and far more gratifying glimpse into Katsuhiro Otomo's astonishing vision of dystopia.

And now, finally, volume six is here, containing story and art never before seen on these shores. Here Otomo takes the hints and fragments presented by the film--Tetsuo's metamorphosis, the fate of Neo-Tokyo, the showdown of primal force between Akira and his prodigy companions--and ties them together in a way that, as an end result, far overshadows the 16mm attempt. I have to agree with a fellow reviewer who claims that the movie and manga compliment each other...but while the former is interesting and challenging, the latter is far more essential in terms of scope and overall achievement.

The art is, as usual, clean and crisp and amazingly complex; one can simply contemplate the detail of various panels for hours on end. But the story is paced at such an ongoing peak (especially considering the cliffhanger ending to vol. 5) that upon first reading you may do what I did: breeze through the pages, totally involved in the build-up/release of conflict, while using the art as merely a visual representation for the ongoing story. Thus, Akira vol. 1-6 contains immense re-read potential: firstly to glean Otomo's philosophical ponderings on energy and consciousness, secondly to appreciate the amazing artwork.

And the ending...in true Japanese form, the very ambiguity of it hints at a far larger story in progression; the end is the beginning, apparently. Those with concrete story-structure paradigms may find it unsatisfactory, but I personally loved the surreal suggestions.

Truly an epic, in all sense of the word. Five stars. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a whimsical guide to drawing faeries from best-selling art instruction author Christopher Hart. Included are all the popular ingredients of the faerie kingdom-faerie personalities, faeries at work, faeries at play, faerie expressions, faeries in flight, faerie magic, faeries facing predatory household pets, and the secret faerie rituals of birth, courtship, and marriage. Step-by-step instructions for drawing faeries are revealed through a captivating story of a man-now grown up-who as a youth gained secret knowledge of where the faeries live and play, and having done so, was able to capture on paper the elusive creatures in their unguarded moments. The overall design and presentation of the book will enchant and envelop artists in a magical world of faeries. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inspiring
Marvelous. It's in the name: - a believers guide. If you were not a believer prior, you become a believer once you dive into this book and let your imagination bring to life the characters you create using the simple, strait forward logical steps. Guiding the reader thru various faerie characters, their life, emotions, movement, clothing as well as their friends to create your own faerie world. Thanks to this book, the population of faeries in this universe will grow tremendously.

How to draw faeries
This is a good book that shows you the basics for drawing for drawing these creatures. They have step by step procedures, emotions, clothing, and information about each picture.
The only bad thing about it is that there is only one picture of a winged fairy(the picture is also on the front cover)all other faeries are wingless in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

"I understand the design, but I can't figure out the actually how to portray my character in the costume." Many have likely experienced this dilemma when trying to develop a character's costume and reached for a book on fashion as a reference. In this volume, manga characters appear as models, and the book illustrates aspects that serve as fashion points showing the characters in various poses and angles. This volume boasts more than 4,000 images. With this as reference, the reader should be able to design an original costume with ease by combining the collars, sleeves, cuffs, and other dress details provided. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good stuff
I thought this book was very helpful even though most of the clothes were for women. This is a must have if you are interested in drawing anime and manga!

Good for girls cloths
This book is good, the only thing missing is the male fashons. All of the cloths are women's, even though some could be altered to be men's cloths. There is a small section about drawing men in women's cloths, but that's it.

If You're Serious About Drawing Manga, Get This Already!
Just about every "how-to" book on drawing manga (and also "mainstream" comics) advises aspiring artists to gather reference material from "real-life" in order to draw realistic buildings, animals, trees, and so on. But when it comes to researching costumes and fashions for designing characters, the artists is confronted not only with the potentially confusing details of a particular item of clothing, but also the countless changes in fashion that have developed over history. And just how do you correctly draw that leg-of-mutton sleeve for your heroine's wedding dress?

I can't recommend this first volume of the "Costume Encylopedia" (Everyday Clothing) highly enough. There are more than a dozen different styles each of sleeves, skirts, coats, footwear, and other items of clothing, that are catalogued, diagrammed, and described for easy reference.

Don't know the difference between a tiered skirt and a sarong (you can raise your hand if you don't)? They're both in the book. The book is prefaced with several drawings of costumes created from the various styles featured in the encyclopedia. And for those of you interested in how clothes are constructed, the back of the book explains how basic articles of clothing are pattered and assembled.

This is not only perfect for creating costumes for your manga characters, but also for interpreting outfits featured in fashion magazines, history books, and on film and TV (be sure to observe what folks are wearing on the street,too). Students in fashion design courses also use guides similar to this one, but those texts are easily 2 to 3 times more expensive than the Encyclopedia (If you can afford it, I highly recommend "Fashion Sketchbook" by Bina Abling).

I would've liked to have seen more instruction on how to properly draw the clothing items upon a human figure, but much of this information can be obtained from other art instruction books, including other volumes in the "How to..." series.

I recommend this book for everyone, including non-manga comic artists, and I look forward to the two upcoming volumes (Yes!) in the Costume Encyclopedia.

This is a great book -- the pages are packed.
I hoped to see a good number of illustrations and styles, but I am actually overwhelmed by the sheer number of variations and illustrations in this book. This is a fantastic resource. I definitely recommend it. The only drawback is that the illustrations are generally done in the over-simplified style of this series, but what the illustrations lack in tones and shading is more than compensated for by volume and diversity.

There's still no substitute for a good from-life reference, but this book makes it easy to pull from a whole universe of styles. Great stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

good book for people who have experience on drawing manga
this book is great even if it does have nudity but theres a purpose for it so the artist can see how the clothes fit on your female character it shows the different angles of different views you can draw your character there are a good amount of poses. and how to do eyes, legs of different lengths and size, hands, feet and for those who like to draw there characters in water it explains how the water drops flow on the body. So in other words this book is good.it doesn't earn its fifth cause there are some poses half done meaning they don't show the head and face so if you are trying to draw that pose you have to assume how the heads shape is suppose to be buy the book anyways because it has help me a lot so it could do some good for you ^-^

A good reference for intermediate artists
This book is helpful if you want to improve your manga-style female figures, but is not a good place to start to learn basics about drawing or manga-style techniques. As another reviewer suggested, the first book in this series is the best to start with. Also, although this book spends a great deal of time on in-depth coverage of drawing the body, it doesn't cover drawing faces, eyes, and hair nearly enough. Even with this problems, I still recommend this book as a great help to improve and refine manga-style figure proportions.

Far from the Best
I got this book when i got into drawing and was disgusted to find it did'nt really help me at all. I only gave it two stars because it gives you a few examples to look at if you really need them. and if your gonna draw something more for an ADULT kind of cartoon. There was more on how to draw breasts in diffrent postions and how it'd look with diffrent hands holding it then how to draw legs and arms. combined. it's alright if your deperate. but don't waiste your money otherwise.

Excellant!
If you are new to attempting to draw manga, this is a decent place to start, at least with drawing limbs and...um...other anatomy parts. But you have to at least know beforehand how to draw the eyes cuz it dosn't go into much detail about that part.

It's good for those that know how to draw.
I give this book 4 stars because the tutorials are good,but they arent really the best for beginners. I recommend this book to any manga artist. This book has some nudity in it,but it's censored to keep it appropriate for teen artists. ... Read more

Book Description

In the 21st century, the once-glittering Neo-Tokyo lies in ruins, leveled in minutes by the infinite power of the child psychic giant, Akira. Now a wasteland of rubble and anarchy, the Great Tokyo Empire rises, a ragtag group of zealots and crazies who worship and fear Akira and his mad prime minister, Tetsuo, an angry teen with immense powers of his own -- and equally immense twisted ambitions. The planet at large is not taking the threat lying down, however, and the might of the world is ready to take on the Empire, but will technology's most advanced weaponry be enough to destroy Akira -- and is Tetsuo an ever greater threat? The fifth chapter in a sweeping epic of over 2000 pages, Akira vol. 5 is the penultimate act of a mind-blowing graphic-novel masterpiece of awe-inspiring imagination and gut-wrenching power, and the inspiration for the classic Akira animated film. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Preparations Begin For The Final Battle....
With the Psychic powerhouse Akira awakened, the mad Tetsuo becoming more and more powerful by the moment, and the World super-powers massing their fleets just outside of Japan, could things possibly get any worse for the citizens of the ruined Neo-Tokyo? Well.....yeah! Tetsuo is becoming SO powerful, his body is starting to mutate....in some pretty gross ways.

On the flip side, Kaneda, presumed dead, returns, and he has some really great scenes with Kei. Chiyoko and The Colonel also get a chance to shine, and we get some insight into the mind of Lady Miyako. Otomo's art is still great, and the amout of detail he puts into each panel is staggering; It's almost criminal to read the story too fast. You don't want to risk missing ANY of his spectacular linework.

Akira 5 will certainly have you awaiting the final chapter with great anticipation.

THE FINAL BATTLE IS IN SITE!
Well, here we are: One issue away from the last issue.
This is quiet possible the best one in the serias so far. Number 5 is almost completely dedicated to character development. I say "almost" because the issue is bassically our heroes preparing themselves for the final battle and tying up loose ends. The renioun between Kaneada and Kie in the beginning of the issue is heart warming; I especially liked how Kiesuke got in there!:)

Truth be told, there isn't as much action as there was in the others, but who cares? With phenomual character development and story telling, this issue kicks! And Besides, there is a completely PERFECT action sequence early on, which is done very very very VERY well. (For those curious, it involves Kie and the Colonol taking on a bunch of the empire's gun crazy citizens led by the guy in the glasses (I knew he'd come back!) Kaneada and Kiesuke also come in the knick of time on motorcycles)
Another maine character is reintroduced here, and I like him. Remember Joker, the huge and tough looking leader of the Clown gang? When we last saw him in Number One, it looked like he was a goner: after all, a motorcycle tire smashed into his face. But suddenly, he pops up in this one, with a huge tire mark on his face! (I nearly busted a gut when I saw that.) Joker, as said before, is a technical whiz, providing Kaneada and his sidekick Kiesuke with TONS of guns, motorcylces, and equipment. Many chuckles occur when Kaneada and Joker CONSTANTLY argue, often stopping at words and using their fists instead, and poor Kiesuke tries to be the mediator between the two.
Also back for laughs is that nicotine-addicted-doctor, who can basically do anything but will only do it if you get him a ciggarrette ("Do this, Do that! THEN WHAT?And I can't even get a... cigarrette!")

A deleightful issue. I still think that the fight sequence between Kie and Tetuo (GREAT effect with the fighter pilot dangling out of the jet like he was being cruicified) could've been done a tiny bit better. I mean, I liked how the frantic admiral was in the background, ordering his men to "FIR EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!" at them, but I wish it had been a little longer. But, it WAS choregraphed nicely, and I still love it, but I just wish it had been a tiny bit longer.

All in all, a great set-up to the final battle. Bravo, Katsuhiro Otomo! Well done!

Humongous!!!
Things just keep getting better and better with this story. Tetsuo finds his power manipulates its way out of his body, Kei undergoes massive psychological 'renewal' and Kaneda returns from his 'astral' disappearance. The plot thickens as the U.S. army mingles in the mission to destroy the highly unstable Tetsuo and Akira. Can't wait for the conclusion.
For those of you who have interest in such matters, Kei gets HALF-NEKKID in this one!!!

Amazing
This is not only the longest volume in the series so far, it is also the the best and most pivotal. Characters both new and old are revisited, and IMMENSE character development is undertaken. Since Tetsuo is the main focal point for this volume, the story lets the reader see yet another side to him (as well as a rather grotesque sequence in which his fake arm takes over his body). Also, shockingly enough, Kaneda and Kei *ACTUALLY SHOW FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER*!! And as if THAT wasn't enough, Kaneda's ol' pal Joker shows up again. He's changed sides, however, and reveals that he's a technical whiz, which will undoubtedly come in very handy.

But enough rambling about that. The action is top-notch (as always), as the armies of the world are crouched, muscles tensed, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Kaneda has amassed a small army of his own, and they have already taken the offensive against Tetsuo. Kei undergoes psychic training by the last survivors of the Project, and is preparing to challenge the teenage time bomb herself. The cliffhanger ending shows that the dominoes are set up, needing only the hand to push the first to start the show.

And I know it's going to be a spectacular display.

Greatest Story Ever
Could I give this six stars? When I was 13 I saw AKIRA in my local theater. Needless to say I was blown away and hooked for life. Imagine my surprise when, years later I found out about the manga! For anyone who has seen the movie but not read the manga you are missing out on about 80% of the story (The movie was condensed from over 2000 pages). The manga answers all the questions left from the movie and adds so much more to the story. The artwork is better than the movie even though the book is in black and white. The story and art crackle off of the pages like electricity. Otomo has such an amazing style that he has ruined other comics for me. Nothing quite compares to his mix of technical and human drawing prowess and his storytelling is second to none.
In book 5, the special forces, american Navy, and various cult groups are all after the power of AKIRA even as Tetsuo's power continues to grow. Kaneda, Kei, and the Colonel play bigger roles in book 5, but the real star here is Tetsuo. His powers are immense and the destruction he causes is beyond belief. I wont spoil it for you but beleive me its amazing.
The most enduring quailty of AKIRA for me is the fact that the movies and manga require your attention. This isnt a thrown together story where nothing really holds up, if you think there are plot holes you havent figured the story out. Its expertly crafted by Otoma-san and never strays from his vision. The story of AKIRA is excellence of the highest caliber. I love everything about AKIRA and this book is a testament to that.

This is just my opinion and I happen to be a BIG AKIRA freak. I have the McFarlane toys, three versions of the movie, and even a back up DVD which has never been opened just in case. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kare Kano takes a dark turn
Don't let the happy-go-lucky cover fool you: volume 16 is the darkest chapter yet in the lives of Yukino and Arima.

Arima remembers more about his mysterious mother and pushes everyone away. I'm unsure whether all Kare Kano fans will like the tone of this volume, which takes a pretty radical departure from most of the series so far. Some of it seems like Masami Tusda introducing new events just to create some drama and keep the story going.

Kare Kano's lesser moments are still better than 99% of other shoujo manga, however. Volume 16 focused on Yukino and Arima, with Asaba making some appearances, as well, but Vol 17 will apparently bring back the rest of the cast.

Treading along the dark path
Kare Kano keeps on surprising me. The Arima storyline is crazy as more is revealed of his past. This probably is Masami Tsuda's darkest manga since it takes a bolder, more serious turn.Miyazawa's mettle is tested with a challenge that she may be unable to overcome. Even Asapin is key in this volume.I really like how the characters have changed since volume 1.This one is a non-stop read and Vol 16 seems so far away...patience is key!! ... Read more

Book Description

Deep into the 21st century, the line between man and machine has been inexorably blurred as humans rely on the enhancement of mechanical implants and robots are upgraded with human tissue. In this rapidly converging landscape, cyborg super-agent Major Motoko Kusanagi is charged to track down the craftiest and most dangerous terrorists and cybercriminals, including "ghost hackers," capable of exploiting the human/machine interface by re-programming human minds to become puppets to carry out their criminal ends. When Major Kusanagi tracks the cybertrail of one such master hacker, the Puppeteer, her quest leads her into a world beyond information and technology where the very nature of consciousness and the human soul are turned upside-down and inside-out. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An intelligent story with beautiful artwork
The story in Ghost in the Shell is very complex with many ways of interpeting what has happened. I liked the way the story takes you to another place where morals are different but the human spirit remains even if it is in an android. The questions that come up are not always answered and I enjoyed coming up with my own answers. The art enhances the effect. Shirow draws with so much detail the average person could go insane trying to find all the little details. Most of the book is black and white but the colored parts are rich with energy and reminded me of another manga story, Akira. While the story does slow down at times the ideas more than make up for it.

influenced
hey ,it inspired mamoru oshii to make ghost in the shell, the cult classic anime film,which also inspired the wachowski brothers-the dropping green digits at the begining and the landing and breaking roof scene,may ring your bell- to make the hit movie the matrix,reloaded and the up coming revolutions.and it's all thanks to this man masamune shirow.
the book is an action comedy,a lot of comedy,unlike it's film,with the same theme of the film though,should we consider an A.I. and cyborgs a life form,plus more detailed stories of the cyborg cops routine life.there are even some cameo from other shirow's characters from his other books,like the appleseed characters in page 21 and the cat sisters ,from dominion:tank police,page 161.
influential,fun ,informative and enjoyable book.and it's all illustrated and written by one person.nice
p.s. check out the fifth panel in page 161,a small box,written on it"masamune shirow's original artwork,all you can carry 100 yen"funny.

Excelent manga makes excelent anime.
The manga of GITS is as good as the anime, and it was the groundwork for it. There was more stuff in the manga you didn't see in the anime like how the Soviet Union was competing against Japan in the production of humanesque robots with human brains. Though I could have done without the goofy faces when the characters got mad or overly happy. If you love the GITS anime, you'll love the manga.

A massive work
Ghost in the Shell is peak era Shirow material. Without doubt the culmination of his science fiction work. The story takes place in the classic "near future" cyber-punk setting [much like that of William Gibson's Neuromancer with a dash of Appleseed] and focuses on Section 9 a kind of domestic Rainbow 6. The art is mind-blowing. Shirow's ability to capture movement is superior among comic artists anywhere. His action sequences are breath taking. Good enough to keep you starring at the page long after you've read the content. Most of the characters are classic military/para-military types. Batou is my favorite. He is bold, reckless and overly aggressive but never particularly serious. Kusanagi works well as the main character, calculating and insightful. The story itself is difficult to summarize. The cases [and/or case?] move at a phrenetic pace -- it may take two or three times reading a section to understand what happens. The shear complexity and scale of this work is truly impressive. So much so you will still find additional plot details re-reading it. Even with the TV series and two movies based on the story there is still plenty of material in the graphic novel to tell more. The plot however is more intelligent than deep. Exploring the intricacies of technology and shooting people isn't deep thinking no matter what people tell you. Cyber-punk as a whole just isn't deep stuff and Ghost in the Shell is no exception. If you want "deep" read the Bible this story isn't deep -- it is intelligent. Ghost in the Shell rarely touches on morality or true philosophy. Questions are asked but conclusions aren't often drawn and if so the answers are not clear. Shirow himself seems to take for granted the reader understands the technology of the story and rarely takes time out to explain things outside the scope of the story itself. There is an Index of sorts in the back and you are best off reading it first. All in all this is a seriously good piece of work and will survive as such long after the genre itself is dead.

Japan's Neuromancer
Ghost in the Shell is a written and artistic masterpiece - wonderfully written, beautifully drawn, and very deeply researched (read the Author's notes and see what I mean @_@). It seriously is not far away from the same realm that the likes of Neuromancer had treaded several years before it.

Several decades into the future (2030, to be exact), medical, computer and robotic advancements have placed humans completely dependent on technology to survive. Humans are often augmented with robotic/cybernetic parts, or even completely converted into robots, retaining only their brain (the main character, Motoko Kusanagi, is all robotic except for her spinal cord and parts of her brain). Because of this, the meaning of a human soul is even more skewered than before, now called a "ghost" for ethical reasons and just being politically correct. If necessary, the person can still look just like a normal human being - the only thing distinguishing them from a regular human is their weight (aside from tearing them apart and peeking at their insides). What's ironic, though, is that the highly-trained technicians building and maintaining these robots are mostly sexy nurses in very... "revealing" outfits. This may be Shirow's style after all, but I find it really funny in the end XD

Since the world is still far from perfect, there is still law enforcement and military forces around to keep the civil from the uncivil. This is where Section Nine of Shinhama's Public Security comes in - the highly secretive and covert team which most of the characters are employed and involved with. They deal with the usual terrorists and cybercriminals (hackers and such), but when they start to get on the track of the Puppeteer (one of the worlds' most notorious hackers), things start to really get dicey, and not just with the people inside the book. You'll really get a thorough mind-bending when you're done with this (I'm wondering how many times Shirow had to re-write the ending because of how deep it really is).

Which is where I come to it's only bad part: the orderlyness. Shirow throws out these new plotlines and story figures at whim, confusing the reader to no end. Let's not even forget the explanations to everything, especially at the very end. I HIGHLY recommend reading this a few times to get the gist of everything - you are DEFINITLY going to need it.

But that is only a minor scratch to the finely crafted diamond that is the final product. I would recommend this manga to any person who even has a REMOTE interest in science fiction, and even if they haven't read or watched anything from Japan. I wouldn't be suprised if this would become required reading for a highly-esteemed University class. ... Read more

Book Description

Comics godfather Osamu Tezuka tells the story of Buddha's life like it's never been told before. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Inspirational saga continues
Tezuka's extended story of Buddha's life and times continues with this third volume. The emphasis here is on the stories of several monks, and the interrelationships with the growing cast of secondary characters Tezuka uses to frame the story. Siddhartha begins following Dhepa, who ran afoul of Tatta's gang in the previous book. They in turn gain another follower, a young child of surprising challenges and gifts. Siddhartha experiments with ascetism and suffering, but continues to grow in compassion and healing.

In a parallel story, we read of the early life of Devadatta, a historic character with a significant part in the Buddha story. We see the young child Devadatta's early character formed in fear, resentment and bestiality, as he is used and abused by various people. Though his story includes a stay with the monk Naradatta, who has been in all three books, he seldom gets good treatment.

Tezuka continues to tell this long and complex story in an engaging way, often with humor, and occasionally with great beauty and solemnity. Those who have followed the journey to this point will be eager for the next book. A map included to show the geographic area of the story helps with perspective. ... Read more

Book Description

From head to toe, the human form, in all its complexities, is visually simplified to such a degree in this remarkable workbook that even complete beginners will soon be able to draw accurate, well-proportioned faces and figures every time they try. Avoiding complex charts of muscles and bones that are more helpful to doctors than to artists, this book's refreshing approach teaches anatomy from a cartoonist/illustrator's point of view. For example, there are many large and small muscles in the neck, all rendered in great detail in most anatomy books, but here, master teacher Christopher Hart shows only the four that are visible and need to be drawn. His clear instruction helps readers to visualize and portray shifting body weight in a pose without the need of a model, and instead of showing a mass of facial muscles and bones, he translates them into the simple planes an artist needs to draw a range of expressive faces. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Does the job admirably
First, I would like to say that this book is aimed at the non-professional, amateur artist who needs to learn correct anatomy. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a 'how to' book. As an amateur artist myself, I have looked for a book that would help me understand the basic anatomy of the human body.

With 520 muscles in the body, it seemed a little overkill to have descriptions of all of them - even the ones no one sees. Despite what some other reviewers have said, I personally have found Mr. Hart's book very useful and educational. There is nothing in the book that would cause anyone to pursue any particular style. There are no 'style' teachings in the book. Merely good depictions of musculature, skeletal structure and close-ups of problem areas for the average artist struggling with anatomy. I have reviewed quite a few anatomy books, some of them quite in-depth, and decided on this one for its ease of use and practicality.

The drawings are very useful and the order in which the material is presented is well thought out. Granted, Mr. Hart is a cartoonist by trade, but he does know his anatomy. This book is easy to understand and makes anatomy a joy.

If you want something more in-depth, buy 'Gray's Anatomy'. If you want something that will teach you the basics of anatomy without anatomical overload, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of 'Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy'

Amazing!!!!
I own this book for just 2 days, and after reading a first chapter I have to admit that IT IS AMAZING book! Right after reading I started to draw( I am not a proffesionall, and I do not go to art school, do not take any art classes, just started to draw about two month ago)and I CAN SEE the improvment I made. Everybody who saw what I draw said that I improveied. I suggest you buy this book before any other ones, and read it, and do not even think- yes, or no- just buy it and you will be pleased with all articles and illustration he put in this book. Very easy, and clear he explanes anatomy. Just what you need to know. Then, all you have left to do- is practising!!!!

This book stinks
The quality of the drawings is awful, anatomy weak and aesthetic is indifferent

A Good book.
I was looking for a good human anatomy book to purchase and came across this. The book is very detailed but lacks alot of detail in some areas. Such as hands and feet. But expains the anatomy of the head, arms and legs very well. Overall It has helped me to understand anatomy and it's a good buy.

Way to simple
The problem with this book is that you don't really learn anything about drawing anatomy. He just says 'This is what this looks like or 'This is looks like that w/o giving any real tips. Like all of Hart's books he just makes you "think" that you've learned something. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Excellant!
This book taught me how to draw the sometimes complex techniques to drawing the muscles and torso. At last, I can draw men! As far as drawing faces on them, My male characters all end up wearing hockey masks for some reason, lol.

As it has been said before, this book is not really for a beginner.

VALUEBLE
great book!
assuming that you have basic knowledge, this book is great! it shows you how to draw you young people, old people, faces, hair styles , cloth styles good book

An excellent suplement!
This book, like most in Hayashi's "How to Draw Manga" series, is a fabulous suplement to his introductory books. It's not meant to show every detail of drawing, as that's what the basic books are for. However, it does help clearly define the differences between the male and female figures, and goes into detail about male body structures, common design styles and builds.

Excellent reference material, a must have for the anime/manga artist! I know I've inproved since getting it!

Finally, I can draw men!
I've Always had trouble drawing male characters. In fact, Before I got this book, the faces and heads were good, but the bodies looked like cilenders with arms attatched. This book covers every aspect of drawing the male form from the basics of figure drawing, to little details like adding age to a characters features. There is so much to learn about art, but this book simplifies things to the extent where an artist with enough familiarity with the style can refine her or his art many times over.

its not great
I do not own this book... I barrowed it from a freind of mine. It had almost the same thing on every page! i learned 1 skill... how to draw the torso. ... Read more

Book Description

There's no doubt about it: Japanese animation is hot. Television shows, films, and videos featuring the anime style of animation are wildly popular.Japanese animation is like a comic book come to life, retaining all its power but in moving form. It has a very different style from traditional western animation, incorporating heavy shading, dramatic camera angles, and beautifully rendered special effects-especially the fantastic anime depictions of ocean waves, storms, smoke, and explosions. Easier to draw than its western counterpart, anime is more limited and simpler in its execution. In Japanese anime the characters move, but their movements are generally staccato, sharp, and dramatic-not free-flowing with lots of overlapping action, anticipation, and follow-through. In Anime Mania, famous cartoonist, teacher, and best-selling author Christopher Hart demonstrates how any comic book artist can become expert in this wonderful style of animation. Step by step, he details how to draw the coolest anime characters from the widest selection of popular styles: high-tech cyberpunks who live in the world of the future; teen characters-with troubled relationships at school, home, and on the street; and mighty monsters, fantasy warriors, and giant robots. Aspiring animators will also find chapters on anime's spectacular special effects, the role of storyboarding in anime, sketching and the art of character design, and a mini-crash course in perspective. The book concludes with interviews with Scott Frazier, an American anime director working in Japan, and Mahiro Meada, a renowned Japanese animation director. Brimming with hundreds of spectacular examples, illustrations, and step-by-step exercises, Anime Mania details how anyone can become a real anime artist without having to reinvent the art of drawing. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Americanized anime
This book does a nice job attempting to teach the anime style, but falls short of teaching beyond what is already basic and typical of anime. It also fails to achieve a very objective approach.

As a fan of the art style, I collect art books on anime both in Japanese and in English, and it's very obvious just from taking a quick glance through the book that it's a highly westernized interpretation of the art style (just look at the costumes, for instance). Additionally, it doesn't go into the storytelling methods and cliches of anime-style art, which, being an art book, might seem okay, but I think it's important information to understand in order to learn how to draw anime convincingly (proper camera angles, settings, keyframes, etc).

The majority of the book goes over figure drawing in very typical anime proportions and drawing by example.

If I had the chance to look through the book before purchasing it, I would not have bought it, but unfortunately I ordered it online and could not do so.

Kids Will Like This Book. Serious Anime Fans Will Not.
I would rename this book, THE ART OF WESTERNIZED ANIME. The colorful illustrations are great, but there isn't much instruction on "How To" achieve the drawings. It's a much better idea-generator book. There has also been some criticism about the "Americanized" anime used in this book. I agree that hard-core Anime fans will notice right away that there is something "wrong" with the drawings, the characteristic anime nose, for example.

Despite the above mentioned, the Pokemon crowd will really enjoy this book. The most obvious reason is that it is in COLOR and is filled with ILLUSTRATIONS. It also has pages of those draw "cute" anime critters. So, while it may not be traditional Anime, the younger crowd is not likely to notice, and may actually prefer the "westernized" look. And the lack of instructions probably works to their advantange as well (don't most kids like to skip to the end of instructions, anyway?)

For serious Anime fans, who are truly interested in learning how to draw Japanese Anime, I recommend taking a look at HOW TO DRAW ANIME & GAME CHARACTERS, VOL.1, by TADASHI OZAWA. This book/series is popular in Japan, and has now been translated into English (by an American publishing Co, so have no fear of "all-your-base-belong-to-us" English!) It has step-by-step instructions and the characters really look authentic. Why? Well, because, it's written/illustrated by an animation director at STUDIO GHIBLI (Oscar-winning SPIRITED AWAY) The book, however, is completely in black & white, and while it is completely suitable for kids, will probably not be as attention-keeping as CHRIS HART'S ANIME MANIA.

Overall, I give this book 4 STARS. The breakdown:
5-STAR rating for kids and people who's range of Anime consists of Afternoon cartoons. Highly Recommended.
3-STAR rating for serious Anime fans. Neutral Recommendation. (It still makes a good "Art of" book, though)

It gives Anime a bad name!
Well I havn't bought the book, but from first glance, it looks pathetic. The art style is horrible for Anime. I have been drawing Anime for about 2 years or so, and observed tons of anime, and this is nothing like it. I know it is Americanized, but some children have WAY better skills then the artists in this book. (I havn't bought it, but the cover says a mouthfull) Some people say it is good for kids, well they don't know the beginning of how much I see wrong with it. Not recommended for anybody acept maybe someone who knows squat about anime.

Not a very good Book to learn to draw in Anime format
First off, I have taken a look at the book in a store. My first impression is that it was bad. One, the artwork looks very amateur like, more like a bad attempt. Many of the book he has produced are ones on how to draw american cartoons. Not to insult the guy, but it doesn't look anime like. I would not dare recommend this book to any one who want to learn how to draw in the manga style. I would sugguest buying the How to Draw Manga: Compiling Characters or the other How to Draw Manga. I suggest those because those are PROFESSION MANGA ARTIST. Please don't waste your time and money on Hart's books.

okayyyyyyy
I got this book when I was just finding out about the anime/manga world. I now realize that this book is more for begginers. not a very good beginer either. it has a lot of useful info, though.( weight bearing leg, basic body construction, character design, and other suff) however, this book is sort of confusing becouse there are lots of different art styles in here.(Mr. Hart hires other artists) different artists draw differently.

there ARE colored illos all over the book. Mr. Hart breezes through lots of different types of characters without getting into them that much. he just shows you how to draw them at one angle and moves on. he could write a detailed series based on this book( how to draw creatures, how to draw high-tech punks,dramatic seens, how to draw special effects, etc.).

but if your a begginer and want an overview of anime this is the book for U. ... Read more