A Holiday Gift Guide for Manga Lovers
Buying gifts for manga fans can be a challenge; if they like a series, they undoubtedly already have the latest volume. Fortunately, there are plenty of other options, as publishers expand the franchises in different directions with cookbooks, light novels, and other “side dishes.” Here’s a look at some best bets for the otaku who’s been nice this year (or naughty, if that’s how you roll).
The Pokémon Cookbook, by Maki Kudo
This book is billed as “Easy & Fun Recipes,” but it was originally written for Japanese users, so some of the ingredients may be a bit hard to find (substitutions are suggested), and some of the recipes require a modicum of artistic or culinary skill—while some are genuinely easy, others are downright fussy. That said, it is a really fun cookbook, with instructions on making Pikachu out of sweet potatoes, creamed corn, or eggs, as well as Poké Ball sushi and all sorts of Pokémon-influenced bento boxes.
Osamu Tezuka: Anime & Manga Character Sketchbook, by Haruji Mori and Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka: Anime Character Illustrations, by Haruji Mori and Osamu Tezuka
Tezuka is known as the “godfather of manga,” and one of the reasons for his popularity was his multitude of expressive characters. These two books are literally pages from his sketchbook, in which we see him refining and varying the characters from Black Jack, Astro Boy, and other classic manga and anime, with notes (in Japanese, with translations) right on the page. Both books are hardcover; the anime sketchbook is 224 pages and the anime and manga sketchbook is 144.
Cosplay Basics: A Beginners Guide to the Art of Costume Play, by Yuki Takasou, Rumine, and Kashiko Kurobuchi
The framing tale for this book is a manga about a girl whose friend invites her into the world of cosplay. Together, they modify some off-the-rack clothes, shop for tools, fabric, and props for a made-from-scratch costume, and go to a cosplay event. These episodes are sandwiched between chapters of instructions on how to create, modify, and accessorize costumes. The book actually takes you through making a specific magical-girl costume from start to finish, with downloadable patterns for the main parts. As may be obvious from the cover, there’s a heavy focus on female cosplay. It was originally written for a Japanese audience, but the editors have added English-language websites, most of which worked when I checked them. For extra fun, wrap it with a copy of volume one of Complex Age, a manga about a cosplayer in her 20s.
Blanc et Noir: Takeshi Obata Illustrations, by Takeshi Obata
Here’s a splurge for that special someone: Blanc et Noir is a collection of Takeshi Obata’s work from 2001 to 2006, a period that encompasses both Death Note and Hikaru no Go. This oversized, full-color book includes covers and extra illustrations from both series, as well as some unrelated portraits, and even a bit of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo fan art. There are several absolutely gorgeous fold-out pages that show off Obata’s work at its best. The book is presented in a slipcase with silver stamping and an oval cutout, and it comes with laminated, double-sided posters. It’s definitely a deluxe volume, but Obata delivers the goods.
Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations, by Yoshitaka Amano
By comparison, Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations is a solid bargain. With a smaller, but still generous trim size and no slipcover or posters, this is nonetheless a real treat for fans of the illustrator of the Vampire Hunter D light novels and character designer for the Final Fantasy games. Amano has a romantic style reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelite painters, but this slim volume shows a broader range, including sketchbook pages, character designs, and drawings and paintings in a variety of styles, from unexpectedly cute to an obvious homage to the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. The book also includes several lengthy interviews with Amano, making it a must-have for fans and a fascinating read for newcomers.
Attack on Titan Anthology, by Scott Snyder et al.
Attack on Titan: End of the World, by Touji Asakura and Hajime Isayama
The supply of Attack on Titan books seems almost limitless, with a huge shelf of volumes set in the world of the hit manga and anime series—manga spinoffs, light novels, gag manga, even The Science of Attack on Titan. We’re still waiting for someone to write an Attack on Titan cookbook (!), but in the meantime, here are two new books that any fan should appreciate. For the Attack on Titan Anthology, publisher Kodansha Comics set a legion of non-Japanese comics creators, all of whom are fans of the series, loose in the walled city, and they have created short stories using elements of the series as well as their own original ideas. Attack on Titan: End of the World is not exactly new material, but a novelization of the theatrical movie, telling the familiar story in a different format.
What are you giving the manga reader in your life?