On March 26, 1994, I began writing rough drafts and notes for my original anime-inspired novel Bloody Angel. Twenty-three years later, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally completed and self-published the book. The lovely cover was created by AnimeNation’s former graphics designer Alden J. Thomas.

Japan of the mid twenty-third century has become an isolated country politically dominated by a Marxist ideology that strictly segregates the wealthy and powerful from the working class. 21-year-old Anastasia Fujiwara’s simple life is abruptly overturned when she finds herself turned into an unwilling pawn in a vicious corporate power struggle that leaves her parents dead and herself with her own two legs and right arm replaced with cybernetic prosthetics. As Anastasia begins a violent quest for explanations and justice, she discovers that everything she believed about herself and her world has been a lie. Futuristic noir and ancient Japanese magic collide in an emotionally devastating convergence as Anastasia struggles to attain vengeance against those who stripped her of everything she held dear, find a new understanding of her own identity, and ultimately secure an emotional peace.

I wholeheartedly believe that Bloody Angel is a satisfying, exciting, and affecting story. Furthermore, I’m confident that readers who choose to analyze and interpret the novel carefully will find that it’s extensively filled with underlying symbolism, allusion, metaphor, and theme. While the book can easily be read as a straightforward futuristic action novel, underneath the surface nearly every line of dialogue, piece of clothing characters wear, location of events, and order in which scenes occur in relation to others contains deliberate sub-textual meaning. The story references a wide range of influences and concepts, including anime, pop music, Japanese history, the Kojiki (Shinto creation mythology), and Christian iconography.

Bloody Angel is now available in paperback and Ebook formats. Particularly if you’d like a digital review copy, please do ask me.

Our friends that deliver the monthly Power Up Box geeky cool subscription assortment have let us know that subscribers can now earn a free month’s deluxe box by encouraging four people to sign up for the monthly delivery service. Seems like an easy and simple deal because who doesn’t enjoy telling friends and family about the latest neat collectables to arrive?

A friend turned us on to this one today, the Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones book. While we wait impatiently for the next season, I’ve got one of these ordered and on the way (And while we’re shilling for Amazon, here’s the complete First &  Second seasons on DVD)

Expiring December 1st

Expiring January 1st

After animating the smash hit Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya television series in 2006 then following it with the equally successful Lucky Star television series the following year, the rapidly ascending Kyoto Animation production studio did what came naturally: a third consecutive anime series revolving around the daily lives of cute high school girls. The 2009 K-On! television series became a massive sensation in Japan, creating a legion of devoted fans, setting sales records, and even contributing to invigorated sales of affiliated products like guitars and high-fidelity headphones. After an excruciating two year wait, the beloved K-On! anime series is finally coming to America, courtesy of Bandai Entertainment. For eager fans, the wait will be rewarded. For the uninitiated, the event will allow an opportunity to see, and hear, what the fuss is all about.

The anime adaptation of Kakifly’s manga illustrates the high school lives of Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi, the freshman girls and aspiring musicians that make up their high school’s light music (pop music) club. The anime series follows the initial formation of the club, the induction of a new member, the formation of the girls’ band and their first live performance, and, eventually in the show’s second season, the girls’ high school graduation. Although ostensibly about a fresh faced girls’ rock band, much of the narrative revolves around slice-of-life situational humor, and the girls spending their time chatting and eating snacks instead of practicing their performances. So the degree to which individual viewers will appreciate the show depends heavily upon the expectations brought to the show. K-On! is a lighthearted comedy that excels at characterization and subtle charm. Viewers willing to let the show work its magic will find themselves irresistably pulled into the show’s whimsical pace, starting from the very first episode.

Each of the four starring girls has a unique and complimentary personality. Protagonist Yui is ditzy, easily distracted, and naturally optomistic. Ritsu is a slightly egomaniacal tomboy, an aggressive, outgoing girl that leads those around her by pure momentum. Her best friend, Mio, is reserved and responsible, serving as a perfect foil to Ritsu. Mugi is a wide-eyed ingenue who serves as a sort of ego mediating between Ritsu’s id and Mio’s superego. The show gives each girl plenty of screen time and development, frequently using subtle illustration and contrast to reveal and reinforce each girl’s personality. Contrasting scene pacing at the beginning of the first episode characterizes Yui without ever saying a word. Juxtaposing Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi’s feet solidly on the ground with Yui’s dancing feet at the end of the first episode further silently suggests Yui’s flighty and capricious nature. The animation also exhibits subtle character through the exploitation of subtle satire. Scenes like Ritsu begging Mio to join the light music club and literal illustration of Yui’s clumsiness lovingly evoke anime conventions that give the show itself character and personality. Wildly varied background music also subtely contributes to the show’s tone, effectively suggesting character and influencing the viewer’s perception of characters and situations. Viewers that demand overt action and clearly deliniated conflict may find K-On! pointless and dull, but viewers that approach the show receptively will find it immediately engaging, playful, and affecting.

The first domestic DVD includes the series’s opening four episodes, a ten-minute interview with voice actress Stephanie Sheh, the English voice of Yui, and trailers for Bandai’s forthcoming releases of The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, Tales of the Abyss, and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The DVD menu is static and silent, which allows for fast loading and easy navigation but also seems a bit lifeless in relation to such a playful show. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen, either with English spoken dialogue and slates, or Japanese dialogue with subtitles and slates. The subtitles include karaoke lyrics for the original Japanese opening and ending theme songs, kept intact on both the English and Japanese audio tracks. Purists will find that the honorific “-chan” is romanized in the subtitles while “-san” is translated as “Miss.” The Japanese terms “NEET” and “sensei” appear in the subtitles once each without any translation or definition. Observant subtitle viewers will appreciate that Mugi’s formal speech is conveyed through slightly more formal phrasing in her subtitled dialogue. On-screen Japanese text throughout, including the opening credits, title logo, and episode titles, are left in Japanese and captioned. On a standard definition television, the DVD color was warm and crisp with no sign of compression artifacting or ghosting. The Dolby stereo Japanese audio sounds fine, however, the English audio mix may be just a little off, as the English language dialogue track often seems to be just a bit drowned by the original sound effects and BGM. I encountered playback glitches at 10:22 into the first episode and in the next episode preview following episode two, but since I wasn’t able to replicate the glitches, my DVD player, rather than the DVD, may have been to blame. I’m not a proponent of dubbing, thus I’m not an objective critic of English dubs. I’ll give credit to Bang Zoom Entertainment for selecting English language voices that distinctly replicate the timbre and tone of the original Japanese performances, but Sheh’s leading performance as Yui seemed weakest to me, sounding timid and whispered rather than capricious.

K-On! is a long awaited American premiere with a large fan following and a new American audience that remains to be seen. The show won’t appeal to everyone. Viewers with a preference for action and adventure will be immediately disengaged by the leisurely development of K-On! But viewers who appreciate the engaging and immersive power of substantial characterization and natural, believable character relationships will find K-On! charming, endearing, and fun. Bandai’s DVD release does a fine job of presenting the original show in a solo spotlight, allowing it to win over viewers with its own attributes. To quote the Sakurakou K-On Bu, “Please don’t say ‘You are lazy’.” Consider picking up the K-On! volume one DVD or Blu-ray.

The folks at Aniplex USA kindly sent me a DVD sample of their upcoming domestic Durarara!! DVD release. I was eager to critique it until my anticipation waned slightly upon discovering that that sample disc included only the English dub. Rather than be a snob, I sampled the screener in the company of some friends that are more partial to dubbed anime than I am.

Unlike most anime that revolve around a protagonist or small group of core characters, Durarara!! depicts a tangled and complex view of the intertwined lives of a large variety of characters all living in present day Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The cast includes school kids with dangerous secrets, a devious information broker with a fondness for inciting conflict, a pair of streetwise otaku, a short-tempered young man with preternatural strength, a Russian giant with a fondness for sushi, a research scientist with less than academic goals, and underworld doctor, opposing street gangs, a mysterious slasher that randomly attacks people in the streets, and an expatriated Irish dullahan headless ghost. The convoluted yet engaging anime adapation of Ryohgo Narita’s light novel series follows multiple characters simultaneously, revealing events from multiple perspectives and in multiple parts of Ikeburuko, slowly revealing connections, revelations, hidden conspiracies, and fortitutous coincidences. The buoyant drama incorporates action, humor, suspense, absurdism, and occasionally just a bit of horror to create an ensamble story like nothing else in anime. The earlier anime adaptation of author Ryohgo Narita’s Baccano novel series may be the closest cousin to Durarara!!’s tangled narrative web, yet the tone and approach of even Baccano is quite different from Durarara!!

On a 42″ Bravia HD television set, jaggies on character edges appeared especially prevelant and distracting. However, the jagged lines on foreground characters appeared much less noticable on a 36″ SD television. I honestly don’t know the extent to which this flaw should be blamed on hardware or the DVD. The disc may also suffer from some ghosting. The opening and ending credits and theme songs appeared in their original, unaltered Japanese. On the five-episode sample DVD provided, the second episode opening credits included hard-subbed karaoke and translated lyrics, many of which appeared and disappeared too quickly to fully read. The remaining four opening sequences and all five ending sequences did not include lyric subtitles. On-screen text throughtout the episodes appeared to be selectively hard-subbed. Only on-screen text deemed significant had on-screen translation. Messages on Celty’s smartphone were not translated, but messages she typed to use for communication were hard-subbed. Eyecatch, next-episode previews, and the “This is a work of fiction” disclaimer were included, the later two including hard-subbed text translations. The sample DVD provided did not include a disc menu.

Not having a particular ear for dubbing, the English dub sounded competent to me, although I found Masaomi Kida’s voice, provided by Bryce Papenbrook, to be a little bit grating. I also noticed an absence of the sarcastic, spiteful undertone in Izaya Orihara’s voice that was always present in Hiroshi Kamiya’s original performance. My fellow viewer suggested that Johnny Yong Bosch was a bit miscast as the villainous Orihara because his voice is too familiar and frequently associated with heroic characters. The English dialogue acknowledges the Japanese setting, generally making a respectable effort to properly pronounce the Japanese names and locations that pepper the dialogue. Simon Brezhnev continues to speak with his characteristic disjointed cadence, but the English dub also gives him a Russian accent. The dubbing attempts to emulate the youthful slang and tone of the setting and Japanese dialogue by incorporating “equivalant” American coloquial slang. Undoubtedly some viewers will find the effort immersive while others will be distracted by hearing Japanese teens occasionally uttering American expressions that they wouldn’t naturally use.

The 26 episode series will be released on American DVD in three bilingual double-disc DVD sets, each retailing at $49.98. The first volume will be available on January 25 in an exclusive digipack featuring new artwork and an exclusive set of postcards. The two discs will contain episodes 1-9 with 2.0 English and Japanese audio and anamorphic 16:9 widescreen video. Viewers that watched the series during its Crunchyroll streaming distribution will now be able to own the complete series, including its two home video exclusive episodes, in a never-before-released bilingual edition. New viewers will be able to discover this fascinating, stylish, and engrossing “urban street drama” that’s become a fan favorite for good reason.

Last year One Peace Books introduced itself to American manga readers with its English language publication of the essay manga So I Need to Lose 15 Pounds. Now the publisher deepens its relationship with its first conventional manga, the very unconventional romantic sci-fi fantasy adventure Tenken, by independent artist Yumiko Shirai. Fully ten years in development, Tenken is at once an epic and very intimate story of conviction, tradition, and the strength of humanity set in a recovering post-apocalyptic Japan. Winner of the Japanese governmental Agency for Cultural Affairs’ 2007 Japan Media Arts Festival Encouragement Prize, Tenken is a work ideal for readers seeking a manga that’s more mature and literary than conventional shounen ninja or shoujo magical girls, and an ideal graphic novel for readers attracted to sequential art but not necessarily attracted to stereotypical Japanese manga.

Tenken is set in rural Japan a number of years after a “dirty war” irradiated and scorched the country. Life – plant, animal, and human – has returned, and construction worker Manaka toils daily to rebuild and prepare for the fast approaching Tenken Festival, a celebration of renewal that harkens back to the ancient Japanese creation myth of Susano slaying the dragon Yamata no Orochi. However, the myth isn’t just an ancient fairy tail, as Manaka realizes when he learns that his young female employee Saki has been chosen as the next sacrifice to Yamata no Orochi, and her sacrifice will be much more than ceremonial. Saki struggles with a personal decision to accept or fight her fate. Manaka must face the difficult decision of either respecting tradition and ensuring his place in the social heirarchy or risking not only his job, but also his life to oppose the priests and the traditions that demand a tremendous sacrifice from one to ensure the good of all.

In just over 300 pages, Tenken tells its complete story, deftly merging a science-fiction setting with natural and traditional Japanese folk culture and mythology. The boy-meets-girl and heroic journey narratives may be well worn, but in Tenken they’re presented refreshingly free of cliché. Although Saki is young, all the the story’s characters are adults that speak and behave like adults. There’s a great deal of nuance in this story, in subtle expressions and movement, believable dialogue, and in character actions and decisions that always feel rational, justified, and believable. Unlike typical manga that are beholden to conventional routines and expectations, Tenken has the creative integrity of a genuine illustrated novel.

Yumiko Shirai’s art may be described as a modern incarnation of traditional Japanese sumi ink painting. Much is implied and evoked through impressionistic brush strokes, yet there’s also a degree of specific detail present in the artwork that’s uncharacteristic for sumi. The effect is striking, like a masterful hybrid of Goseki Kojima’s Lone Wolf & Cub brush strokes and the fine line work of Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal. The visual component of the story conveys a literal sense of motion enhanced by sparing, selective use of sound effects. The art isn’t stylized enough to jettison its Japanese roots, but it is unique enough to be accessible and attractive to readers who usually dislike the typical big eyes and speed lines associated with Japanese manga. With the infrequent exception of translated captions, the artwork is untouched in One Peace Books’ publication. Sound effects are left in Japanese with translation provided nearby.

The dialogue is translated naturally and is easy to read, although about a dozen typos slipped past editorial notice throughout the 300 plus pages. They’re minor and easily overlooked. The narrative includes a little bit of profanity, used appropriately and without sensationalism. There’s no sex or nudity. Violence is depicted tastefully. Japanese cultural terms and references that are integral to the story are Romanized rather than translated, and explained in detailed, illustrated translator notes at the back of the book. The book’s print quality is outstanding. Heavy weight cream colored pages give the book a substantial heft and magnificently reproduce the beautiful artwork without any seeming loss of detail, texture, or tone.

Tenken is a commendable addition to the ranks of English translated manga, and a highly recommended addition to the bookshelf of any collector or connoisseur of fine Japanese manga art. The characters and story are engaging and respectable. Suspenseful tension gradually builds toward a surprise filled climax that brilliantly intertwines concrete science fiction with ethereal Japanese mythology. The beautiful line and ink artwork has a fascinating ability to depict much more than it literally illustrates by capturing essence and evoking impression. This acclaimed manga is absolutely one which discriminating readers should explore and experience.

Tenken is a 328 page softcover retailing at $16.95. It’s available from finer retailers now.

The Akiba is evenly divided between an informative short manga and conventional guides to the Akihabara district and its signature locations. The short, self-contained manga illustrates the story of Yoko Minamoto, a young woman who ventures into the unfamiliar wilderness of Akihabara in search of her boyfriend who visited the district but didn’t return home. (Don’t worry. Although the manga story does include a brush with danger, no harm befalls the characters, and Akihabara is typically perfectly safe for tourist visitors.) Readers used to the most popular manga titles in America may be briefly put off by illustrator Makoto Nakajima’s relatively realistic drawing style, which even incorporates occasional photo backgrounds – fitting for a manga story designed to introduce a real life location. While it’s not conventionally attractive, the manga art is practical and effective, and the story and characters engaging enough to keep readers interested.

The manga traces Yoko’s journey through Akihabara, pointing out locations of interest and introducing aspects of “Akiba” culture, although the illustrated story depicts, but doesn’t address the Japanese etiquette of bowing. To its credit, the manga story expands its focus beyond just the conventional anime and manga core of modern Akihabara, introducing readers to the district’s music scene, local police station, office buildings, electronics stores, and even a bit of the district’s history. For manga purists, the panels are arranged in Western style left to right, but sound effects are retained in original Japanese. References and Japanese jargon is extensively annotated by helpful footnotes. Although there’s a typo on the back cover (“servise” is spelled wrong), the interior translaton is natural and easy to read.

The rear half of The Akiba consists of a useful annotated map, an interesting brief but thorough summarized history of the Akihabara neighborhood, and full color illustrated thumbnail introductions to Akihabara area maid cafes, large retail stores, restaurants, computer and computer game stores, audio equipment stores, doujinshi retailers, cosplay specialty shops, collectible figure stores, video game arcades, and more. Each entry is provided by the retailer and structured to the consistent format of The Akiba book, which allows the entries to focus precisely on the individual strengths and specialties of each business. Furthermore, because The Akiba was composed in Japan and assembled from Japanese entries, it covers countless establishments that foreign visitors might easily overlook.

The fascinating entries briefly and concisely deliver a whirlwind tour of Akihabara. Casual readers will be amazed at the variety of establishments covered, and their unique services and characteristics. Tourists planning to visit Akihabara will appreciate the useful pointers toward businesses and stores to visit while touring the area. Because the book is so recent, current as of 2008, it’s especially relevant and useful to contemporary readers. The Akiba is a thoughtfully assembled visual guide to Tokyo’s Akihabara district, the world’s otaku mecca, that’s informative and enjoyable for any reader interested in otaku pop culture.

Anime DVD
01. Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete Collection
America just can’t get enough of those crazy space cowboys. One of the best anime series ever earns its position as our best selling DVD release of the year. The Cowboy Bebop Remix DVD Complete Collection delivers all 26 episodes complete with remastered 5.1 audio, perfect for grooving to the show’s amazing soundtrack.

02. FLCL Ultimate Edition
Just like Cowboy Bebop is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi action adventure, there’s no other comedy quite like FLCL, and the extras-packed Ultimate Edition is the ideal way to own this especially fun show.

03. Slayers TV season sets
Like a fine wine getting better with age, Slayers is more popular now than ever before! Slayers Next, the second season, slightly edges out Slayers and Slayers Try in sales, but all three seasons are among our most popular sellers.

04. Full Metal Panic! Second Raid Complete Collection
Few sequels outshine their predecessors, but the Full Metal Panic Second Raid Complete Series delivers even more intense action, absorbing drama, and exceptional animation than the original.

05. Ah! My Goddess 2 volume 6: Love Will Keep Us Together
The final volume of the Ah! My Goddess television series keeps getting togther with fans that can’t get enough of the sweet and sometimes silly daily lives of a boy and his goddess.

06. Martian Successor Nadesico Perfect Collection
As Ruri says, you’d have to be a “baka” to overlook the satirical sci-fi epic Nadesico, now available in a thinpack free of the digital overlays imposed on the original edited American release.

07. Outlaw Star Anime Legends Complete Collection
Maybe it’s nostalgia for its early Cartoon Network broadcast, or maybe it’s just because the Outlaw Star series is a rockin’ sci-fi action show that fans continue to make this one of our fastest sellers.

08. Eureka Seven volume 11
The complex twists and turns of the acclaimed Eureka Seven plot gracefully intersect in the penultimate volume of this under-appreciated gem.

09. Gundam Seed Destiny volume 12
Fans can’t resist seeing how the epic Gundam Seed story wraps up in this final volume of the saga.

10. Sorcerer Hunters Complete Collection
The fantasy fun of Sorcerer Hunters has cast its spell over AnimeNation customers, making the complete TV and OVA series thinpack one of our most popular items.

Adult Anime DVD
01. Night When Evil Falls
Honestly, is it really any surprise that Night When Evil Falls volume 1 has been our most popular H anime DVD of the year? It’s more fun than Urotsukidoji or Cambrian, and not as gruesome as Sexy Magical Girl Ai. With plenty of cute, gothic gals and plenty of tentacle titilation, it’s got just the right amount of thrills and fantastic fantasy. Volume 2 and volume 3 wrap up the story.

02. Invisible Stud
If you’re a guy and you’ve never imagined the lusty fun of being an invisible man, you’re not being honest with yourself. How can any adult anime fan not be interested in the erotic adventures of an Invisible Stud?

02. Taboo Charming Mother
Tied with the Invisible Stud for sales is the saga of the family that stays together by laying together. Every kind of kinky sex gets screentime in this incestuous story of a housewife in lust with her own son. Volume 1 starts off a little slow, but volume 2 and volume 3 heat up the story. Volume 4 adds an aunt to the mix while volume 5 and volume 6 bring the series to a stunning climax.

04. Hentaipalooza volume 1
The only thing better than a bargain is a hentai bargain! Hentaipalooza volume 1 delivers two episodes of otaku eroticism in Akiba Girls episodes 1 & 2, and supernatural ninja intercourse in Immorality parts 1 & 2.

05. It’s a Family Affair
It looks like sisters are almost as sexy as mothers since It’s a Family Affair volume 1 and volume 2 rank just behind Taboo Charming Mother on the popularity scale.

06. All Sex Hentai
Let’s face it. Hentai offers up all the fun of sex without the hassles of actual interpersonal relationships. All Sex Hentai volume 1 & volume 2 offer up all the sex without all that unnecessary story.

07. Bible Black
Maybe the Bible Black series doesn’t rank higher because so many collectors already have it. If any adult anime series deserves to be in every collection, Bible Black is the one. Bible Black introduces the story that continues in Second Sacrament and Revelations. Bible Black Origins reveals the events that occured ten years prior to the story while Bible Black New Testament First Scripture and Second Sacrament continue the story years later. Bible Black Only offers up only amazing new sex scenes.

08. After Class Lesson
This hot and hardcore series may not have a high profile, but obviously our customers know how to pick high quality erotica. The popular After Class Lesson DVD Collection adds up to extra credit in schoolgirl erotica!

09. Boobalicious
How can you go wrong with a name like Boobalicious? It tells you exactly what to expect in volume 1 & volume 2, and it lives up to its billing!

10. Harumi’s Bad Play
Harumi’s play may be bad, but plenty of our customers seem to enjoy discovering exactly what she is good at! It sure seems like Harumi’s Bad Play is still worth the price of admission.

I’m not a cosplayer myself, but even I’m impressed by the debut volume of Cosmode USA. Despite being solicited as a domestic magazine, the premier volume of Cosmode USA is actually an archival photo collection and reference manual – 200 glossy full color pages in hardcover edition that will last a lifetime! If you’ve ever wanted to see what anime characters would look like if they were real people, an extensive photo gallery of Japan’s best costumers will show you. These folks get every detail exact, from the hair to the shoes, including even colored contact lenses! Photos profile costumers representing Gurren Lagann, Five Star Stories, Violinst of Hameln, Code Geass, Tsubasa Chronicle, Dino Crisis, Dragon Quest, Odin Sphere, and more!

But don’t feel left out! American cosplayers also get photographs and profiles. And aspiring & active cosplayers will appreciate this volume’s extensive illustrated guides to designing anime character wigs and hair styles, patterns and guides for creating anime footwear and form-fitting bodysuits, and even detailed instructions for the proper way to put on a traditional Japanese kimono!

This is a lot more than a mere monthly magazine. Cosmode volume 1 is a stunning, archival book that you’ll appreciate having on your shelf for years and years!

One of the pleasant perks of working for an anime store is always being surrounded by cool and fun stuff. But occasional something turns up that’s especially nice, and deserving of extra special mention. The new Okami Official Complete Works book from Udon is one such item that just arrived in stock yesterday.

When the original Japanese Okami Complete Works book, devoted to Clover Studio’s celebrated PS2 action game, hit the Japanese market in September 2006 it sold out almost immediately and became a sort of frustrating holy grail import for Americans collectors to chase after, mostly unsuccessfully. Albeit after some delays, the Capcom friendly folks from American publisher Udon have localized the gorgeous Japanese illustration book into a stunning 288 page English language edition.

Virtually identical to the original Japanese version in every way, including authentic Japanese right-to-left publishing and a similar retail price, the English translated Okami Complete Works book is a massive and lovingly created volume. I’ll tell you, this book is weighty! I wouldn’t want to drop it on my bare toes! Its full color contents consist almost entirely of amazing contemporary traditional looking Japanese illustrations and art including characters, monsters, and backgrounds used in the award winning game. This is no strategy guide. This is a genuine art collection that introduces and archives the gorgeous artwork and creativity that went into creating the revolutionary Okami game. As a result, this wonderful book is ideal for not just fans of the game, but literally anyone that appreciates contemporary Japanese fine art.

All of the abundant artist commentary on the art is fully translated into English. Original Japanese language notations in the artworks are annotated with English translations. The mythological references are illustrated and explained. The book also features sheet music for its theme with a composer introduction, a gallery of rarely seen Okami promotional art used only in Japan, and afterwards from Inaba Atsushi and Kamiya Hideki, the lead creators of Okami.

Yes, this book costs a bit more than an average translated manga, but I promise you that it delivers more than your money’s worth of value and enjoyment. If you’re debating with yourself over purchasing a copy of this amazing book, don’t think about it any longer; just buy it. You won’t regret the decision.