Rating: 
Summary: Fun to sit down and look at (once...) but not that usefull.
Review: This is very fun to flip through, but for the most part, the material was not essenshul for a serios artist.
I must admit, that in the middle of some drawing or another, i said to myself 'wow, i think there is a picture of some clothing in that Girls' Life Illustration File book, that would look really hot on this caricture'. Some of the clothing was pretty interesting, but nothing was spectacularly 'new' or 'amazing'
My main problem with the book was that all of the different girls looked exacly the same (except for the hair, which was big). the face and body never changes and this grew to be very annoying, as the body of the 'shy girl' and the 'sporty girl' would be very different. I know it is manga(simple faces, ect). but i would like to see a little more variaty in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Essential, But Kind of Fun!
Review: This must be the strangest volume offered so far the "How to Draw Manga" Series. "Girls' Life Illustration File" profiles the intimate details of the daily lives of several hypothetical young women, each with a distinct personality: "Sporty Girl," "Uppity Girl," "Shy Girl," among others. The book gives suggestions as to what types of clothing each character might wear according to her personality, going as far to show each girl dressed in their preferred style of lingerie! There are also comparisons of each girl's living quarters, daily activities, and body language. To be honest, I don't think this book is even as useful as some of the other books in the "How to Draw Manga" series that focuses on drawing females. Admittedly, there are many males who haven't grown up with sisters, so there may be aspects of females' daily routine (like grooming) with which they may be unfamiliar. This book may be helpful for becoming familiar with those "rituals." Otherwise the book comes off as voyueristic (I should note here that a woman authored this work, so you don't think the book's a male fantasy). Another caveat is that the book was originally published for a Japanese audience; even though nearly all Japanese women wear Western style clothes, what each of the girls wear in this volume may reflect in part domestic cultural concerns. And the section on kimono may or may not have relevance for readers outside Japan (of course, if you are creating a manga that takes place in that country, of are drawing specifically Japanese characters, then that culture-specific info is of great value). The book's primary strength is demonstrating to would-be-manga artists and writers the importance of creating details, such as clothing preferences and lifestyle, that match or correspond with the personality of potential comic-book characters. This installment is more about theme and style than actual drawing technique. And please, don't just copy the characters and settings in the book! Use the models as a starting point from which you can incorporate your own creativity!
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