Rating: 
Summary: A coffee table book that isn't trite?
Review: I've given this a high rating, not because it is flawless but because it is an awesome companion to the film and a wonderful keepsake for that time in your life when you get a coffee table to put it on. If you own the film, you probably won't need this--and honestly, I purchased it as a way to show my support of the US distribution of this film. The book is a US translation of the Japanese edition, and as you can expect was lovingly put together. The last section does seem to perhaps be filler, but with such wonderful reproductions from the film along with in-depth background information, what more could you want out of it. On the other hand, it isn't really cheap either, but given it is probably one of the 10 best animated films ever, it makes a very nice addition to your over-sized film book collections. Lastly, if you can recall the boring titles your grandparents kept on their coffee table, I think you can start to seel the appeal of things like this. Why settle for pretty national geographic titles (or whatever) when you can have this or big godzilla coffee table books (as do I)? Let your future grand-kids know that you were plenty weird in your former years.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Art Book
Review: Mononoke is a great movie, and this book reflects that. Lots of pictures, and that's all you need. Hopefully, this will spur the translation of the other Miyazaki Art books in the US. My only complaints: The book tends to soften certain violent elements of the movie (Moro bites Eboshi *on* the arm?), and the cover is kind of ugly.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely and Informative
Review: This book is a wonderful little look into the world of not only Mononoke Hime, but Hayao Miyazaki's world as well. It contains high quality screen captures, pencil boards, original movie posters, and original character designs. It is a hardbound keepsake for all those who loved the movie and/or any of Hayao Miyazaki's other works. The book is also highly informative about the storyline and the creators views about the story and characters. It is a good thing to have in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely and Informative
Review: This book is a wonderful little look into the world of not only Mononoke Hime, but Hayao Miyazaki's world as well. It contains high quality screen captures, pencil boards, original movie posters, and original character designs. It is a hardbound keepsake for all those who loved the movie and/or any of Hayao Miyazaki's other works. The book is also highly informative about the storyline and the creators views about the story and characters. It is a good thing to have in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking and informative
Review: This book is a wonderful precursor to the US theatrical release of "Princess Mononoke" later this month. Beautiful color photographs of many of the movie's cels, and detailed information about the animation techniques employed for the film. Includes plot description, as well as quite a bit of information about animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli. Ideal for Miyazaki and Ghibli fans, and visually breathtaking for any fan of animation art.
Rating:
Summary: A good book with good art
Review: This book is the perfect book for begining manga artists. Good pictures brings my rating to a five since I am an artist myself. Not a good book if you want information on the storyline, as it says in the cover "The Princess Mononke: The Art and Making of Japan's Most Popular Film of All Time"
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful art book
Review: This book stands out as an excellent anime art book. The art within it absolutely wonderful and greatly detailed. I still enjoy my copy of it after the many months I've owned it. Truly a masterpiece. Perfect for any anime or film art lover.
Rating:
Summary: Just a nugget of information from an "old-timer"
Review: This is indeed a beautiful book. I haven't seen the film yet, but I expect to enjoy it based on what I've seen in these pages. Yes, the writing is a bit awkward. Although my Japanese isn't very good, I know enough to be able to say that Japanese and English can be very different in the way they express the same thought. (That's not even counting the way our cultural differences make some ideas extremely hard to translate because there is no equivalent in the other culture.) Don't worry about the writing. It's enough to get the story across. However, I do have one objection: the book states that Miyazaki is often called "the Disney of Japan" without mentioning the other pioneer in Japanese animation who held that title before him, the late Dr. Osamu Tezuka (who was also known as the "god of manga"). It seems a curious omission. It's not as if the creator of Astro Boy [Mighty Atom], Kimba the White Lion [Jungle Emperor], and Dr. Black Jack is unknown in this country.
Rating:
Summary: Just a nugget of information from an "old-timer"
Review: This is indeed a beautiful book. I haven't seen the film yet, but I expect to enjoy it based on what I've seen in these pages. Yes, the writing is a bit awkward. Although my Japanese isn't very good, I know enough to be able to say that Japanese and English can be very different in the way they express the same thought. (That's not even counting the way our cultural differences make some ideas extremely hard to translate because there is no equivalent in the other culture.) Don't worry about the writing. It's enough to get the story across. However, I do have one objection: the book states that Miyazaki is often called "the Disney of Japan" without mentioning the other pioneer in Japanese animation who held that title before him, the late Dr. Osamu Tezuka (who was also known as the "god of manga"). It seems a curious omission. It's not as if the creator of Astro Boy [Mighty Atom], Kimba the White Lion [Jungle Emperor], and Dr. Black Jack is unknown in this country.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Movie With a Lovely Book
Review: Well worth the $, but mostly if you want to relive the beautyof the movie. This has all the scenes and breathtaking backgrounds inone book. It makes a lovely addition to a library, movie, or anime collection. It is a joy just to feel its slight heaviness in your hands, flip through the pages, and wonder at the artwork. The artwork itself is a collection of cels, image boards, sketches, story boards, and other of the like. It is interesting to see how the main characters were designed, and what went into this film that is now so loved. Several pages of the book are also dedicated to the history of "Princess Mononoke," Studio Ghibli, and Hayao Miyazaki. For people interested in the computer graphics, there is a section in the latter part of the book that tells of the steps taken to create certain scenes. Also an added bonus, poems written by Hayao Miyazaki are included to describe the characters of the film. All in all, every aspect of this book is a treasure, and will be greatly appreciated by any fan of anime or fine art. END
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