Yoshitaka Amano: The World Beyond Your Imagination

Yoshitaka Amano has cultivated a reputation as one of Japan's premier character designers for his work on renowned series such as "Vampire Hunter D" and "Final Fantasy." This book presents a comprehensive retrospective of Amano's more than 40-year career, from relatively conventional, anime-influenced acrylic pieces in the early 1980s through to a more diverse output of illustrations in recent years. Amano's stylistic juxtaposition of ukiyo-e and art nouveau situates him at the intersection between fine art and subculture — most evident in his award-winning collaboration with English author Neil Gaiman in "The Sandman: The Dream Hunters." The images are accompanied by minimal commentary; appropriately, Amano's distinctive characters are left to do the talking.