Book Review: Haruhiko Mikimoto Character Design Archives

This large format 208-page hardcover is the character design artbook for Haruhiko Mikimoto (美樹本 晴彦), a Japanese anime character designer, illustrator and manga artist.

If you take a look at his Wikipedia page, you can see he has worked on a large number of anime and manga projects.

The art in this book dates back to 1984 and doesn't not include, due to the limited pages, all the projects he has worked on. The titles included in the book are:

• KABANERI of the Iron Fortress (2016)
• Mobile Suit GUNDAM BLAZING SHADOW (2013)
• Mobile Suit GUNDAM ADVANCED OPERATION (1992)
• Mobile Suit GUNDAM Hathaway (1989)
• Mobile Suit GUNDAM: 0080 War in the Pocket (1989)
• TYTANIA (2008)
• Eternal Voice (2000)
• Blue Remains (2000)
• Rayca (2001)
• Khamral (2000)
• Aquarian Age Sagall ~Don't forget me...~ (2003)
• Aquarian Age (1999)
• Dogu Senki: Hao (2000)
• Koyasai (1999)
• Millennium Arrest (in "Legend of the Musketeers: Vanny Knights") (1999)
• QUOVADIS (1995)
• QUOVADIS 2: Wakusei Kyosh Ovan Rei (1997)
• TOTTOI (1992)
• Talking Head Animated Segments (1992)
• Gunbuster (1998)
• Gunbuster Next Generation (1990)
• Hi-Speed Jecy (1984)
• Megazone 23 (1985)
• Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 (1993)
• Eshi 100 (2016)
• Planning Sketches
• Mirage in the flower (2019)
• Virtual Popstar / Mitchie M featuring Hatsune Miku (2019)

This book is packed with character designs. There are sketches, line art, coloured illustration and splash art. Some of the sketches are drawn for animation so there are outline boundaries for shadows and colour blocks for animators to work on. The style is the very typical Japanese manga and anime style, but there's a huge variety of designs to look at.

There's not much caption though, just a short text on the project and one quote from the artist.

The paper used for the book is matte off white, and the hardcover binding is good. Colours are reproduced nicely and the pencil sketches look as if they are originals on the paper.

This book is for mostly for fans of Haruhiko Mikimoto and the older Gundam Mobile Suit animation since more pages are devoted to that.

-

This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.

Haruhiko Mikimoto Character Design Archives is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | AU | JP | CN)

Visit Amazon to check out more reviews.

The links below are affiliate links, which means I earn some commission from each purchase, but at no extra cost to you.

Here are direct links to the book:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.it | Amazon.es | Amazon.com.au | Amazon.co.jp | Amazon.cn

This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.