Mecha Mania: How to Draw the Battling Robots, Cool Spaceships, and Military Vehicles of Japanese Comics (Christopher Hart Titles) 
asked by formula on November 22, 2006 5:20 AM
Mecha, a generic term well known in the manga and anime community, is short for mechanically-based humanoids-as well as anything else mechanical, high-tech, and really cool. If it can fly, swim, fire a weapon, explode, or destroy stuff, it's mecha. Comic book and animation fans hunger for mecha. From the Gigantor animated TV series in the early '60s to today's Neon Genesis Evangelion, mecha is the king of anime. Most Japanese mecha animation features giant robots in epic battles. These giant robots are as tall as buildings-and teenage heroes enter the robot's cockpit and navigate it like a fighter jet. Mecha is also popular in such Nintendo, Playstation, and Sega Dreamcast computer games as Mech Warriors, Battletech, and Combat Assault Vehicle. While some budding artists may not have a feel for human anatomy or drawing the expressive faces of cartoon characters, anyone who can draw blocks and circles can draw mecha. Mecha Mania demonstrates how easy it is to draw fantastic mecha vehicles, robots, space stations, and more. The 300 step-by-step illustrations make it simple for anyone to master this wildly popular comic book genre and achieve dramatic results. Mecha Mania features all of the coolest mecha designs and variations, along with outrageous battle scenes. Also included are informative interviews with a company that creates mecha-based games and a Japanese publisher of mecha. Whether one's a beginning or professional artist, Mecha Mania is the best how-to reference ever published for mastering this hot, hot comic book art.
Reviews
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There are lots of "how-to-draw" robots/mecha books. IMHO this book simply follows the formula of breaking down the title subject into component simple shapes and embellishing with more detail. This is the formula of most how-to-draw books. It's fine to include this if your "mecha how-to" book has more about drawing aspects unique to mecha.
An astute earlier reviewer pointed out that Hart drew none of the examples in the book. How can he discuss a thought and design process that he didn't even contribute to in his own book?!? The art in the book is rarely inspired and in many cases rendered by artists who don't appear particularly interested in mecha.
To its credit, it's fun to read some of the text. Younger readers may enjoy the book as it may be helpful to beginning artists. The best pictures are from the Fasa interview in the back.
For those who want something more advanced, I'd recommend the excellent books by Sherard Jackson of Antarctic Press. He briefly covers the beginning steps of drawing mecha, but gives a meatier discussion on the unique aspects of drawing anime machines. The art definitely has a higher "coolness" quotient and he drew his own pictures!
An astute earlier reviewer pointed out that Hart drew none of the examples in the book. How can he discuss a thought and design process that he didn't even contribute to in his own book?!? The art in the book is rarely inspired and in many cases rendered by artists who don't appear particularly interested in mecha.
To its credit, it's fun to read some of the text. Younger readers may enjoy the book as it may be helpful to beginning artists. The best pictures are from the Fasa interview in the back.
For those who want something more advanced, I'd recommend the excellent books by Sherard Jackson of Antarctic Press. He briefly covers the beginning steps of drawing mecha, but gives a meatier discussion on the unique aspects of drawing anime machines. The art definitely has a higher "coolness" quotient and he drew his own pictures!
reviewed by tubi on November 22, 2006 6:19 AM
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I liked it pretty well. But I think it falls into the category "this is how you draw something. period." books. I think it should show you different kinds of guns for mecha, different joint types, head types, torso types, armor types, leg types, weapons in general types, shield types, jet pack/wing types and stuff. I don't think that there is enough things to inspire the mind for drawing original mecha. Instead, it tells you how to draw some limited robot examples.
So why did I give it a 4 if I'm being so negative?! Because as soon as I had merely READ it, without drawing any of the examples, was a ton better at drawing mecha. It also has some things to think about while drawing mecha that will help your drawings quit a bit. It has a little about special effects, which was nice. It tells you how to draw female cyborgs, which I thought most of which was garbage. It did have an interview with some guy from the creators of MechWarrior, which was pretty good. The book is worth the money, I think.
So why did I give it a 4 if I'm being so negative?! Because as soon as I had merely READ it, without drawing any of the examples, was a ton better at drawing mecha. It also has some things to think about while drawing mecha that will help your drawings quit a bit. It has a little about special effects, which was nice. It tells you how to draw female cyborgs, which I thought most of which was garbage. It did have an interview with some guy from the creators of MechWarrior, which was pretty good. The book is worth the money, I think.
reviewed by titanium7 on November 29, 2006 9:27 AM