The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Slipcased Edition

This is a review taken from my blog and edited (in case you see it elsewhere over the internet). This is a reflection on the book and not on Amazon/Dark Horse. It should be noted I did purchase this copy from Ebay for £100 just before the UK launch. These were released a week early in the US, hence why UK Ebay sellers had them before Amazon UK. My Amazon order did pull through however so I sold my £100 copy on to a friend and kept my cheaper Amazon order. Before I get flamed - my friend was one of the ones who missed out on an Amazon copy too and no, I didn't make any profit. Now to the review. I've finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the English version of The Sky by Amano! It has just been released in the West although this was first released in Japan back in 2001. There is little difference between the two versions except for two things: the language - one is Japanese and the other English, and the Western version includes a hand signed card by the legend himself - Yoshitaka Amano! The contents: Book 1: Final Fantasy I, II, III Book 2: Final Fantasy IV, V, VI Book 3: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, X Book 4: All About Yoshitaka Amano Book 5: The Sky Premium Flipbook Two Postcards (Bartz & Terra) One clear sheet with an illustration etched in silver (this is really hard to explain) One hand signed card (1 in 1000) This is probably the best piece of Final Fantasy merch I have ever brought. Amano is my favourite artist so to have a whole boxset of his work is too much for words! Not only is it pure awesome, it was also limited to 1000 copies so if you see one for sale don't hesitate to snap it up! I will make a little note about the amount of content each game has received because they are very disproportional. I, II and III are fairly even in my opinion. Amano was heavily involved in the design of I in particular and you can see a lot of the enemies and environments. IV has little art compared with V and VI, and VI in particular has a hefty amount. Amano's favourite characters are Tina (Terra in the Western games) and Mog so expect several images of these two. All the other characters have many illustrations too. VII is extremely heavy on Cloud and Aerith. Red and Sephiroth make some appearances too and there is one of Tifa but most of the remaining cast barely get a look in. VIII is even more limited, focusing completely on Squall, Rinoa and Seifer. There is a group shot of the party and one of Ultimecia but little else. IX however is -extremely- heavy. Not only do we have double pages of each character but several sketches of each are included as well as many scenes. This is a joy for me as VI and IX are two of my favourite of the series! Amano has taken a completely different approach to X and seems to be experimenting with a new art style. There is a lot of sketching and scenes (you'll have to look up photos to get a proper idea of the difference) but I really loved these sketches so much! There isn't a great deal for X either and again there is a heavy focus on Yuna and Tidus but the images are fantastic. It should also be noted that VII onwards is very character based (which some environment scenes) whereas pre-VI has a lot more monsters included (but still has many characters images too). Book 4 offers an insight into the artists personal life. It is completely translated in English though so I will at some point read through it. It has a variety of things included such as an interview, how he became involved with Final Fantasy and a list of all of his books and artworks. Book 5 can't really be considered a book as such but it is lovely nevertheless. It is a very small flip book which has two stories depending on which way you flip it. One is of a moogle as it stumbles around and the other is of a dancing spirit. There is not much to comment on regarding the postcards. They both must be favourite pieces of Amano though as the same drawing of Bartz is also used on the front cover of the box and Tina is also used on the inside cover. They are made from card and have a very plain back. It always makes me wonder why postcards are included in sets like this as they clearly will never be used but either way they make lovely prints. Next is the clear, plastic sheet. This is a very unusual item and I have tried my best to photograph it at the right angle so the silver shows up. It has been suggested to me this artwork could be of Cosmos and now I look back at the image it does resemble her. Lastly included in this set is the hand signed card. When I first heard about this boxset I assumed Amano's signature would be printed and just thrown in but no, these sets are limited to 1000 and each card is signed personally. I've spoken to others who also have this set and some have had the item signed in black ink, another in red ink but mine is signed in black paint. Amano must have got bored signing so many cards! The sets aren't actually individually numbered which is a shame but it does say `limited to 1000′ on the card. Sadly XI-XIV aren't included in the box. I know Amano has been less and less involved with the series post X but I would have loved a minibook including some of the later work. Although in saying this there is no shortage of content in here so don't let the lack of post XI put you off! To give some of you hope who weren't able to get the limited version, Dark Horse are planning a rerun of this set with just the 3 main artbooks in a slipcase (as far as I am aware). I don't know specifics but they tweeted about it in Novemeber. It might be a cheaper alternative for those who don't mind missing out on the exclusive extras. To leave you with one last thought about this collection... These are the last powerful words in book 3... Look up at the sky... There must be a fantasy.

I am a massive fan of Final Fantasy, so say anything related to it and I will be there. And to find there is a re-release of this set of books nearly made my heart stop; I pressed pre-order before I even looked at the price.. I bought this set for one picture, and that was the concept art of Sephiroth, (massive FF7 fan..) but I have played FF1, 2, 6 and some of 10 so to see the characters from other series was captivating to say the least. And I love Amano's style of drawing (can be seen especially in 1&2 in the PSP booklets) which although is concept art, you can really distinguish the characters to how they are in-game and in-concept. (Recognised Cloud straight away, same with Aerith.) They are in full colour ink on beautiful, thick glossy paper and the books are pretty massive, so you're not straining to see the amount of detail in every picture. Amano's life's work is in these pages, so to even look at them - let alone have your own copy - is a blessing. Gah! I could write so much more on how beautiful and precious this is, but if you're a FF fan of even one series, this set will convert you to play all of them just to see how the characters have developed from these pages. Long live Sephiroth!

If you love Amano's art and Final Fantasy game this is the best thing you can find. It seems to contains all the arts made by the Master for the first ten chapters of the saga; it contains everything, and more, of the other darkhorse artbook "dawn: the world of final fantasy" (exept the big initial printing that it isn't a final fantasy one). Games have a different amount of arts, artbooks too have different sizes (numbers are approximated): Book I (143p): Final Fantasy 1 to 3 divide almost equaly the book (tons of monster design here) Book II (275p): This is the biggest one. FF4 and FF5 divide equaly an half of the book and FF6 has the other one just for its own! Book III(151p): ff7 and 8 occupy only 40 pages, FF9 60p and FF10 35p (n. from the 7th chapter on amano is no more the character design of the saga, he "just" make promotional art). No editorial or index are inside these books, just arts. Print and paper quality are really good. The price it's just the right one: 3 high quality artbooks(almost 20$ for each) plus a canvas-covered hard-box(a pleasure for the eyes). Perfect (international) shipment as always with Amazon p.s. sorry for bad english

The description of this book does not do it justice, not only was I shocked at how heavy and enormous it was, but also how much was actually included. I was expecting 1 book, 3 arrived snuggled cosily in a hard case made of printed fabric (or as my husband calls it "printed granny's knickers). The quality of print is lovely and the art work is stunning. It is a real talking piece, mostly because you need half a book shelf to hold it. As a Final Fantasy fan to the core and a Yoshitaka Amano lover, this really does appeal to me, his whimsical sketches and paintings really capture the very fantastic nature that makes up the games. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the games.

I'll keep it short and simple: it's a great collection! The case is very sturdy and looks great. The three books are great as well, with the pages being from high quality paper; feels real good. The art is gorgeous with all you characters and memories in there. There is only one thing I would have liked, which is a description here and there. Now it's just art (for example: the Blizzard artbook has great description, detail, background info etc.). But then again, I get to see all my favorite characters which is what matters most. Overall I'd recommend this collection!

Qualidade do material impecável. Caixa linda. Artes do Yoshitaka Amano dispensa comentários. Apenas a edição das imagens poderia ser um pouco melhor, com espaços mais otimizados. Alguns pequenos rascunhos de baixa relevância ocupam uma página inteira. As vezes as duas páginas. Fora isso, você ficará com vontade de arrancar algumas páginas e colocar em quadros pela casa, de tão lindos.

Vorweg muss ich sagen, ich kenne bislang nur das japanische Original und darauf beruht diese Rezension. Halte ich die englische Version in Händen, vergleiche ich mit der japanischen Version und dann wird die Rezension entsprechend aktualisiert! Als ich damals eine Review dieses Artbooks in einem Manga-Magazin gelesen habe, musste ich es haben. Als begeisteter Final Fantasy Fan, seit der Super Nintendo Ära, war dieses Artbook ein absolutes Must-Have. Mit einem damaligen Preis im vierstelligen DM Bereich angepriesen, war es aber, nachdem man es sich einmal angesehen hat, defenitiv diesen Preis auch wert. Es erwarten einen rund 800 Seiten Final Fantasy Artworks des Meisters Yoshitaka Amano, unterteilt in 3 Hardcover-Artbooks, 2 Softcover und ein Hardcover, der die 5 Bücher beinhaltet. Yoshitaka Amano war bis Final Fantasy VI der Reihe für das Charakter-Design verantwortlich und alle diese Artworks zu Charakteren, Gegnern und vielen mehr ist hier komplett enthalten. Natürlich hat der Meister es sich nicht nehmen lassen, auch für die Teile VII bis X weitere Artworks zu gestalten. Bis heute designt er auch die Final Fantasy Logos auf den Verpackungen der Spiele. Die 3 hier enthaltenen Hardcover Bände beinhalten somit alle Artworks zur Reihe begonnen mit Teil 1 bis zum 10.ten Teil. Das erste Buch vereint Final Fantasy (I) bis III, das zweite Buch Final Fantasy IV bis VI und der dritte Band die Teile VII bis X. In einem Softcoverband werden Artworks erläutert und ein Interview runden den Softcoverband ab. Kleines Highlight ist für mich das Daumenkino, das eine kleine Geschichte erzählt. :-D Alle Bände vereinen sich in einem weiteren Hardcover mit dem "The Sky" Schriftzug. Dieser hat auch auf der Innenseite ein tolles Artwork, hier wurde nichts weiß gelassen, einfach alles hat Farbe und ein Artwork verpasst bekommen. Der japanischen Version beiliegende Karton hat einen Tragegriff mit dem Hinweis, dass das Buch oder die Bücher 7 kg wiegen. Ich habe es damals im Winter gekauft und neben den Kilos die man so schon täglich mitschleppt zur Arbeit, waren auch nur 7 kg schon eine Tortur. Aber eine, die es wert war! :-D Alles in allem ist dies wirklich die Mutter aller Artbooks. Der Preis ist unschlagbar günstig im Vergleich zum Original und bestimmt nicht nur für Final Fantasy, Videogame, Manga oder Anime Anhänger ein echtes Highlight.

天野喜孝氏のイラストが好きでFFシリーズのイラストだけを見たいという方におすすめ。 作品はⅠからⅩまでで情景的なものからキャラクター・モンスター・召喚獣まで総ページ数600ページ超の天野画のFFの世界を楽しめます。 結構なお値段ですが買って後悔はしないイラスト集だと思います。

In 2012, Dark Horse released the first edition of The Sky limited to 1000 copies. Many who pre-ordered were left sorely disappointed when their books did not ship when the shipping date went by. 1000 limited copies for fans of Final Fantasy, a game series that has over millions of fans. Now that's truly limited. Well, it's all good now. Dark Horse has released, this time, a non-limited edition of The Sky that is more easily available. Although there are no additional goodies with this release. This is a slipcase set with three hardcover books. The cardboard slipcase is covered with some silky fabric with a beautiful print across and to the back. It's very sturdy cardboard and even has a cover for the opening. The presentation is very nice. Inside the book there are the three large format artbooks. Volume 1 collects works for FF I-III, Volume 2 for FF IV-VI and 3 for FF VII-X. This is a collection of artworks from 1987 to 2001. Altogether, there are 576 pages. This box set might not be what you're expecting depending on the type of FF fan you are. I suspect there might be a group of fans or designers looking for art that is closer to the games. You know, like those art-of books typically released alongside games? The Sky is not like those artbooks. There's no full list of characters or enemies, environment art (I'm still looking for these), weapons, vehicles or promotional art. The focus in on character designer Yoshitaka Amano and his character designs. There are over hundreds of drawings of characters and enemies in the unique Amano style of art. It really interesting to see, for the first few games, how those dot matrix game sprites are translated into or from the concept art. If you've not played the games, these designs will appear foreign. Even if you've played the games, they might still appear foreign because they can be wildly different from their video game form. Therein lies the brilliance of Amano, who can create such a huge cast of characters for the FF world. The amount of content for each game varies. Book 2 is the thickest so you get a bulk of work from FF IV to VI. Book 3 is quite thin with only ten pages for FFVII. Much is of Cloud and Aeris, with occasional appearance of Sephiroth and RedXIII. Not all characters or enemies drawn are labeled. It's a challenge to identify them sometimes. Depending on where you buy it from, there might be additional weight surcharge. This box set is heavy. It ships with its own custom sized cardboard shipping box designed to prevent damage. That's the way to do it for an exquisite set. You might know that there was an earlier book called Dawn: The Worlds of Final Fantasy . Much of that book's content is duplicated here so there's no reason to get that book anymore. Ultimately, this boxset represents great value for money. Grab it fast if you like the art. (See more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Éste es sin duda el mejor libro de arte de videojuegos jamás creado. Y más, si eres un fan de Final Fantasy en sus mejores tiempos. La calidad es magnífica, en todos los aspectos. El tamaño, más que suficiente (supera al A4), una muy buena encuadernación, la calidad de las reproducciones es muy colorida, y el papel es perfecto, grueso, suave y no demasiado satinado, lo que hace que los colores de las ilustraciones del señor Amano sobresalgan. La caja es un añadido muy goloso, y te permite tener los libros bien guardados, además de que el diseño es muy bonito y decorativo. En cuanto al envío, llegó rapidísimo, en perfecto estado, y antes de lo esperado. This is, without any doubt, the best videogame art book ever created. It gains value if you are a true Final Fantasy fan (if you love the true Final Fantasy games, the old ones).The quality is top notch, regarding every single aspect. Its size is far from enough (larger than a DIN A4 sheet), a very well crafted book; the quailty of the images reproduced is very colourful, and the paper used is perfect: thick enough to feel durable, soft and not very shiny, and that makes the mr. Amano's illustrations to come to life, showing beautiful colours. The cage is also a nice addition, so you can have them stored, and it is beautiful by itself. Regarding the shipment, I have no complaints at all, the books arrived in perfect condition, very fast, even faster than expected.