[.ca] How To Draw Manga Volume 1: Compiling Characters (ISBN 4766114736)

You need a little talent first:
After searching for this book for SO long I finnaly found it. I was so excited that I could finnaly sharpen my techniques. But... It was kinda disapointing... I mean they use terms like, "3 point perspective" and "vanishing point" without telling you what they are. I mean I know now, but it was confusing! And really, I just didn't like there models, they weren't my style. But the face section was great! But sadly, when it comes to drawing, it's not a matter of learning how to do it. To make something look the way you want it to, you have to draw with your heart and mind, and work very hard at it. Unfortunately it's not something that's easy to teach. All in all, the books give you some ideas. But really it depends on how much skill you have and what technique you like. ...

Great Book:
Excellent book, shows how to draw using blocks and lines. Mostly very easy to understand, with cute little characters showing you what to do ^_^ Also showed some Japanese words and there meanings. This book had 2 or 3 wrong translations but was overall a really good book ^^

Good general information.:
Well, when I bought this book, I wasn't disappointed. It gives you very good information on figure-drawing, how to render expressions, proportioning for different types of characters (i.e. children, men, young women, older women, etc.). There are also sections on how to render character and plot which are useful if you're a beginner, although you would want to find additional material at a later date as they do not go into depth. There was also information that would be quite useful if you wanted to be a professional manga artist, covering tone, the types of brushes and pens you need, etc. Some of the side drawings (NOT what is used to instruct) are ecchi (a little perverted), but not over the top. Also, the translation is lacking. Some people might find that this book is not in-depth enough for them--there are other books in this series that go more into depth on the desired subject. Another book to try would be "How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 1". It would be useful for anyone, because it shows commonly made mistakes and how to fix them. However, do not expect that this book will automatically make you better (this goes for any "How to Draw" book)! There's something important required... it's called PRACTICE. It seems like too many people buy "How to Draw" books and immediately expect to be better. Umm... not if you don't draw until you never want to draw again, and then some. If you draw with technique and practice, you'll improve. This is a good addition to any collection.

Fantastic! Except....:
This book is a wonderful start-to-finish guide for drawing manga. (What this book is *not* is a step-by-step guide for drawing anime/manga characters -- for that, get the related Drawing Anime and Game Characters series.) It goes over the processes of professional mangakas getting published, usings pens and tones, planning a story, designing characters, drawing faces and bodies, creating a manga-type mood, drawing dynamic scenes, all with the aid of a mini-manga of "Mr. Mangaka" and all his assistants acting everything out for your personal enjoyment. I have never, ever encountered any book, online or in print, that covers so professionally such a wide range of topics. (Someone noted correctly that this book requires a little bit of talent and practice on your part -- after all, it's a "how to draw manga" book, not a "how to draw halfway decent" book, so supposedly you already have some interest in drawing and anime to even take a second look at this book.) The rest of the How to Draw Manga series is specilization; this book was all-encompassing. If you get no others from this series, get this book, if you seriously want to draw pro manga right away. However, this book has one weakness, and, unfortunately, it's huge: the translation. I happen to have access to the Japanese version and all I can say is... dang, the English version hurts. The diction is off on every page, the grammar has shadows of Japanese syntax, the fonts (Chicago and Arial, everything!) and the spacing are horrendous, and most rules of layout and white space management are thrown out the window -- making that aspect of the book look amateurish. They didn't even doctor the SFX correctly -- in some places they are whited out with no attempt to clone the background, leaving ugly white holes, and the English SFX they replace them with (if any) are bizarre and stilted, and usually in a stupid font like Chicago.... In other places the SFX are left completely untouched -- left in Japanese, so those who can't read katakana can scratch their heads in confusion. (As stated in the book, SFX contribute heavily to the mood. In this case, they fracture it .) Conclusion: Would have been a 5 star if the translation was done better...even slightly so. However, the content is sooo good that it's still completely worth getting the book -- unless you know Japanese and can easily get the Japanese version, in which case, go for the original by all means. (Warning: there is some mild H (perverted) content on less than half a dozen pages -- nothing much, PG+ or PG-13 tops, and nothing at all compared to the nudity and more offensive poses that can appear in the other books of this series.... In any case, just a heads up.)

A great addition to "How to Draw Maga: getting startted":
While "Getting Started" deals with the very basic aspects of How to Draw Manga, This book in the series seems to extend beyond the very basics and gets more in depth with the aspects of Drawing, character creation, and the elements of making a Manga comic. Though as an afterthought, this book, "How to Draw manga: Compiling Characters" could probably replace "Getting Started", as it does cover just about the same topics, in fuller detail. So if you don't feel like spending the $20 some odd dollars on "Getting Started", this one can easily take its place. but it certainly doesn't hurt to get both