| Katsucon Saturday -
Yoshitaka Amano |
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Yoshitaka Amano has only one comic book to his credit.
He is a painter, not a manga artist. Yet, this personality was cheered
when he appeared with translator Toshi Yoshida (left) at Katsucon. "I have
a deadline by the end of next week to finish three characters for Final
Fantasy 9," Amano said, and the crowd cheered. When you design the characters
for one of the most popular video game series in history, and for movies
such as Vampire Hunter D, you get that sort of reaction. |
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"I just like to draw. You know how kids like to draw?
I never grew up from that point," Amano told Katsucon fans. At one point,
Amano admitted he was a lazy type who barely went to work, but he discovered
American comics around that time and his career changed because of that
inspiration. That explains why Amano's art style is so different from the
prevalent manga style in Japan. His use of paint and canvas also sets him
apart, and Amano is more of a portrait artist than a sequential artist. |
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Amano prefers to create new characters and not dwell
on redrawing art he's already created. Had he worked on the second Vampire
Hunter d movie, he would have changed all of the character designs. And
he gets bored if he works more than three days on a painting or design,
pumping out several monochrome drawing in one day. |
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All of that success means demand for his work, and
Amano keeps extremely busy. Those Final Fantasy characters mentioned above
are among 100 video game designs he had to do in a single month. Still,
Amano can pick and choose his projects. "If I don't get inspired by a character
or a concept, I won't do it," he said. |
