Kaoru Mori, Nooooo!!!!

While surfing for more Mori artwork, I stumbled across this image:


Another "cheeky close-up" provided here, apparently from the April 2009 issue of Fellows! magazine, although I have no idea what the cover story is about aside from very, very tight shorts.

Do I even want to know what this is about? Will it forever change my impression of Kaoru Mori? Will David Welsh's pledge to purchase anything illustrated by Kaoru Mori be put to the ultimate test???

Labels: Kaoru Mori, Manga Stereotypes Rearing Their Ugly Head In The Most Depressing Way Imaginable, NOOOOOO, Tight Tight Shorts

8:15 PM | |

But Do They Cover Victorian Oral Hygiene?

So what are the odds that CMX will publish this for us Emma completists?


Does anyone know what the format of the book is like? Is there much new material by Mori? Google's translation of the Amazon Japan page leaves much to be desired...

Labels: Emma, Kaoru Mori, Manga, Wish Lists

10:41 AM | |

Make Mine Mori!

David Welsh brightened my day with the thought of more Kaoru Mori manga that will hopefully one day be licensed for English audiences. Mori's latest manga is Otoyomegatari, and it looks like another lavish historical drama. Just look at this stunning illustration of the main character, Amiru:
If you're anything like me, you hardly ever think of the effort that goes into the entertainment you consume so quickly, so it was enlightening to watch videos of Mori at work. Here's part one of the painstaking process behind this captivating picture:
What really blew me away about Mori's process was the fact that (at least for this illustration) she did all of the screentone work by hand! I'd assumed toning was all done with computers nowadays.
Anyway, it was a delight to spend part of the day watching a talented artist at work, so thanks to David for pointing this out. (Make sure to check out all six parts of the series.) And to share the joy, here are some additional images I found while poking around the Fellows! site:







And for more Mori goodness, make sure to check out her blog! She often posts behind-the-scenes sketches, and she even shares the best vacation pics!

(My only worry is that CMX or other publishers may balk at publishing Otoyomegatari since it revolves around a twenty-year-old princess marrying a twelve-year-old prince and, according to this thread, the first volume depicts the bride sleeping in the nude with her young groom. But I was wrong about CMX being willing to show nudity in Emma, so who knows?)

Labels: Kaoru Mori, Manga, Screentone, Wonky Process Stuff

8:41 PM | |