The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Slipcased Edition

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.)

You can’t have played games in the Final Fantasy series without becoming aware of Amano’s art. His work borders on legendary. And even if you haven’t heard of him, take a moment to browse through some of his artwork and chances are you won’t be able to deny that the man has some serious talent going on. This gorgeous collection is packed with hundreds of pages of beautiful artwork from most of the Final Fantasy games, and if all you’ve ever played is the original versions of the games, in all their 8- or 16-bit glory, here’s a great chance to see more detail than you get to see with blocky sprites. And also the chance to see many of your favourite characters wearing long flowing dresses (females) or skin-tight pants that show off one’s butt (males). Seriously, Amano seems to have a thing for tight pants. This isn’t an artbook I would recommend for everyone. I can’t even say that I would recommend it for every die-hard Final Fantasy fan, though that’s mostly due again to the collection’s cost. This isn’t an everyday purchase. But for the fan who has the money to spare, it’s definitely worth buying this collection. The art is beautiful, the insight amazing, and there will be no regret in acquiring this artbook. I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed.

In a word: fantastic. This set is a priceless addition to any collector's mass of artbooks or Final Fantasy merchandise, and at just over $60, I practically stole the thing. Like other reviewers ecstatically related, this set doesn't really come in a slipcase; instead, it's packaged in a lovely and extremely sturdy case that's covered in a silky, decorated fabric which makes for a beautiful display piece in itself. The three books included in the set are very well constructed and made of quality materials. Many of the illustrations inside, especially in the first volume, are conceptual fiend designs done in black-and-white ink, and I actually think that these are some of the most breathtaking in the whole set. Book 2 is easily the largest, and there is a good amount of FFIV artwork in this publication (which I was most excited to see!), but it's dominated by FFVI works, which comprise about half of the volume. The final artbook isn't as colorful or varied in terms of technique as the others, and a number of the portrayed works are just magnifications or WIPs of other pieces shown, which is somewhat disappointing. It's like the publisher just ran out of stuff to add to the book, so it was done to fill up more pages. Also, there's a weird close-up of Kuja's crotch on one of the latter pages (you've been warned!). Additionally noteworthy is the fact that the final illustrations are peculiar marker drawings of moogles. Still, it was fun to see Amano's representations of later Final Fantasy protagonists and villains, and the third volume brought the set to a satisfying close nonetheless. Basically, you can't go wrong with this purchase.

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.

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.

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。

Ich bin in der "Langen Final Fantasy"-Nacht von Rocket Beans auf dieses Artbook aufmerksam geworden und war von den vorgestellten Zeichnungen von Amano-Sensei sehr fasziniert. :) Da ich nunmal ein Riesen-"Final Fantasy"-Fan bin gehört dieses Schmuckstück definitiv in meiner Sammlung. Noch dazu ist es ein sehr gutes Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis! Hier erhält man für ca. 78 € gleich 3 Artbooks mit insgesamt fast ca. 1000 Seiten!!! :) Ich war mehr als überrascht wie groß und wie schwer dieses Produkt war. Aber das ist es definitiv wert! Es soll auch eine limitierte Edition mit einem interessanten Interview mit Yoshitaka Amano und (glaub ich..) auch ein paar zusätzliche Postkarten geben... Diese waren aber doch für meinen Geldbeutel ein bisschen ZU belastend. ^^ Dennoch bin ich mit diesem Produkt mehr als zufrieden! Dies hat folgende Gründe: 1.) Das Case ist sehr hochwertig und fühlt sich samtig an. Noch dazu sieht das Cover viel schöner aus als es auf dem Bild gezeigt wird und ist auf meinem Regal ein ziemlich guter Eyecatcher geworden. 2.) Der Inhalt! Wie bereits oben erwähnt sind in diesem Case 3 Artbooks enthalten, die nummeriert sind. Diese beinhalten: - Artbook 1: Final Fantasy I bis III - Artbook 2: Final Fantasy IV bis VI (und ist auch das Größte...) - Artbook 3: Final Fantasy VII bis X Wie auch das Case sind auch die jeweiligen Artbooks qualitativ genauso hochwertig. Das Papier lässt nichts durchscheinen und bringt die Zeichnungen von Amano-Sensei hervorragend zur Geltung. Die Farbgebung ist sehr stark und kontrastreich. Auch sieht man sehr deutlich wie die Charakterfiguren im Laufe der Zeit bis zum Ende des Spiels verändert wurden... Das fällt besonders im 3. Artbook in Kapitel "Final Fantasy VIII" und "Final Fantasy IX" auf. 3.) Das SEHR gute Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis... Für das was hier geboten wird sind 78 € wirklich ein Schnäppchen. :) "Final Fantasy"-Fans werden eine sehr große Freude an dieses Buch haben. Allerdings gibt es hier und da auch ein paar kleine "Nachteile": 1.) Die Bilder sind teilweise beschriftet... Im 1. Artbook ist es zumindest eingehalten worden die Hauptcharaktere/Antagonisten zu benennen, jedoch geht es ab dem 2. Artbook ein bisschen mehr verloren... Im 3. Artbook ist es sogar schon so gut wie gar nicht mehr vorhanden was ich doch ein bisschen schade finde... 2.) Es fehlen die Artworks von "Final Fantasy X-2" bis "Final Fantasy XIV"! Gut... Das Artbook ist zwar ein paar Jährchen alt (Juli 2013), dennoch hätte ich mir gewünscht, dass auch diese Teile vorhanden wären, um so die "FF-Collection" komplettieren zu können. Aber da ich schon bereits über dieses Produkt informiert wurde, wusste ich schon was auf mich zukommt.... ... und bin mehr als zufrieden! :)

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.