Super Manga Matrix Paperback – December 11, 2012

Whether you like this book depends on what you're looking for. Pros -Plenty of examples/styles for you to consider and try (good inspiration) -Keeps you open-minded with the different elements you can incorporate -Exposure to a wide variety of characters/monsters (monsters less focused on) -a book which you might find yourself flipping through repeatedly (drawn to) Cons -the mathematical methods are much simpler than i expected (kind of expecting it to be more complicated and helpful) -Virtually no steps on how to get the product (the samples seem to be from from different Artists and Author interpreted them on how you get them using the matrix)Book does not give much guidance. This can be a major disappointment if you were looking for step by step directions.Book is focused on how to think and it gives you examples...but to other people, this book may just be considered examples.Super Manga Matrix may be very different than what you expect. I thought it would provide some cool methods to randomly generate unique characters, but the book ends up giving you simple math in order to put together characters. Adding is adding characteristics/elements and you may guess how the other ones work.Book is not how to draw people or this or that, its focused on what kinds of elements you can consider to put together using simple math.It's like putting a fox motif character + Japanese costume + etc... and it ends up being something that looks good but the reader may have little clue to how to get there which can be intimidating.Im getting redundant and it looks like there are alot of cons but you have to be open-minded if you are going to get this book. It might be short of expectations but if you use it right, it can be a reference to creative ideas which can get your mind to envision the elements together.I don't regret the buying the book (i was even able to flip through it at a local book store before buying it on Amazon) But you may find it plenty short of your expectations and all i can say is that this book is great source for inspiration/reference/creative ideas. You may find yourself not learning anything new. A person who would end up loving the book would go through it thoroughly and let the examples get the juices flowing.Probably not good for beginners but may be helpful to those idea-seekers. I think if you get your mind in the habit of using these methods, you may end up defeating artists block.I love the book, this book may really hone your artistic vision.If you can, jump for it and let it help you think creatively.

This is quite a good book and goes great with the Manga Matrix book, which explains much of the first step explained in this book. In this book, you shall learn various methods for creating characters-including Addition, which is the method where you combine and mix and match parts in order to create a new character out of various things (and two of the other techniques, which are Personification and the use of elements of nature, give some insight into this). Personification gives you ideas on using objects, plants, animals, jewels, food, and you can really use anything, if you want, in order to create a new character-and that technique helps tremendously with picking out a character's personality and how they relate to the other characters in the story. Elements of nature uses the elements of fire, air, water, and earth in order to create characters-which is very interesting, to say the least, as these elements have tons of different forms and can create a wide array of personalities to use. There is also subtraction, where you remove unnecessary elements from a character to make them more appealing, and there is also division, where you can divide personality traits (or even elements, as I like to use) from a single character-which is good for stories of clashing personalities or even of friends as can be clearly seen in the examples in this book-and there is also multiplication, where you use your skills with addition, division, and subtraction in order to create a story world, and see your characters interact with each other in any way you choose, and there is also a final method in the book as well, where you can create the hero and their friends and enemies, and you can either have two characters of opposing or complimentary traits, or you can have many characters with different personalities, acting as one with each other, or you can put characters in representations of traits (this book uses knowledge, action, and emotion-but you can choose whatever you like, if you want) All in all, this book is extremely helpful to anyone who is interested in creating stories of any kind, young or old. I have no doubt that this review shall be helpful! If you have any more questions for me, as it relates to this book, let me know, and I shall try to answer them.

i have the other matrix book which i completely loved, so i was excited to see what this could offer. The book has good examples but i was really sad there was no grid system like the other book, or really any system at all. the whole mathematical thing felt very...thrown together or forced. I give it four stars because the information and examples are well enough to satisfy most people, but i would have given it a five if it had a more creative way of introducing this info to people.

It's a great sequel the the original Manga Matrix book, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. "Super Manga Matrix by Hiroyoshi Tsukamoto will help aspiring artists and professionals create awesome manga characters and manga stories!"Unfortunately, there's not really any matrix included that has to do with story telling. Just keep in mind that it's basically the same sort of book about making characters, as the first one is.

While the book did arrive impressively fast, there was some bending and light peeling (Not too big, but definitely recognizable) in the back of the book on the bottom left. That, I was not impressed with, and I bought it new too. D: Other than that, the books in fantastic shape, the pages are all intact, none of the interior pages are smudged smeared obscured or anything annoying like that. :DSo yea, aside from the peeling in the back of the book, fantastic buy. :3

This book is cute. This book is most certainly not for beginners.It's more so for people who want to add another dimension to their art. like mixing aspects of other things. In order to create something completely new. The most valuable aspect is at the end when. They talked about story development.

Este libro es una muy buena continuación de su predecesor. Hay que aclarar sin embargo que si bien el nombre del libro es "Super Manga Matrix" no utiliza y/o explica el sistema de matriz visto en el primer libro.¿Entonces de que se trata?, Veamos:El primer capítulo (suma) trata de la creación de personajes desde cero, aborda conceptos muy interesantes como por ejemplo que una ciudad pude ser en sí un personaje de la historia, sin embargo no sustituye ni por lejos al primer libro.El siguiente capítulo (resta) explica como quitar o cambiar elementos de un personaje ya establecido para cambiar su apariencia, ya sea para cambiar el look del personaje o para usarlo como base para uno nuevo.El tercer capítulo (División) se enfoca en el desarrollo de un personaje establecido a través de la personalidad.El cuarto capítulo (Multiplicación) se enfoca en el desarrollo de la historia, en como lo distintos personajes y elementos la enriquecen y desarrollan.Después vienen dos capítulos que tratan de creación de personajes y podrían ser considerados una ampliación del primer capítulo o incluso ejemplos de como aplicar el primer libro. El primero "Usando los atributos de la naturaleza" ejemplifica como los conceptos de fuego, tierra aire y agua pueden influir en el diseño del personaje, desde su color de piel y vestimenta hasta su personalidad y accesorios. El siguiente capítulo "personificación" explica y ejemplifica como crear personajes a partir de objetos inanimados.Finalmente el Capítulo "Técnica 1-2-3-4-7" se enfoca en analizar como el número de personajes afecta el desarrollo de una historia.Para concluir, si bien algunas personas podrían decir que pueden hacer todo lo anterior sin la ayuda del libro, yo recomiendo el libro porque ami personalmente me abrió la mente a muchas posibilidades en cuanto a como crear y desarrollar personajes o historias que ni siquiera habría contemplado por mi cuenta.

It is exactly what is advertised. It also has a lot of characters and pictures to take inspiration from. If your having a hard time coming up with ideas, then it doesn't hurt to have this around.