Would you hold it against a book if...

[KingOfChaos]

This is just a general question, but would you hold is against a book and the publisher who printed it if it had anime style art in it? I have several members of my site who staunchly believe it wouldn't affect the popularity of a book while I believe that using anime style art for a book that isn't specifically about an anime RPG would probably be disastrous.

 

[NiTessine]

Well, while I personally don't have anything against anime art, I think its place is in anime and things related. Were such art printed in a non-anime RPG book, it might confuse people. In addition, it can hardly capture the same feeling as traditional fantasy art by Brom, or Elmore, or Easley, or the like.

As for it affecting the popularity of a book... I know several people who absolutely despise anime, but none who hate Brom...

 

[Drawmack]

I use the pictures from the books at the table. If it were anime style art I couldn't do that and would probably not buy the book.

 

[Tsyr]

Depends on a few things.

If the product was going for gritty realism or something? Maybe.

Anything else? Probably not... I mean, let's face it... It's not like the drawings in a lot of products *cough*wizardsofthecoast*cough* are any more "realistic" than anime-style art.

Reminds me of a troll-started thread on RPG.net a while back...

 

[johnsemlak]

totally uncultured dumb question

Sorry, but what exactly is 'anime art'?

I'm stumped on that one.

 

[Tsyr]

Re: totally uncultured dumb question

Sorry, but what exactly is 'anime art'?

I'm stumped on that one.

Art done in the anime style. Or, more properly, manga style.

Like this:

http://www.geocities.com/dragonlance_never/

 

[KingOfChaos]

Depends on a few things.

If the product was going for gritty realism or something? Maybe.

Anything else? Probably not... I mean, let's face it... It's not like the drawings in a lot of products *cough*wizardsofthecoast*cough* are any more "realistic" than anime-style art.

Reminds me of a troll-started thread on RPG.net a while back...

Actually, they are more realistic. The artwork in the WOTC products lack characters with over-sized heads, ridiculously styled and colored hair, eyes that could pop out of their face at any second and mouths so small that eating a grain of rice would appear to be a deadly choking hazard except for the fact that at any moment it could expand to devour the large head of the person standing next to them during an emotional moment.

As you can see, I personally don't like anime art I just wanted to see what you guys thought of it before ever considering placing it into a book.

 

[Tsyr]

Actually, they are more realistic. The artwork in the WOTC products lack characters with over-sized heads, ridiculously styled and colored hair, eyes that could pop out of their face at any second and mouths so small that eating a grain of rice would appear to be a deadly choking hazard except for the fact that at any moment it could expand to devour the large head of the person standing next to them during an emotional moment.

As you can see, I personally don't like anime art I just wanted to see what you guys thought of it before ever considering placing it into a book.

Hmmm... we have different definitions then...

Oversided heads? Not on the iconics maybe...

Ridiculously style and colored hair? Check

Eyes that could pop out of their face? Check.

Small mouthes? Hmmm... since, despite common misperceptions, that's not a facet of anime either, I'm not going to comment. And the wildly deforming mouthes is only a facet of some genres of anime... comedy mostly, and not all comedy at that.

 

[galaga88]

I'd be hypocritical about it. While I rather enjoy the anime/manga style of artwork, when I see it in a non-japanese made product, I subliminally think it's trying to be all cool and hip, even if it's not, and get a bad first impression before even opening it.

At least I'm honest.

 

[Priest]

I would never put anime artwork in a book PDF or other similar product, but thats me. Though some of the artwork for polyhedron (such as the Poly about the The Mecha Universe stuff) had simi Anime artwork in it that would work real well for character portraits or for class iconics.

Another good example is the Star Wars Artwork