Atelier Sentō

Oh my goodness, I fell in love with this book. I knew I had to get it when I saw that the art was done by an artist duo I really love, Atelier Sentō and I am so glad that I did! The story of this graphic novel follows the two artists on a visit to Japan. Soon after arriving, they stop by an old antiques shop. They are looking at some cameras when the shop owner insists they buy this special camera with lenses polished by monks, allowing it to take photos of supernatural beings (Yokai). But! They must also buy the special film if they hope to capture the spirits! So they end up getting the camera (though one is a little skeptical of the price), and begin to consult the locals and maps in their quest to hopefully catch a Yokai on film.

The art is absolutely beautiful, detailing the countryside of Japan in lovely watercolors as the two explore. Each chapter is set up to show the pair finding their way to a new location where there should be Yokai and then taking a photo. While they don’t see the photos until they return home and develop them (also done is a special way), we get to see all 8 developed photos at the end of each chapter and they are so cool. I also love this set up because you have the suspense of what is going to show up in the photo as the story goes on.

I also love that it’s like a travel journal. It shows off a lot of interesting spots in towns across the countryside. It also highlights specific festivals, foods, legends, and other aspects of culture throughout their travels.

The story and dialogue flow smoothly and there are several parts that made me laugh. There were also many, many times I stopped to just take in the art. This is definitely one I can see myself re-reading often. I give this one a 5/5 stars!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★… (more)

nonfiction/illustration - text inside this edition is printed trilingually in French, English (translated with the help of [a:Josh Tierney|1820099|Josh Tierney|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], and Japanese.

Publisher's description: "Discover another face of Japan through the watercolors of Atelier Sentô. Gathering more than 300 watercolors, sketches and prints, this book is a walk off the beaten track, along the rice fields, looking for temples lost in the forest and the spirits that inhabit them."

A beautiful portfolio (and a brief behind-the-scenes look) of the landscapes, portraits, and fantasy-filled works of French artist duo Cécile Brun & Olivier Pichard (insta: @ateliersento). The majority of the work was made with graphite pencil (8B) to produce outlines and some shading/depth, followed by watercolor. There is also a short explanation of the linocutting process.… (more)