(I received a free copy of this book, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I don’t really know much about the group that this book is a tribute to, but I’ve always been a fan of manga and all kinds of art. I can’t draw or paint myself, but I really like looking at other people’s fan work.
I really liked all of the different kinds of drawings there were in this book. There were some really cute and adorable ones, but also a lot of more serious drawings. Through both of those types, I felt that I had some idea of the characters and storylines, though I’m still not sure what the point of the Vocaloids are.
It was nice that there were so many different artists included in this collection. It was a good showcasing of the different art and a good introduction to the world of the Vocaloid.
I liked learning about the Vocaloids, too. I did like the comic strips that were included. The first one in particular was really effective. Using drawings without any speech bubbles is a really effective way of showing a story when it’s done well – and I felt that it was done particularly well here.
The second comic strip was really sweet, but I was really confused by how it fit in; whether it was an alternate universe, or the origin of Miku… I would have liked a bit more background and information about the characters’ histories.
All in all, though, this was a creative selection of work. I’m curious enough to check out more of Vocaloids, so in that sense, I suppose this work has done one of its jobs.
Ink of Blood 