This is why we can't have nice things. I was making a WoW joke you meanies.
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I'd like to see it. I really enjoy his style.
Oh I thought you meant this
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Torrent
But I still don't see how you were relating it to the thread.
I've always felt that Amano was the best artist square ever employed. His designs are all beautiful, ethereal, creative, unique, and evocative. His worst work is about ten different leagues above anything Nomura ever produced on his best day.
If it ever becomes available at a reasonable price in my country, then I'll probably grab it. Aside from his preoccupation with blondes, Amano's work has some great qualities, and his style and palette often hearken back to earlier eras.
Meh...his style doesn't really work for me. I don't think I'll be buying that.
I might buy it, but i'd rather buy a book full of Nomura's much superior artwork...;)
Oh c'mon Nomura doesnt draw like a four year old like Amano does! Plus even with Amano a supposed much better artist and conceptualist, i still dont see any difference in the quality of character designs between the two!
The main difference is creativity and style. Lets talk female designs (in terms of artwork). Nomura creates all the same characters. His female characters all have similar figures and facial features, typically his favored ones just have less clothing. I find his main characters all bear the same characteristic, brooding emo style with bad hair and pimped out swords. Hell, Penny Arcade had a gag where they figured they skipped a FF just cuz FFIX didn't have a character with a pimped sword. Even his most favored male design, Auron, had a stylistic sword and fairly generic (in terms of japanese design) features.
Then there is the appropriateness of the designs to the characters. Lulu's profile reads that her demeanor is often cold hearted, but beautiful. With warm feelings for Yuna and powerful sorcery. This sounds a great deal like Celes, espescially when you consider the estranged relationship between celes/locke/Rachael and Wakka/Lulu/Wakka's brother. The reason I make the comparison is that Lulu really does bear in terms of character, a very striking resemblence to Celes, which isn't a surprise considering they were conceptualized by Sakaguchi. But look at the stark contrast of designs and you will soon see who is the more creative. Amano gave celes a distinctly shapely figure, yet rounded it out with cold features and a decidedly deadly air about her. Nomura on the other hand seemingly designed Lulu just for sex appeal. From her outfit to her battle animations, everything about her screams fan service, which runs in direct contrast to her profile and role in the game. Amano on the other hand delivered the fan service, but kept the design of the character appropriate.
One more mention of nomura's designs in FFX. If Yuna is raised in a religious order, whats up with her looking like she just stepped out of a cameo in Memoirs of a Geisha? And don't even get me started on how Nomura redesigned her for X-2. Just seeing the design where her features are made much more submissive looking, and her hair longer, jet black, just makes me wanna vomit. I swear I really don't wanna know what Nomura was doing with his other hand while he was making up that design.
Amano also doesn't have any problem designing characters to look remarkably different. Shadow may be the stereotypical ninja, but his outfit and design is remarkably unique and yet deadly looking. Edgar is defined as a player, and Amano designed him to look the part, but still gave him strong noble features that make him unique from other tough, noble types like Cyan or Sabin. These all look like characters in a story, Nomura bases his designs off long standing anime stereotypes. I swear sometimes I think Squall stole his fur of sesshomaru while he was sleeping, and I really hope Cloud plans to return Kaneda's Motorcycle (star of Akira, and we all know it's true.) after borrowing it in advent Children.
And while I'm on Advent Children, the design of multiple swords in one is not at all unique. It's been done many times before, yet often very simply. Cloud has roughly eight or so swords in that one blade, and more in his bike. No while that's cool if your Doctor octopus, explain to me how this is in anyway keeping with creating a believable character.
Just another example of how Nomura doesn't so much design, as he rips off and borrows ideas. Not that Amano doesnt, but while Nomura doesn't do anything to disguise his lack of originality, amano usually adds his own style and flair, as well as some original features to make the character his own. The eight swords in one gimmick was one of the first times I've ever seen him try to add an original concept, and I'm sorry but there is only so much falic imagery I can stand before I request the character designer to seek help immediately.
As for Amano drawing like a four year old, I rather like his imaginative and wild style. It has much more of a wild, fantasy like feel while still maintaining creative and interesting character designs. Im fairly certain the main art director for Zone of Enders and Metal Gear solid takes some inspiration from Amano, as they both have similar styles when it comes to their line art.
Whilst i respect you for having your opinion and going into great detail with enough attention being paid to your writing, i believe your just speaking through the eyes of the average Amano fanboy (or any fanboy for that matter). I say this because you dont seem to realise this but other than the ACTUAL artwork Amano and Nomura are practically identical, (even to the extent that most non FF fans that i know dont even realise that there is more than one character designer)
with both artists paying close attention to both anime sterotypes and what appeals to the gamer. You were saying that Lulu was a ripoff of Celes...who in turn is probably a ripoff of a hundred other anime females. All because Amano came before Nomura it doesnt mean he is completely original nor does it mean that he is any more original as Nomura has been... I think Nomura has done much more interesting things with the character design (such as the multi sword idea) than Amano ever did. I mean for example he created a leader of a faction at war who had a leg and arm missing (Nooj, FF10-2)... At which point your probably thinking so what? Well i find this design intruiging due to the fact that it shows the power of spirit over body, and intelligence/tactical thinking over strength/manpower. I never recall anything too simaler in any of Amano's designs. I'm not calling Amano's designs bad they are just not as developed in my opinion eventhough they share a fair few simalarities. It's mostly Amano's artwork that i have porblems over, i can apreciate whimsical but why does his "people" look like aliens or mutants? I prefer my characters/people to look proportionate, realistic and generally not going off into the realms of sillyness. As for your crack about Nomura's facial fgeatures i think the same can be said if notr more so for Amano. I mean the guy draws practically all his amles and females the same with the same bone structure (if you can call it that) and the same pallid skin colour. With Nomura on the otherhand he adds diversity by using different skin tones and races to create a international, worldly atmoshpere to the design...i have never seen such things with Amano's work. Anyway at the end of the day we all have our opinions and we probably wont be able to change each others views, so meh...enjoy what you like..its your life! ;)