Product Description: Robot Vol. 1 is an all-color manga compilation and edited by the elite manga artist Range Murata, character designer for Studio Gonzo's Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6. His hand-picked contributors come together in a mind blowing experiment of what happens when top manga artists work in the unusual medium of color. From Range Murata's picturesque portrayal of a long and hot motorcycle ride through the countryside to Yoshitoshi Abe's tale of dark fantasy resembleing a D&D campaign gone horribly wrong, narrative diversity competes with high level artistic experimentation in this monumental work.
Phenomenal Artwork If I were to rate robot Volume 1 purely based upon its artwork, then you'd be seeing five stars instead of four. The artistry is spectacular and awe-inspiring. I don't think I've seen anything better in the anime/manga genre. The reason I rated this book at four stars is because of story. Of course, many of the stories are incomplete, but I understand that they are carried on through the other volumes of the Robot series. I just couldn't stand the brevity of each artist's work. Some were quite confusing as well, often a result of that brevity. I guess it's just a matter of preference. The last thing that absolutely NEEDS to be mentioned is the quality of the actual product, not its contents. When I received the book, I read it straight through and very much enjoyed it. The problem arose when I went back to appreciate all of the artwork by observing minute details and beautiful colors without the distraction of words. Upon doing this I found that the binding was separating from the covering of the book. No rips, no tears. All 164 pages (with binding glue holding them together still) were holding onto the cover just barely. Any more page-turning would have surely peeled the remaining glue from the cover. Obviously this is the publisher's fault. I've heard others mention this about the Robot books (First volume only? I don't know.). So I'm returning this beautiful yet defective book, no replacement, just a refund.
So basically you should buy this book solely for its art. The stories are good as well, but you won't finish most of them unless you continue with the series (mind you, the books cost a pretty penny). And finally, be aware that there may be a problem with the book's construction. Maybe I was just unlucky. You could always just return it if you aren't satisfied I guess.
If you're looking for story, back away... Robot Volume 1 is a collection of 20 short stories (if you even want to call them 'stories'). It is considered more of an artbook than manga. The pages are stunning with it's vibrant colors and beautiful artwork. Range Murata only contributes to the first four pages of this Volume which I found a bit disappointing because I love his artwork, but it really doesn't take away from the collection.
Amazon sends the book with a Parental Advisory sticker on the front cover which I could imagine (if taken off impatiently) could end up leaving marks. Mine came off fine without any marks so I can't complain.
stunning images The pictures are great and some of the tales are pretty good. The only downer is that this is definately for adults. There is no way I would ever give this to a kid. Some parts are creepy, like pedophile creepy (EWWW). Very suggestive and some pretty innapropriate images for the youngins. Still like it for the most part though. The Humanity Imortality and Wasteland stories are pretty good. :D
ehh this was not what I thought it would be. I have to admit that the only reason I bought it was because it is all in color, and i liked the name. its a bunch of different stories that are very strange. thats really all I can say, very strange
WOW If you like manga you'll LOVE this. Full of color and life, it takes the read out of there seat and into different worlds. You'll need to read some of them again and again to understand them, but it won't be a problem because the beauty of the pages is eyes candy. You'll be saying to yourself, "That did not just happen!!" And will read it again. ;)
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
