Manga Mania Magical Girls and Friends: How to Draw the Super-Popular Action Fantasy Characters of Manga

I've never been fond of Chris Hart's books. The illustrations tend to be overtly generic with very little detail in my eyes, so I tend to push them to the side when I'm scanning the local bookstores for new art books and How to Draw tutorials. However, when this one came out, the cover caught me by surprise. THIS was Hart's work? Well, in truth, it wasn't. Hart only did maybe five to six pages of drawings while the rest were done by a legion of other artists. Artists who I believe have a much stronger grasp of composition and balance than Hart does. (If I remember correctly, it was Nao Yazawa who created the most breath-taking images.) For those who grew up watching Sailor Moon as a kid, the nostalgia will hit you like a train, but in a good way. Everything about this book was pure classic. The instruction is mostly visual, as in while there is text I certainly didn't need to read it. It's easy to pick up and easy to practice the techniques the artists are trying to teach. I highly recommend this book, as it is one of the few non-Japanese books where the drawings truly feel authentic.

I am a big fan of Christopher Hart and his work. His books are the best manga tutorial books I have come across. This one is no exception. The drawing are gorgeous, the instruction is easy to understand for beginners and is still useful for advanced manga artists who want to learn new techniques. It has everything from cute chibis to the transformation of a regular girl to a magical girl. (step by step instruction) My favorite is the cute little mascots which are also transformed into magical mascots. This is worth every penny!

This book has some of the cutest manga drawings you will ever see. It teaches you everything you need to know about how to make a great manga. I would recommend this book to any girl who loves manga! ^^

I don't really own many of Hart's books, this one makes it my fourth book, but for the ones that I do own, I have to say that I am very pleased with this one. This book gives you a general idea of magical school girls, their costumes, hair, transformations, and even animal helpers. This book really doesn't go into depth on step by step guides to drawing magical girls, but it gives you tidbits of general info on how to go about designing your own magical girl as well as her specific powers and/or costumes. I would definitely recommend this book for those who are a little advanced than beginners. Since this book doesn't break down the drawings in steps. This is a little info on what to expect about the book: Magical girl faces, their eyes, and expressions The body Magical girl costumes Magical girl varieties Magical boys The villains Essential supporting characters Magical mascots Magical fighters teams Magical transformation

This book, like the title is magical. Like all of Christopher Hart's books, the instruction is excellent, but I will say that this time Christopher Hart has surpassed himself. The sections on drawing the eyes, the drawing of the body step by step, the various angles, the poses, are all enlightening. My daughters and I also enjoyed the historical information on Manga and the difference between American and Japanese Styles. This book is highly recommended.