Shiny.

[elwen]

I got two artbooks over the weekend: Angel Text, the Hatenkou Yuugi artbook, and Illustrations Rebels, the Code Geass artbook. They're both really, really sweet as far as artbooks go. [I suppose Illustrations Rebels could have used a little more Lulu x Kallen, but hey.]

I feel like Kinokuniya has come full circle and gone back to big, flashy artbook displays as the best way to turn a profit on silly otaku. Back in the day, that was what they did, too, I think. Then for a while they tried to capitalize on slightly more delusional savvier otaku who might actually buy, y'know, raw manga and even *gasp* light novels! Since the peak days when light novels got about 3 full shelves, they've gradually been cutting back on that, as well as on certain manga titles (like Akino Matsuri's *sob*). Even then, though, they weren't necessarily stocking more artbooks yet. When I got Akino Matsuri's artbook, it was the only copy they had, and I got the sense that it was so not because they'd sold out of all the others, but that they'd only ever stocked one copy. [The San Francisco branch probably had more.] But now it's back to artbooks getting almost an entire mid-floor shelf unit thing to themselves. I guess they're relatively big-ticket items, so moving one artbook is worth moving up to six shoujo manga.

Anyhow, shiny artbooks induced me to attempt to scan a few pages as best I could with my obsession of absolutely not hurting the books in any way. By closing the books gently around the scanner bed, I could get pretty good scans of the pages, although missing an inch or two from the spine. Expect skins when I have time. [Considering work is keeping me so busy I barely update anymore, that might be a while.]

In the meantime, I'd like to share two images:

1. I really want a full-size, non-pagefold version of this image. (It has Suzaku and Kallen on the other page, which I'm less worried about than the fact that Lelouch goes across the pagefold and I need all of him for a skin. Though Kallen is pretty hot in the picture, too.)

2. I swear I'm not a Schneiser fangirl, even after that doujinshi, but put him with Lelouch and get a black/white chess theme going, and it's hard to resist.

I was going to include the cover of Illustrations Rebels, too, but you can see that well enough at jpqueen.

I'm not sharing the Hatenkou images because I'm too lazy to resize and upload them to Photobucket. Most of you probably haven't seen the series anyway. But you should.

Comments

[ling84.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm watching Code Geass now. :D Work has me tied up as well too, or else I'd have blogged about it long ago.

The Schneizer/Lelouch pic you scanned is indeed *_*, but geez, what is Lulu wearing? After all of his heavily tailored outfits, he's in this slouchy bag of a getup. His expression's great, though.

The artbook cover is lovely, but... C.C. fanservice. Of all of her outrageous outfits, why her underwear? (And such inconvenient underwear it is too.)

[ctrl-a.livejournal.com]

I don't think you understand. All of Geass, and much of the artbook, is about fanservice. Lelouch in baggy clothes is solely for the sake of showing chest. And there are much worse C.C. fanservice than the cover. There's even a panty-shot of Shirley.

[ling84.livejournal.com]

*eep* Pardon the n00bishness. I was looking up other Geass stuff last night and happened upon the promo pic of Lelouch getting a good feel of C.C.'s rear. (Dude, that looks like it would hurt.)

I think I was thrown off a bit because the series takes itself so, well, seriously, and then all bets are off for !anime. Oh Sunrise you evil people.

[ctrl-a.livejournal.com]

Well, I may have exaggerated a little bit. But there is quite a bit of fanservice. Wait'll you see what they do to Kallen in R2. :D

[ling84.livejournal.com]

Ah man. I caught up to R2. I can't believe they had to have Lelouch remind her she was wearing that ridiculous getup - as if a girl could forget! And of course she had to fight in the bunny suit in the beginning, just for the boob-bounce and crotch-flashes. >.<

I was quite happy with her when she slapped Lelouch in a later episode. That slimy remark of his deserved it.