Was there a This is HK panel with this Arc ? I can't remember.
That is one of the reasons that attracted me to this manga was Takaba and the fact the he did not look like all the others. He was manly.
Most mangaka hire assistants to do backgrounds and effects. She used to have two assistants. Maybe she can't afford them anymore.
All of the characters in this manga have proven to be strong enuff to carry a story line. Looks how she moves them around.She started with Takaba and Asami, moved to Asami and Fei back to Takaba and Asami. She can switch hit anytime. Now with some background about Sakzaki ,she can include him also. Very smart and appeal to a wide grp. of people.
After sticking with this manga for years and loving it and seeing it change over the years, I have noticed the artstyle and how it has developed and changed. Looking back to the very first chapter, I noticed a dramatic change in the way Aki is drawn. At first he looks really detailed and the artstyle seemed more beautiful and intricate, but looking at the recent chapters, especially chapter 78, you can see how much Aki looks different and, in my opinion, more cartooney? Idk but he has a weird cartoon vibe about him that I can't explain.
If you put the panels side by side you can see what I'm talking about, but essentially Aki looks less detailed, especially with his hair and the details in his face. His hair is shorter and less sketchy (less coloured) than in the first couple of chapters. His eyes were more detailed and sharp and his face was a bit more oval and less round. It could just be me bitching here, but personally I really liked Aki's design before.
I understand that it takes a while to sketch, detail, fine tune, then put the toners onto each panel and chapter and that may be the reason for the sudden lack of toners and color to the characters, but I'm kinda sad to be honest. I really liked the 90s feel that this manga had back in the first couple of arcs. I understand that this was released in 2001 so I can understand how Amano is trying to improve her artwork and trying to change the style or try to fit in with "modern" artwork, but I'm kinda sad that some of the beauty in the artstyle (and even coloured pages and cover art) has changed so drastically.
Anyone else kinda sad? Do you guys think that the artstyle is better or worse? Do you guys like it or did you prefer the older artstyle?
Lets have an awesome discussion and I would love to hear your thoughts! (๑•ㅂ•)و✧
(づ￣ ³￣)づ