Written by Byron Tsang  on November 10, 2006

Special: I am Jack Frost's complete lack of surprise.

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Once upon a time, outside the realm of mainstream RPGs, there was a land known as Shin Megami Tensei. It was a scary place where angels dare not to tread, lest they be enslaved and dolled up in leather bondage gear. No safe zones where one could rest weary feet. Sparsely located save points. Instant-death spells regularly cast on unwelcome parties. Random battles within random battles. Philosophies to follow or ignore. Enormous phallic demons. What sick gods could have created such a region of darkness? There are many, far too many to name, but there is one that bears the responsibility of luring in quite a few travelers with his eye-pleasing creations. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... Kazuma Kaneko.

Excessive introductions aside, Kazuma Kaneko is an artist acclaimed to fame for his contributions to Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, Devil May Cry 3, and of course, the Megami Tensei series. His illustrations are equally attractive and eerie; Kaneko's demons are often an interesting interpretation of mythologies and religions, while the humans, though regularly having gaudy fashion sense, are pale and contemplative. It's a strange mixture of the vivid and the melancholy; considering the material he works with, it fits perfectly. Trying to imagine a Megami Tensei game without his involvement is truly a difficult task but don't imagine too hard since a break from Kaneko's art direction has become reality with the release of Persona 3.

So here we have a look at two of his artbooks in case you're ever in the market for them. Worthy buys or a waste of paper? Read on!

Kazuma Kaneko Works: Volume One
Artist: Kazuma Kaneko
ISBN: 4-7753-0315-5
Publisher: Shinkigensha
First Published: December 2004
Format: Hardcover, 7.5 x 10 inches
Language: Japanese
Pages: 250
Price: $45 US
Place of Purchase: Akadot Retail

Marking the reprinting of Kaneko's artwork, Kazuma Kaneko Works: Volume One is for the first game he did designs for: Shin Megami Tensei. The second volume is for Shin Megami Tensei II and I'm under the impression the next one may be for whatever was released afterwards (1994's Shin Megami Tensei ifЕ) and then so on. Apparently there are nine volumes in the making, which sounds right, seeing how there are at least ten Megami Tensei games he's had a hand in. Nonetheless, this is all about Volume One.

As stated, Volume One is comprised of the character designs for Shin Megami Tensei. Yes, that includes the demons, so there are around 215 pages of character art. The book is divided into sections for each demon alignment: Light, Neutral, Dark, and Others, with СOthers' being the humans and some earlier versions of demons. The remaining pages are for the exposition, which is commentary for every single character in the previous pages. Extensive? You bet.

However, it should be understood that this is an artbook for Shin Megami Tensei. What I mean by that is Kaneko's artwork does not look like the artwork of today. Granted, we can see the beginnings of his style, but this is all old work. Dated from 1992, I'd assume. Besides the cover art, there's nothing like his present style so consider this your warning. It's actually odd, what with the rerelease of Shin Megami Tensei for the Playstation in 2001 and for the Gameboy Advance in 2003. Kaneko did update the designs for characters to his present style but they aren't in Volume One. Perhaps in one of the later volumes?

If you're hoping that Volume One contains sketches and rough work, there are none. All of it is final art, with each character design getting a page to itself. While it's a shame we don't get to see more poses or illustrations aside from the characters, it does make the book well-organized and utilitarian.

It also comes with a Megami Tensei pencil board, which has all the demon sprites on it, and a 38 paged booklet.

Final Thoughts: Kazuma Kaneko Works: Volume One should be bought only by fans of Megami Tensei or those who wish to see Kaneko's earlier style, because if you come expecting the refined style he has now, you'll be disappointed. Otherwise it's a great blast from the past.

Kaneko Kazuma Graphics Ц Pandaemonium: Character Volume
Artist: Kazuma Kaneko
ISBN: 4-7577-0915-3
Publisher: Enterbrain
First Published: October 2002
Format: Softcover, 8.25 x 8 inches
Language: Japanese
Pages: 211
Price: $25 US (pre-owned)
Place of Purchase: jpqueen

Kaneko Kazuma Graphics Ц Pandaemonium: Character Volume is part of a three volume set: two volumes of demons and one of characters. As the title suggests, this is the one with the characters. Games covered in this are 1995's Devil Summoner, 1996's Revelations: Persona, 1998's Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, 1999's Persona 2: Innocent Sin, 1999's Maken X, and 2000's Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Whew, half a decade's in there.

Out of the 211 pages, I'd estimate 190 are illustrations, all of which are divided up into sections by their respective series. First there's the Devil Summoner series, then Persona, and finally Maken. Under every illustration is a brief blurb describing it, so you can read the exposition then and there instead of flipping to the end like with the Kazuma Kaneko Works volumes.

In this book we can see Kaneko's style shift to his more modern work clearly. It's especially noticeable in the Persona section, whenЕoh, comparing Revelations: Persona's Maki with the Maki of Eternal Punishment. Watching how an artist matures has always been somewhat of a hobby for me, so this book pretty much captured my fascination from the start. One thing I did notice was how his early art was more warm, with smiles, bright eyes, and had skin color. Some time passes and then they have subdued expressions, a cool gaze, and the majority is spectral white. How things change, hm? Now, those are just Kaneko's humans. His non-humans, on the other hand, maintain the distinct flavor throughout the years.

Like the Kazuma Kaneko Works, each character is given a single page. Exceptions would be those who make more appearances in later games, making an update necessary. In the Maken X/Shao section, there are also different versions of characters, due to the process of localization. Nothing calls for censorship like blatant swastikas on enemies! Also like Kazuma Kaneko Works, there is no rough work or non-character illustrations. So sorry, that drawing of the Devil Summoner gang standing around looking pimp isn't going to be there.

Final Thoughts
Kaneko Kazuma Graphics Ц Pandaemonium: Character Volume is likely out of print by now, so chances are it'll be second hand if you're getting it. Since there are the Kazuma Kaneko Works volumes coming out, reasons for picking this up may be negated. Then again, each new volume appears to take a couple of years to be released, so you if don't feel like waiting, here's an option. It's a good buy for the price and the fact that there are six games worth of character art in this sweetens everything.