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Hipira
Welcome to the vampire city of Saruta, where the sun never rises, and all the vampire children love trying to stay up late. Hipira is a precocious young vampire whose best friend is a fairy named Soul. Hipira and Soul are an odd couple to say the least, and their games, pranks and adventures are extraordinary even for dwellers of this supernatural city. Hipira is a delightfully bright twist to traditionally dark subject matter. Filled with fun, wonder and heart, the illustrations look like they have been pulled off the screen of a top-flight animated feature. Hipira is a children's book like no other, one that will appeal to readers of all ages.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2002
About the author
Katsuhiro Otomo
314 books888 followersKatsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, film director, and screenwriter. For his works in Japanese see 大友克洋. He is perhaps best known for being the creator of the manga Akira and its anime adaptation, which are extremely famous and influential. Otomo has also directed several live-action films, such as the recent 2006 feature film adaptation of the Mushishi manga.
Katsuhiro Otomo was born in the former town of Hasama, in Miyagi Prefecture.
As a teenager growing up in the turbulent 1960s, he was surrounded by the demonstrations of both students and workers against the Japanese government. The riots, demonstrations, and overall chaotic conditions of this time would serve as the inspiration for his best known work, Akira. Some would argue that this seminal work is an allegory of 1960s Japan, and that one could easily substitute the year 2019 for 1969 and leave little difference in the basic story.
The animation from this period (especially the works coming out of Tokyo animation studios Mushi Production and Toei Doga, now known as TOEI Animation) were influencing young Otomo. Works like Tetsujin 28-go, Astro Boy, and Hols: Prince of the Sun would help push Otomo toward a career in animation. However, it was the films coming out of America that were driving his rebellious nature. Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider would serve as inspiration for Shotaro Kaneda and his biker gang in Akira: rebellious youth who took too many drugs and didn't care about authority or the pressures put on them by their parents' generation.
Otomo has recently worked extensively with noted studio Sunrise with the studio animating and producing his most recent projects, the 2004 feature film Steamboy, 2006's Freedom Project and his latest project, SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next, released in 2007.
Otomo grew up a fanatic of American blockbusters, which has influenced his cinematic style throughout his huge career. He grew fond of the work of artists like Moebius, and is often regarded as the person who brought a Westernized style into manga. From the late seventies onwards, Otomo created numerous volumes of anthologies and short stories, which usually ran at 23 pages each. Serialization for Fireball was cancelled, though the premise and themes were later to appear in the Sci-Fi Grand Prix award winning Domu and Akira. Otomo later moved onto directing and creating notable anime like the film adaption of Akira, Memories, and Steamboy. His most recent manga have been the scripting of Mother Sarah and the short story Park released in an issue of Pafu last year. He has also directed several live action films, such as World Apartment Horror, Give Us A Gun/Give Us Freedom, and the 2006 feature film adaptation of the Mushishi manga.
Katsuhiro Otomo was born in the former town of Hasama, in Miyagi Prefecture.
As a teenager growing up in the turbulent 1960s, he was surrounded by the demonstrations of both students and workers against the Japanese government. The riots, demonstrations, and overall chaotic conditions of this time would serve as the inspiration for his best known work, Akira. Some would argue that this seminal work is an allegory of 1960s Japan, and that one could easily substitute the year 2019 for 1969 and leave little difference in the basic story.
The animation from this period (especially the works coming out of Tokyo animation studios Mushi Production and Toei Doga, now known as TOEI Animation) were influencing young Otomo. Works like Tetsujin 28-go, Astro Boy, and Hols: Prince of the Sun would help push Otomo toward a career in animation. However, it was the films coming out of America that were driving his rebellious nature. Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider would serve as inspiration for Shotaro Kaneda and his biker gang in Akira: rebellious youth who took too many drugs and didn't care about authority or the pressures put on them by their parents' generation.
Otomo has recently worked extensively with noted studio Sunrise with the studio animating and producing his most recent projects, the 2004 feature film Steamboy, 2006's Freedom Project and his latest project, SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next, released in 2007.
Otomo grew up a fanatic of American blockbusters, which has influenced his cinematic style throughout his huge career. He grew fond of the work of artists like Moebius, and is often regarded as the person who brought a Westernized style into manga. From the late seventies onwards, Otomo created numerous volumes of anthologies and short stories, which usually ran at 23 pages each. Serialization for Fireball was cancelled, though the premise and themes were later to appear in the Sci-Fi Grand Prix award winning Domu and Akira. Otomo later moved onto directing and creating notable anime like the film adaption of Akira, Memories, and Steamboy. His most recent manga have been the scripting of Mother Sarah and the short story Park released in an issue of Pafu last year. He has also directed several live action films, such as World Apartment Horror, Give Us A Gun/Give Us Freedom, and the 2006 feature film adaptation of the Mushishi manga.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 2, 2023
اخیرا دارم کارهای کاتسوهیرو اوتومو رو میخونم (بیشترشون اصلا توی گودریدز نیستن) و واقعا لذت میبرم که یک نویسنده میتونه یک گسترهی بزرگی از سبکها و ژانرهای مختلف رو پوشش بده و توی تقریبا همشون کارش خوب باشن.
داستان این کتاب در مورد ماجراهای یک بچه خون آشام توی شهرِ خونآشامهائه که با یک روح دوست میشه. چهارتا ماجرا داره و راستشو بخواین هیچ نتیجهگیری اخلاقی خاصی توشون نیست، اما قطعا به عنوان داستان کودک خیلی جالبن.
داستان این کتاب در مورد ماجراهای یک بچه خون آشام توی شهرِ خونآشامهائه که با یک روح دوست میشه. چهارتا ماجرا داره و راستشو بخواین هیچ نتیجهگیری اخلاقی خاصی توشون نیست، اما قطعا به عنوان داستان کودک خیلی جالبن.
July 21, 2012
Amazing art, and wonderful story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a kid at heart, or just a huge fan, like myself, of Manga, Anime, and has kids to share it with.
July 21, 2016
2.5 stars
October 29, 2022
That was seriously so cute.
July 31, 2021
Great artwork. Ok story.
April 13, 2011
Readers that spot Katsuhiro Otomo's name may immediately think of his more complex works like the sprawling
Akira
or
Domu: A Child's Dream.
Hipira, a picture-book for children, is something else altogether.
I actually enjoyed the art (by animation designer Shinji Kimura) more than the story, which was aiming for Alice-in-Wonderland whimsy but falls short.
Hipira is a messy hodgepodge of quirky characters and situations without a coherent story hold it all together. The characters provide the building blocks for a fun ride—Hipira, a tiny vampire; Soul, a legless, lightbulb-headed sprite; pixies; giant toads; Jack-and-the-Beanstalk style sprouts; one-eyed vampire professors, and more. But the raw materials don't really build a satisfying tale. I tried to give this a chance, but I'm afraid all of the points go to the artist, not Otomo.
I actually enjoyed the art (by animation designer Shinji Kimura) more than the story, which was aiming for Alice-in-Wonderland whimsy but falls short.
Hipira is a messy hodgepodge of quirky characters and situations without a coherent story hold it all together. The characters provide the building blocks for a fun ride—Hipira, a tiny vampire; Soul, a legless, lightbulb-headed sprite; pixies; giant toads; Jack-and-the-Beanstalk style sprouts; one-eyed vampire professors, and more. But the raw materials don't really build a satisfying tale. I tried to give this a chance, but I'm afraid all of the points go to the artist, not Otomo.
July 28, 2012
Strange cute tale of a vampire child living in a vampire city. Wonderful illustrations!
March 30, 2021
Children's book style = no "phylactéres"
Humbug! I thought it was bd not a cb.
Obviously done by dudes- it's like a 5-1 weenie roast.
The stories within are flat and it's a super quick read.
The art is really all that shines within this town of night.
Humbug! I thought it was bd not a cb.
Obviously done by dudes- it's like a 5-1 weenie roast.
The stories within are flat and it's a super quick read.
The art is really all that shines within this town of night.
February 19, 2021
A cute little children's book that had been hilariously labeled Manga. Cute art but the story is kind all over the place. Still enjoyed it, glad I picked it up.
September 28, 2021
this was super adorable!
September 12, 2022
Super cute fantasy about little vampire boy.
April 20, 2016
I do not know if Goodreads ever recommended me this children's book but I saw the cover on my library database and I thought why not check out a children's book and read it? So I did and I am glad that I encounter this book. I did not realize at the time but Katsuhiro Otomo (the author) is the famous creator of Akira which sadly I won't read anytime soon since I've seen the film. When I saw his name I figured I was in for a nice joy ride and I was right.
In this fantasy town of Salta is a small city with a big castle that overlooks the city and the city itself has wall fortress surrounding Salta. In this town, Vampires live and exist where no sunlight has risen in 2,000 years. We meet this vampire boy name Hipira who believes he is scary vampire. One day he sees the Elder of the Vampires is doing something inside the castle because of the sparks of light coming out and decides to discover what is going on. When he arrives to the top, he discovers that the Elder has collected Human souls for over hundred of years because he wants to turn them into sprites which if a vampire eats will go to Hell and for Vampires, hell is definitely good. When the professor is done with his experiment, he realizes that he has failed because the sprite wasn't complete because it did not grow legs. The Elder is angry about the whole situation and Hipira makes a new friend called Soul.
Over the course of the book we get insight to Hipira & Soul and their mini-adventures around Salta. We get to met random creatures and see how every obstacle that comes Hipira and Soul's path, they are always willing to work together and solve the mystery. I would highly recommend this book for everyone who is into cute children's book but I have to warn you that this story has no plot. I do not know if its because the lost of words in translation but there isn't enough background information on our characters and Salta. I believe because of this issue we really do not connect and get insight into these characters and find the meaning of friendship to be less impactful as other children's books.
You may be wondering why I rated this book 5 stars? Its that simple which is the artwork. The illustrations were mind-blowing and utterly beautiful. I felt like the illustrator really put hard work into these drawings and just make the world building spectacular. I really love how unique they designed the vampires and the other characters and I felt like children can enjoy and relate to these characters. While it may lack a plot, the drawings of Hipira, Soul, and Salta is worth the read.
In this fantasy town of Salta is a small city with a big castle that overlooks the city and the city itself has wall fortress surrounding Salta. In this town, Vampires live and exist where no sunlight has risen in 2,000 years. We meet this vampire boy name Hipira who believes he is scary vampire. One day he sees the Elder of the Vampires is doing something inside the castle because of the sparks of light coming out and decides to discover what is going on. When he arrives to the top, he discovers that the Elder has collected Human souls for over hundred of years because he wants to turn them into sprites which if a vampire eats will go to Hell and for Vampires, hell is definitely good. When the professor is done with his experiment, he realizes that he has failed because the sprite wasn't complete because it did not grow legs. The Elder is angry about the whole situation and Hipira makes a new friend called Soul.
Over the course of the book we get insight to Hipira & Soul and their mini-adventures around Salta. We get to met random creatures and see how every obstacle that comes Hipira and Soul's path, they are always willing to work together and solve the mystery. I would highly recommend this book for everyone who is into cute children's book but I have to warn you that this story has no plot. I do not know if its because the lost of words in translation but there isn't enough background information on our characters and Salta. I believe because of this issue we really do not connect and get insight into these characters and find the meaning of friendship to be less impactful as other children's books.
You may be wondering why I rated this book 5 stars? Its that simple which is the artwork. The illustrations were mind-blowing and utterly beautiful. I felt like the illustrator really put hard work into these drawings and just make the world building spectacular. I really love how unique they designed the vampires and the other characters and I felt like children can enjoy and relate to these characters. While it may lack a plot, the drawings of Hipira, Soul, and Salta is worth the read.
August 27, 2012
I stumbled upon this title on my neverending search for books on vampires, and I'm glad I found it.
Hipira is presented with five different short stories surrounding our character. Hipira is a vampire who lives in the town of Salta where the sun never rises and everyone is a vampire. The stories presented run into each other, almost like chapters in a normal book, so your characters from your first story are in your second and so forth.
We are told thru the stories here about the town elder who has collected the souls of humans to make sprites. If the vampires drink the blood of said sprites, they go to their equivalent of heaven which is called hell. Hipira and the escaped sprite, Soul, from the first story become best friends and help to save the oldest briar tree from withering and dying; play pranks at Hipira's school; tell how sunglasses became all the rage and how Hipira and Soul gained a new friend.
The pictures are dark by means of the usage of blacks, charcoals, greys, crimsons, etc. The stories presented are easy enough for a child to understand and not be afraid with the pranks and helping of others that are within, as well as being understood perhaps on a different level for adults.
Awaiting a follow-up..
Hipira is presented with five different short stories surrounding our character. Hipira is a vampire who lives in the town of Salta where the sun never rises and everyone is a vampire. The stories presented run into each other, almost like chapters in a normal book, so your characters from your first story are in your second and so forth.
We are told thru the stories here about the town elder who has collected the souls of humans to make sprites. If the vampires drink the blood of said sprites, they go to their equivalent of heaven which is called hell. Hipira and the escaped sprite, Soul, from the first story become best friends and help to save the oldest briar tree from withering and dying; play pranks at Hipira's school; tell how sunglasses became all the rage and how Hipira and Soul gained a new friend.
The pictures are dark by means of the usage of blacks, charcoals, greys, crimsons, etc. The stories presented are easy enough for a child to understand and not be afraid with the pranks and helping of others that are within, as well as being understood perhaps on a different level for adults.
Awaiting a follow-up..
March 11, 2013
This was in our library with the children's picture books. It isn't true a kid's picture book. If I had known that going in I might have liked it better.
October 9, 2015
The art is some of the most phenomenal that I've seen in a children's book, but the text is often disjointed and nonlinear. I surmise this is owing to the translation from the original Japanese.
February 22, 2021
All of the stars go to the superb art style.
January 18, 2008
See my blog post on it:
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews