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The Art of Blade Runner: Black Lotus
The Art of Blade Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series.
The Art of Blade Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. Concept art, sketchwork, pre-viz, animation tests, final frames and more, are paired alongside interviews with the masterminds behind the show to give fans the full story of Black Lotus .
Respected co-directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama provide an exclusive, in-depth interview that explores their relationship with the Blade Runner universe, and their intimate analyses of and inspiration behind the characters. Alcon producers describe the creative journey, that spans many years prior, behind what they envisioned for the story, how Black Lotus would fit in the wider Blade Runner narrative, and who they wanted the protagonist to be. The writers explain how they conceptualised the characters and the voice actors share their personal journeys and light-hearted anecdotes on how they brought those characters to life. The lighting and animation team also share how they captured Blade Runner ’s cyberpunk visual and auditory palette in a new medium for the anime.
Written by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, this book is illustrated to the brim with concept art that is beautifully vivid and presented in a gallery format throughout the book; organised chronologically by character, location, and event as they are introduced in the show. Readers will be able to breeze through this companion guide as they watch the show for a deeper, richer, and more personal viewing experience. At the back of the book, you’ll find never-before-seen sketches of the Black Out short films that accompanied Blade Runner 2049 .
The Art of Blade Black Lotus is a study and celebration of the artwork that went into making the first ever Blade Runner animated series. Concept art, sketchwork, pre-viz, animation tests, final frames and more, are paired alongside interviews with the masterminds behind the show to give fans the full story of Black Lotus .
Respected co-directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama provide an exclusive, in-depth interview that explores their relationship with the Blade Runner universe, and their intimate analyses of and inspiration behind the characters. Alcon producers describe the creative journey, that spans many years prior, behind what they envisioned for the story, how Black Lotus would fit in the wider Blade Runner narrative, and who they wanted the protagonist to be. The writers explain how they conceptualised the characters and the voice actors share their personal journeys and light-hearted anecdotes on how they brought those characters to life. The lighting and animation team also share how they captured Blade Runner ’s cyberpunk visual and auditory palette in a new medium for the anime.
Written by Japanamerica author Roland Kelts, this book is illustrated to the brim with concept art that is beautifully vivid and presented in a gallery format throughout the book; organised chronologically by character, location, and event as they are introduced in the show. Readers will be able to breeze through this companion guide as they watch the show for a deeper, richer, and more personal viewing experience. At the back of the book, you’ll find never-before-seen sketches of the Black Out short films that accompanied Blade Runner 2049 .
176 pages, Hardcover
Published November 29, 2022
About the author
Roland Kelts
4 books12 followersRoland Kelts, half-Japanese American writer, editor and lecturer, lives half of each year in Tokyo and New York. He is the author of "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture has Invaded the US," writes about contemporary Japan for several publications in the US, Japan, Europe and Canada, and is a frequent commentator on Japan for National Public Radio and the BBC. He also plays the drums.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 26, 2023
Having just finished this wonderful art book, looking at how many people have read this on Goodreads I was pretty much dumbfounded. I seem to be the second person to submit a rating.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus was an anime series based of course on the legendary classic film. The story of which takes place during the original movie and Blade Runner 2049. It wasn’t a huge succes, and that is a real shame as I really enjoyed it. It was different, but still had the same vibe of the films throughout it’s 13 episode runtime.
This book is an art book that showcases the creative talent that made the series. It doesn’t contain a lot of text, but that’s fine with me, as the art contained throughout this book more than makes up for that (and simply put that’s the reason I bought this book in the first place). There is truly some amazing artwork featured in this book, and there are plenty of two page spreads that will blow your mind. If you loved the animeseries, this is a must buy for sure. Especially, if like me, you love great sci-fi art.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus was an anime series based of course on the legendary classic film. The story of which takes place during the original movie and Blade Runner 2049. It wasn’t a huge succes, and that is a real shame as I really enjoyed it. It was different, but still had the same vibe of the films throughout it’s 13 episode runtime.
This book is an art book that showcases the creative talent that made the series. It doesn’t contain a lot of text, but that’s fine with me, as the art contained throughout this book more than makes up for that (and simply put that’s the reason I bought this book in the first place). There is truly some amazing artwork featured in this book, and there are plenty of two page spreads that will blow your mind. If you loved the animeseries, this is a must buy for sure. Especially, if like me, you love great sci-fi art.
May 15, 2025
Very good - now I want to watch the series!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews