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Nijiiro Densho Collection Vol. 5

March 14th, 2010, 8:06PM by nat | 4 comments

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 1

I feel like Koutaro (こうたろ) is one of those artists where you may not know the name, but you've definitely seen his work. If you tuned into the girls baseball anime Taishō Yakyū Musume last year, then you were looking at his adapted character designs. Operating under the circle name Nijiiro Zakura, Nijiiro Densho is the 5th colorful illustration book released in this series.

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 2 Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 3

And if you ordered Nijiiro Densho when it was on sale on Toranoana, it came with a specially illustrated 2010 New Year's postcard by Koutaro, as pictured above.

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 4 Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 5

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 6 Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 7

This collection is B5 sized and is 32-pages when you count including the covers. They're included in the page numbering either way ^^; The first 13 pages are all original illustrations, and I'd say they're the highlight of the collection. There is some nudity in this collection, but it's kind of expected from Koutaro.

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 9Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 10Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 11

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 12Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 13Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 14

There are a few copyright illustrations in this collection, namely four from the aforementioned Taishō Yakyū Musume and one Black Lagoon illustration of Revy (that unfortunately looks like it was enlarged to fit the print resolution). And the two groping girls are from a PC game called Tropical Kiss (トロピカル KISS).

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 15Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 17Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 18

The book finishes with three pages of line art along with some smaller tiled illustrations of characters from a website (I think). Nijiiro Densho is a very standard release from Koutaro. I have a few by him, and knowing what to expect makes it an easier purchase overall. Of course, with this many color illustration doujins under his belt, you'd think there would be room for an art book release in the near future! And one that isn't Rio de Channel related ^^;

Nijiiro Densho by Koutaro (こうたろ) - 16

And by the way, it's still on sale on Toranoana for ¥1050, they're still giving out the postcard. Though realistically, is anyone really swayed by the little extras?


  • Title: Nijiiro Densho Book Collection Vol. 5
  • タイトル: 虹色伝書
  • Release Date: 12/31/2009
  • Pages: 32 (including covers)
  • Buy: Toranoana
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Avatar for Thanatos
Thanatos

14 years, 7 months ago

 

"Though realistically, is anyone really swayed by the little extras?"

Ahhh...well, I'm rather a sucker for extras actually. It really depends on what is the addition but for the most part art works usually get me....figures and whichever, not so much.

While I like Koutaro's work, they pale in comparison to more known artists such as Tomose and Tony...and even Kantoku in my own opinion. I like the overall design of his characters, the colors as well as the scenarios but there's something about the style that doesn't make their name stand out...which refers to what you said in the beginning. Recognizable yet not memorable.

I'll probably buy this just to get a single dedicated volume though actually I'm just in it for the postcard which I feel is a must since I already own all three sets for 2010 ^^;

I have yet to find the 2009 ones though...

Nice review as always.

Avatar for nat
nat

14 years, 7 months ago

 

I think what Koutaro really has going for him is the way he colors his pieces, none of those other artists do it like him where every thing is more surreal than accurate. Tomose on the other hand, has a pretty standard hentai artist style, his older work was the only thing that made him distinctive... but that's just my opinion. I'd say he's even with Kantoku in my book, way above Tomose Shunsaku and a bit below Tony :D We've all got our biases :3

Hmm... I've reconsidered. I like easily attainable extras.

Avatar for vinhnyu
vinhnyu

14 years, 7 months ago

 

It's kinda rare to see fanarts of Taishou Yakyuu Musume, it looks great.

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Anonymous

14 years, 7 months ago

 

Seriously hot stuff, DO WANT!