Discussion Tomokazu Komiya
- Thread starter Ophie
- Start date
CMP...I like the Dark Omanyte too. #iamahypocrite
I think his old stuff is a bit better than his new, because come on. What is this!?
Also, I think Fukuda is a little more busy these days. We see a lot more of him, so I don't think he's gonna do as many awesome things as he did with EX Deoxys. safari, I love that card. (Used to own it...)
Amazing. And the Mew star. All the stars were Fukuda's work. And all of them were near perfect.
I think his old stuff is a bit better than his new, because come on. What is this!?
Also, I think Fukuda is a little more busy these days. We see a lot more of him, so I don't think he's gonna do as many awesome things as he did with EX Deoxys. safari, I love that card. (Used to own it...)
Amazing. And the Mew star. All the stars were Fukuda's work. And all of them were near perfect.
I've always assumed he was having an intense time listening to this.
I like Kouki Saitou since way back Gen 4, he puts mountains on his artworks like Platinum Chimchar, forest to be clarify.
Himeno is also the illustrator that I like, more 3D-ish
Komiya is one of the best, most original artists who's been around since the Vending Series and has never (thankfully) compromised his style nor his substance later on and naturally evolved. As an artist that is a highly inspirational thing to accomplish. This also applies with Yuka Morii whom I wish her work could be elevated into higher rare cards – the highest rarity I've seen her work get to is Holofoils such as this highly adequate Slowbro (EX FireRed & LeafGreen, 14)
and Bruno's Steelix (VS, 84). Most people who criticize their work don't seem to realise that not everyone else's commission has to conform to keeping accurate proportions with Ken Sugimori's and Mitsuhiro Arita's original interpretations of the monsters we all love and that lingering impression around, that they all only can be portrayed in having only one expression (e.g. why is every adaptation of Gyarados intimating and aggressive save for this one? (even if it is about to deliver a tsunami to that house). Most of the people here clearly seem to feel safe by choosing more simplistic, safer designers as their proffered visualisation over the characters they love so that those characters are always in the attitude that they always meant to have. I can relate to some extent since I started writing a card wishlist last year that was based completely on aesthetic and sentimental collectors purpose and I'm now evaluating it because I'm weeding out the more uninteresting, dry artworks and worthless cards but I digress.Aside from the glory days with the ☆ cards (which are overlooked when thinking about them in comparison to Shining and Crystal beforehand), Fukuada is boringly bland. Practically copying style for style what Ken Sugimori does. Looking back at the TCG, Ken Sugimori's work isn't all that. His choice to produce more generically static over dynamic figures is because his primary work is to produce base stock concept art for official character debuting, it's when he is making scenery works outside of the TCG such as this one, this and this in particular does he still shine. Entei (Wizard's Black Star Promo, 34) and Shining Gyarados (Neo Revelation. 65)
Tomokazu Komiya's unique psychedelic simulacrum is forwarded by his use of emotion that delegates the setting of the foreground (as well as the background which is something rare to see used with care from TCG artists giving Komiya already a cut above the majority;
Camerupt (EX Deoxys. 4), Light Ledian (Neo Destiny, 24), however one of my favourites is his direction of the alternative Light and Dark reveries on the Slowpoke line having perfectly captured Slowpoke's (Neo Genesis, 73) intoxicated essence and reverie. This dreamy essence is then opposed brilliantly side by side reflected by its Jekyll and Hyde; the conscious, peaceful nature of Light Slowbro (Neo Destiny, 51) during the day and the malevolent, sinister plotting
Dark Slowbro (Neo Destiny, 20) at night. A daunting, ingenious work that completely twists the perception that was tied with it due to its original interpretation of its general optimistic nature. A personal favourite, undoubtedly one of the most interesting single Rares from such a legendary set that inevitably outweighs the standard of the Rares.
Furthermore Komiya's work has also shown focus on the anxieties and vulnerabilities of Pokémon as opposed to the usual confidence in a way that makes them feel more real towards animalistic behaviours as shown in Onix's (Vending Series 2) worry and Clefairy's (BREAKPoint, 81) possession, disillusioned from fantasy extended on his sadistic, predatory Electric Wizardian trip of Hypno (BREAKPoint, 34). He's still kicking with the eccentricity, in which this may be my favourite so far since Dark Hypno (Team Rocket, 9).
If I've still got your attention at this point on the discussion of art may I also introduce you to both my work (as much as I have my uncertainty with it and Kimiya Masago, who is the most criminally underrated artist in TCG history?
Last edited:
I do not like his art. His spheal is particularly bad.
(No ill will intended towards him, though.)
(No ill will intended towards him, though.)
In that perspective, it sort of makes sense. Most artists seems to either make badass pokemon look badass (Gyarados), cute pokemon look cute and creepy pokemon look creepy. But this artist seems to buck that trend on a regular basis. The Slowpoke/bro/king example you posted are the best example of his use of twisting perceptions. The other case I could think of where a different perception was applied to other card was the HGSS Prime cards, but even then that's mostly Blissey, as the other pokemon that got Prime cards are ones that you'd expect to look evil, menacing or intimidating.
It doesn't help that most UR cards or higher tend to have either Ryo Ueda or 5ban as illustrators and force a 3D look, making the EX and GX cards appear more generic. The full arts also tend to be that way as well regardless of depth (and make no mistake, the are both 3D-esque and 2D full art cards, the latter is used mainly for Trainers, or Radiant Collection-esque subsets). It makes me wonder how a Full Art card designed by Tomokazu Komiya would be received?
(I will say that I don't like the Onyx card)
Last edited:
There is much to be said in favor of having art like Komiya's in the TCG; I personally don't care much about it, aesthetically (I prefer Eo, Nishida, MAHOU, and Mizue, myself, since each of them has something of my own style), but that doesn't mean I'm blind to Komiya's charms.
I mean, "childish" as a derogatory is a bit hypocritical when we're talking about a card game about powerful monsters that are also your pets; not to mention that a "childish" vision can also add a lot of much-needed ingenuity and naivete to the art pool; for example, this idea is simply genius, and so is this. Not many other illustrators go that way (the Tepig line Kanako Eo did comes to mind).
The overall point is that everybody has their tastes and their strong suits, and just like we wouldn't call Van Gogh or Munch hacks because they have a distinctive way of seeing and depicting the world in their art, we shouldn't do it with Komiya either (not to mention that their art is powerful and beautiful); Komiya may not go to the full extents of Expressionism, but he's definitely more Expressionist than any other TCG artist, and that's a good thing; we wouldn't like the TCG if all cards were variations of Sugimori's original art, or his style, not to mention that his mere presence already draws from the rich history of art and puts a little bit of it on the TCG.
I mean, "childish" as a derogatory is a bit hypocritical when we're talking about a card game about powerful monsters that are also your pets; not to mention that a "childish" vision can also add a lot of much-needed ingenuity and naivete to the art pool; for example, this idea is simply genius, and so is this. Not many other illustrators go that way (the Tepig line Kanako Eo did comes to mind).
The overall point is that everybody has their tastes and their strong suits, and just like we wouldn't call Van Gogh or Munch hacks because they have a distinctive way of seeing and depicting the world in their art, we shouldn't do it with Komiya either (not to mention that their art is powerful and beautiful); Komiya may not go to the full extents of Expressionism, but he's definitely more Expressionist than any other TCG artist, and that's a good thing; we wouldn't like the TCG if all cards were variations of Sugimori's original art, or his style, not to mention that his mere presence already draws from the rich history of art and puts a little bit of it on the TCG.