Ten Japanese Anime & Gaming Art Books We’d Love to Have

Did you know that MiauMall partnered with Japanese book seller Tohan? With that we added tons of Japanese books that would be super rare or hard to find anywhere outside of Japan. And among our new library are some really cool anime and manga art books that we honestly wish we could keep for ourselves!

So let’s dive into 10 Japanese anime and gaming art books that we need for our own coffee tables and bookshelves. Fair warning: I’m a huge JRPG fan, so you’ll see quite a few JRPG books on the list.

And if you want to get your hands on any of the books on this list, check out our brand new Japanese Book selection!

1) Square Enix FINAL FANTASY X 25th Anniversary Visual Art Book -Eternal Spira-

I’m starting this list with my personal favorite game of all time–Final Fantasy X. FFX is experiencing its 25th anniversary and it’s still one of the most iconic JRPGs the world has had the joy to experience. To celebrate, Square Enix released tons of exclusive merch this summer, including this limited-edition art book featuring artwork from over the years.

It even has illustrations created just for the FFX Kabuki show (which I saw in person). And with illustrations from FFX-2 as well, you’ll have plenty of amazing art to look at! Honestly, my goal for this month is to head to the 25th Anniversary Pop-up Event just to get this book for myself.  

2) FINAL FANTASY 14 ENDWALKER The Art of Resurrection -Beyond the Veil-

Okay, you can probably tell that I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan. And my second favorite game in the series is Final Fantasy 14, especially the Endwalker expansion pack. This amazing art book features concept art, character illustrations, weapon illustrations and more from patches 6.1-6.5. From dungeons and trials to the Paendeamonium and Myths of the Realm raids, you’ll get some really great looks at FF14 like you’ve never seen it before!

At the risk of sounding like not a true fan, I haven’t played the Dawntrail expansion yet, but The Art of Succession - Relics of Heritage art book would be my second pick if I had!

Our new book selection is perfect for filling out your manga collection as well as your anime and game collection! Image via Unsplash

3) Shuseisha Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) Anime Illustration Record Collection Series

Demon Slayer is on everyone’s minds lately with the release of the first movie in the Infinity Castle arc (and it has stayed on my mind since I saw it here in theaters). That’s why the Demon Slayer Anime Illustration Record Collection series is on our list. Each volume focuses on a different arc from the The Beginning arc to the Mugen Train arc and finishing at the Entertainment District Arc. And each book features 300 to 500+ illustrations, including new, original cover illustrations. I need this for my coffee table!

4) Persona 3 Reload Official Design Works

Going back to JRPGs, I am also a huge fan of the Persona series, a spin-off of Atlus’s Shin-Megami Tensei series. And with the relatively recent release of Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the iconic third game, this art book is a perfect bit of merch for any Persona collector.

It not only contains plenty of illustrations from both the game and the Episode Aegis expansion; it also features UI designs, setting materials, concept sketches, interviews, original content and more! In other words, you’re getting everything a diehard fan would want!

These types of books also look great on a shelf when faced outward to show off the amazing cover illustration. Image via Magnific

5) Cardcaptor Sakura Illustrations Collection Vol. 2

Fun fact about me: I’ve loved magical girl anime since Sailor Moon, and that includes Cardcaptor Sakura. That’s why my inner magical boy heart jumped when I saw that we sell the Cardcaptor Sakura Illustrations Collection Vol. 2! The collection series is actually a re-release of the original illustration collection and features beautiful artwork, commentaries, interviews, newly drawn manga and more.

Volume 2 focuses more on the Sakura Card arc instead of the Clow Card arc!

6) Delicious in Dungeon Official Recipe Book: Cook Delicious in Dungeon at Home

Dungeon Meshi, or Delicious in Dungeon, was such a cool idea for an anime and it truly captured me during my cooking show phase. Seeing delicious-looking food made from exotic dungeon creatures made me want to try it myself.

Well, the good news is that, if you felt the same, you can actually recreate the dishes yourself with the Dungeon Meshi Official Recipe Book. It has Roast Red Dragon, Phoenix Confit and 41 more recipes from the show and manga. It also doubles as an art book with illustrations and manga from the original creator, Ryoko Kui!

Honestly, this book is so cute and you can follow all of the recipes with a quick scan with your phone’s translator app. 

Fun fact: There was a pop-up in Shibuya that served food that you can actually find in this book! Image via Instagram

7) All About Kaworu Nagisa: A Child of Evangelion

This is one for those who are both obsessed with the Evangelion series (like me) and are looking to test their Japanese language skills. This book is a huge compilation of interviews, critical essays, manga pages, anime stills, artwork and more, all focused on the iconic and mysterious Kaworu Nagisa.

This book is really detailed and provides tons of information on Kaworu–and by extension, the Evangelion world–throughout all of his appearances in this legendary series. Honestly, it's a great look at one of those characters who is literally shrouded in mystery from his first introduction in the anime to his final appearance in the final film.

8) Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Collection Series

How can we talk about anime and gaming legends without talking about one of the anime GOATs–Hayao Miyazaki. While my top three are Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, the Image Board Collection Series has two volumes (on our site) featuring other great Miyazaki films.

Volume One features image board illustrations for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind which were made for the movie. Volume Two centers around the iconic Castle in the Sky. Both of them feature beautiful illustrations of your favorite characters, the iconic Miyazaki landscapes and more!

Miyazaki books are perfect for creating adding that whimsical, magical feel to your collection! Image via Unsplash

9) Witch Hat Atelier Illustration Collection

Witch Hat Atelier has been around as a manga for 10 years, but it really exploded onto the scene with an amazing anime with top-tier animation, an engaging story and overall good vibes! So it’s no wonder that it got a gorgeous art book released in Japan this year. This is actually the Japanese version of the L’Art DES Sorciers which was published last year by France’s Pika Edition.

However, it is finally released in Japan earlier this year with a special Japan-only cover illustsration and includes 10 years of black-and white and color illustrations and never-published illustrations that were made just to commemorate milestones. If you’re a fellow Witch Hat Atelier fan, this is a great book to have!

10) AAA JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Animation Key Art Collection Volume 1

There is something about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure that I just vibe with, especially the characters, their unique designs and the overall aesthetic of the anime. So seeing the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Anime Artbook made my nerd brain super excited.

This artbook revisits parts 1-3 of the anime and is packed with original artwork, stills from the anime, comments from character designers and more! 

And now you can add to your collection and make a wall of anime, gaming and manga books! Image via Unsplash

And that’s my list. There were more, but I wanted to try my best to get this list down to 10.

Honestly, we have so many cool books available on our site, whether you’re an anime & gaming fan, a manga collector, someone looking to study Japanese, or an avid Japanese book reader. If you’re looking to add to your J-library, check out our new Japanese Book Selection!