The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy Slipcased Edition

The Final Fantasy series has been a fairly big part of my life for the past decade, so I made my obligatory visits to fan-sites every now and again. Now, a handful of these websites had photo galleries dedicated to concept artwork, most of which was done by a Yoshitaka Amano. At first, I didn't get the fuss over this Yoshitaka Amano guy. He liked to make brunettes blond, and he thought that chocobos were pterodactyls. Everybody either wore nothing but a cape, or they had on garish motley costumes. I certainly saw the Final Fantasy quintessence embodied in my favorites, but some of them just seemed odd. Over the years, I started to pick up on the subtleties of Amano's works. Many of them were still, brooding, and somber; yet just as many were whimsical, vibrant, and active. But somehow, I could feel a small narrative in essentially every piece, that unmistakable Final Fantasy quality. When I saw this box set on Amazon for pre-order, and for a reasonable price, I figured it would be nice to own some of those drawings and paintings in real life, not in compressed .jpg format. I justified the preorder by telling myself that I could probably sell this for a lot of money in due time. Well, I don't want to sell this thing now that I have it. Opening up the first volume yesterday afternoon, I recognized a couple of familiar drawings. I flipped through the pages fairly quickly, until I noticed that there was a clear narrative moving along with each turn of the page. Not only had Amano documented the creative process of Final Fantasy, he was telling the game's story through his own eyes as well! I began looking at each page much more slowly, taking in the big picture as well as each individual sketch. The same as Nobuo Uematsu has defined Final Fantasy through his music, Amano truly is synonymous with the visual world of Final Fantasy. Looking through these drawings, I could see how painstakingly Square's in-game artists worked to bring Amano's visionary ideas to life with integrity and consistency. Throughout the first two volumes, it was amazing to watch as Amano's works became more detailed, more ornate, and more prolific for each successive installment in the series. Final Fantasy VI's section alone spanned over 100 pages! The final volume then showed a different, more experimental side of Amano, as he had been removed from his role at the creative helm, ceding to the likes of Tetsuya Nomura and Yusuke Naora (VII, VIII, and X), and Hideo Minaba (IX). Instead of creating many bright environments and characters, Amano shifted his focus to much more detailed, tender scenes, oftentimes through less traditional media like printmaking. Amano's emphasis on specific moments in Volume 3 casts a different tone than was captured in the first two books, but all paint an equally vivid narrative of the Final Fantasy series and its evolution. It's a spectacular journey! As for the technical details, I was surprised at how heavy the set was! I guess that's the best testament I can give to the set's durability. As others have mentioned, the outer "slipcase" is in fact an incredibly sturdy box, with an amazing cloth graphic covering the whole thing. The books themselves have nice, thick glossy paper. They are bound loosely enough that the book can be laid flat to any page but sturdily enough that pages don't feel like they'll fall out anytime soon. Perhaps the only technical complaint I have about the book is that a small number of drawings and paintings either appear to cropped to fit on a page or are magnified to take up more space. In both cases the images look slightly out of place. Overall, though, this is an incredibly detailed, faithful, and durable set. My highest recommendation both for product quality and for content. Also of note: Amazon packs this thing as if it were as fragile as an egg! I'm very impressed and thankful for the care that went into a safe delivery.

Been a long-time fan of Amano's Final Fantasy illustrations, but only recently have the disposable income to buy a book or series like this for pleasure. These books contain only Amano's illustrations. If those are all you're after, you're in the right place. Many hundreds of pages abound of character, enemy, and some environmental illustrations. The series art is amazing, no complaints there. However, there are NO notes of any kind to accompany the art. I feel this point needed a little more detail than the previous reviews that I read. The only information each book provides are name labels for the main characters of each series. There are no labels for anything else; no titles, no liner notes, no dates, no background info, no nothing. The copyright preamble was probably longer than the total word count in this book. (Correction: a handful of pieces have some sort of title ascribed to them, but it's hard to say if it was a proper title for the piece or the editor thought it sounded cool.) If you're fairly well versed in the FF series, you'll still be able to figure out what you're seeing, as each game is contained within its own section. I could ID about 95% of the illustrations with ease. But if you're like me and you take a lot of enjoyment from at least basic annotations in an art book, you'll likely be disappointed, too. For what this box set costs full price, I'd expect a little something more than just pictures. As it is, this set contains the purest form of art book: literally all art, nothing else. The binding was a little loose on Book #3, and one of the pages had a light crease. Otherwise, the quality was fine and the pearlescent box is pretty. If you just want something Final Fantasy-related for your coffee table, this set will do. If you want a more comprehensive proper art book with some actual information about said art, take your search elsewhere, as I will.

Warning: This "blog" will most likely not help you with anything and does not refund your time back! :P I pre-ordered this back in June and happily and joyfully and tearfully received my copy after release. At the time of pre-ordering I had no idea this was limited in quantity of release! I can't say I'm reviewing this for the full content as I've yet to unsealed its plastic wrapping! At this stage I don't actually want to as I preferably like my limited/collectors edition of art books and such kept sealed without a breath of oxygen. As an avid collector, I would also prefer to have multiple copies of such treasures...one to keep a virgin, the other to break open! ;) Therefore, this non-review score/rating/moogle-star is based on what I've held in my hand. It's beautifully presented with a massively weight distribution and cover with a plastic seal of death for anyone who dare lets it rip!! Mwuhahaha! I love the lavish art work on the cover of the hard bound box holding all the contents, I've never seen such elegant material used for an outer box before...but then again, I don't exactly have a huge collection of expensive art books either. It's all glittery and shiny right now, and hopefully it remains that way :) Like mentioned previously, it was only found out that there's only 1000 units produced and released! I was chatting about this stealthy move with a friend, and he came up with a theoretical reasoning of why the "magic" number wasn't announced months ago or at the beginning. So perhaps they were deciding to limited production to 1000 units and with-holding that vital information from the public until later found out practically...though still not officially or properly announced about the "magic" 1000 number!? One sneaky reason for this was, maybe, to deter 'scalpers' from pre-ordering this in great numbers and therefore 90% of buyers would have only be those who want to profit from poor fans! Had they initially announced that production will be limited to 1000, I'm willing to bet that pre-orders would have been fulfilled within a weeks or just a few days even! There would have been even less chance of any real fans getting hold of just one copy?! eBay right now would have hundreds being auctioned off or with even absolutely ridiculous prices soaring to over $2k?? As it is, I've only found 3 on evilbay, which is a huge decline compared to last week when I found over 10. I've also read on other forums that some have hope of stripped down presentations being released so that everyone else will have a chance to just own the books itself without all the glamour presentations. Selling the main attraction of the package, which are the 3 main art books, may alleviate some hard-done-by would be owners. It is a shame there were only 1000 units released, and I sure hope the individual books will be available to the mass sooner rather than later. I sure would (re-)purchase the books so that I can indefinitely keep the Limited Edition sealed with a kiss! ^___^

I bought this as a gift and it was extremely well-received. The packaging and books themselves are high quality and very coffee-table-worthy. Despite being a huge fan of Amano's work (and FF) for years, there were tons of illustrations I had never seen before, and it was interesting to see how his work changed throughout the years and across the games. I believe the illustrations go chronologically from FFI-FFX. The drawings are not labeled, so someone who hasn't played all the games or has only played casually may not be able to readily identify all the characters. 11/10.

The last time a similar set was released was a couple of years ago. Granted, the previous set was a limited edition box set, but the content is very similar. For those unfamiliar with Yoshitaka Amamo, shame on you! All joking aside, the man is incredibly talented, and his art has inspired many video games, manga, and anime series. He was the main concept art creator for most every Final Fantasy up to 10. Tetsuya Nomura usually had the final design job for most of the newer Final Fantasy games. This collection contains three very large, and very well constructed texts with hundreds of pages of beautiful art from the first ten Final Fantasy games. Each volume covers a few of the games. When I first opened this collection I was amazed at the weight. This set is seriously 5 pounds at least! I know the shipping weight says 2 pounds, but there is no way that it is less than 5. Here are a few notes I think folks will find interesting: * Fabric enclosed slip case (high quality) bearing Amano-san's art. * Three high quality, very large format books with durable binding. * Nearly 600 pages of amazing art from Yoshitaka Amano * A variety of art mediums including charcoal, pencil, pen, watercolor, and more! * Format according to game, not style, so there is variety from page to page. * Highly collectible and sought after - this WILL go up in price once the initial printings are out of stock * Cheaper here than the $89.99 MSRP (Currently $53.99) * Amazing shipping from Amazon, the slipcase was inside a plastic wrap inside a form fitting box inside an Amazon box with bubble padding. No damage at all to the slipcase or the books! * A must have for any Yoshitaka Amano fan! I highly recommend this collection. From one art lover and game design book collector to another - buy it! You won't be disappointed!

Excuse the pun for just a moment and know that this will likely be the best purchase I've made all year; pound for pound some of the best value and satisfaction a physical item can bring. There is some hyberbole to this, but I'm pretty ecstatic at the moment, so being the most impartial/objective is tough. Speaking of pounds, we're talking about a ~12 lb. behemoth of a collection, complete with a fabric bound hard-shell (the slipcase) housing the three hardcover volumes inside. Amazon took care of everything with utmost care. Shipping was fast and cheap, and the condition this came in is as perfect as can be expected. As for the art itself? It's a fairly comprehensive catalogue of the work of master painter/illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, whose work in my estimation deserves (and does indeed enjoy) far more recognition than simply "the Final Fantasy guy." He is one of the best living artists in his medium, which happens to tread a shared path with a wildly popular video game franchise. What I'm getting at is his work is so much more than video game art; it's something that transcends mere concept sketches and storyboards. There are whole worlds and unborn ideas on these pages, and it feels as if the games themselves are mere participants and borrowers of this creative energy, because Amano's works stand alone and complete. Ethereal, androgynous, alien, menacing, serene and coquettish are some words that can describe the range of affect his works convey. I'm no art expert, but I can gather some influences and distill them as such: ukiyo-e, manga, art nouveau and pop-punk sensibilities all reside in Amano's work. Still, words fail, and pictures belie more than the sum of their colours and lines, so just have a look at the art and feel for yourself. In other words, these are all just very precious and somewhat pretentious ways of saying that you'll enjoy this collection even if you're not a fan of Final Fantasy, nor even a gamer at heart.

I wasn't at all prepared for the massive compendium that landed in my hands when I placed this order, especially given the 'feel like I stole it' price that I paid for it. Right off the bat, you encounter an expertly constructed, fabric covered case that when opened, reveals three very large, hardcover books. The presentation for both the case and the three books contained within is excellent, and the collection is assembled using very high quality materials that appear to be sturdy and long-lasting. The pages are a very heavy gauge, smooth paper and the inks used are very clear, sharp, and vibrant throughout, and not a single printing/color error to be found and the art direction on these initial introductions to the collection is very enjoyable as well. The artwork itself spans decades of Amano's work and while the style remains somewhat consistent throughout, you can see Amano's evolution utilizing more varying technique and mediums through the years. The first thing that hit me when I opened Vol. 1 was a wave of nostalgia, one that carried through all three volumes. I recognized many of the simple ink drawings in the early volume as what must have been the reference artwork used to create the in-game battle sprites for various creatures. Because of this, the simple ink illustrations are as interesting to me as the more fully-realized pieces. The later volumes are more focused on character concept studies and fully-realized compositional artworks using Amano's signature style with a heavy focus on linework and loose inking resulting in a very ethereal presence to many of the drawings. All-in-all, there's seemingly hundreds of pages of color artwork crammed into these books and there's certainly something interesting to be found on every page. I am very, very happy to have purchased this art collection. It exceeded my expectations in every respect and am happy to have it in my library. A highly recommended purchase not only for Final Fantasy fans, but fans of fantasy art in general.

Amazing collection. Amano truly is a visionary with the Final Fantasy references he had to work with given a time when they were pixelated sprites. This collection is magnificent. However, i guess there are random hiccups that can occur in assembly. Book 1’s cover for me, looks as though it experienced packaging issues when assembling the entire slipcased product. It has a clear scratch on the front and has scuffs and edge the material off as spots on the cover, and slightly on the back. Now, amongst all three books as well i guess printing can experience issues too as there are some black dots, smudges, smears spread around illustrations where originally were not present in other prints (NOTE: this is only present in a few illustrations throughout the books) I guess this is a unique case, but does not take away the pleasure of enjoying amano’s work. Since the front cover of Book One having these issues along with printing hiccups I'm giving this product i purchased 4/5 star rating based off of book 1’s exterior condition. But the product generally deserves a 5/5 star rating.

This is a great item: a heavy, lush, high quality set of three hardcover art books and one book about the artist, Yoshitaka Amano, himself. These books contain some previously unreleased Final Fantasy illustrations. Most of them seem to be various illustrations from Final Fantasy VI, including but not limited to unreleased renderings of Terra in a predominantly blue outfit; a bluish Shadow and his red-and-white-striped dog, Interceptor; and Locke sporting the finest of pale pink jackets. However, most of the art you will probably have seen before in some form or another. Oddly, this collection does not contain any of the promotional artwork Amano did for the series after Final Fantasy X. Surely some of it would have been available at the time this set was being assembled; maybe not. It's not enough of an omission for me to actually complain, though. The extras are fun: the flip book has a little moogle going splat on one side and a ethereal woman twirling around on the other side. The acetate print is metallic silver on a clear background; I imagine it would look great framed against dark purple or blue matting. The post-cards are pretty self-explanatory and I'd probably rather frame them than use them. And there's a card with an autograph. I know people want the autograph, but it's on its own separate card and not on the books themselves. If ever a copy of this set is published without all the extras, you'll probably eventually have a chance to get the set signed in person at one comic con or another, and maybe Amano will do a quick illustration for you to go with the autograph! Still, I am glad to have mine. I waited anxiously for this to arrive and I was not disappointed. Hopefully Dark Horse will release a stripped-down set for those who are mainly interested in the art books, which by themselves are quite beautiful and worth the price of the set.

The Final Fantasy series has been a fairly big part of my life for the past decade, so I made my obligatory visits to fan-sites every now and again. Now, a handful of these websites had photo galleries dedicated to concept artwork, most of which was done by a Yoshitaka Amano. At first, I didn't get the fuss over this Yoshitaka Amano guy. He liked to make brunettes blond, and he thought that chocobos were pterodactyls. Everybody either wore nothing but a cape, or they had on garish motley costumes. I certainly saw the Final Fantasy quintessence embodied in my favorites, but some of them just seemed odd. Over the years, I started to pick up on the subtleties of Amano's works. Many of them were still, brooding, and somber; yet just as many were whimsical, vibrant, and active. But somehow, I could feel a small narrative in essentially every piece, that unmistakable Final Fantasy quality. When I saw this box set on Amazon for pre-order, and for a reasonable price, I figured it would be nice to own some of those drawings and paintings in real life, not in compressed .jpg format. I justified the preorder by telling myself that I could probably sell this for a lot of money in due time. Well, I don't want to sell this thing now that I have it. Opening up the first volume yesterday afternoon, I recognized a couple of familiar drawings. I flipped through the pages fairly quickly, until I noticed that there was a clear narrative moving along with each turn of the page. Not only had Amano documented the creative process of Final Fantasy, he was telling the game's story through his own eyes as well! I began looking at each page much more slowly, taking in the big picture as well as each individual sketch. The same as Nobuo Uematsu has defined Final Fantasy through his music, Amano truly is synonymous with the visual world of Final Fantasy. Looking through these drawings, I could see how painstakingly Square's in-game artists worked to bring Amano's visionary ideas to life with integrity and consistency. Throughout the first two volumes, it was amazing to watch as Amano's works became more detailed, more ornate, and more prolific for each successive installment in the series. Final Fantasy VI's section alone spanned over 100 pages! The final volume then showed a different, more experimental side of Amano, as he had been removed from his role at the creative helm, ceding to the likes of Tetsuya Nomura and Yusuke Naora (VII, VIII, and X), and Hideo Minaba (IX). Instead of creating many bright environments and characters, Amano shifted his focus to much more detailed, tender scenes, oftentimes through less traditional media like printmaking. Amano's emphasis on specific moments in Volume 3 casts a different tone than was captured in the first two books, but all paint an equally vivid narrative of the Final Fantasy series and its evolution. It's a spectacular journey! As for the technical details, I was surprised at how heavy the set was! I guess that's the best testament I can give to the set's durability. As others have mentioned, the outer "slipcase" is in fact an incredibly sturdy box, with an amazing cloth graphic covering the whole thing. The books themselves have nice, thick glossy paper. They are bound loosely enough that the book can be laid flat to any page but sturdily enough that pages don't feel like they'll fall out anytime soon. Perhaps the only technical complaint I have about the book is that a small number of drawings and paintings either appear to cropped to fit on a page or are magnified to take up more space. In both cases the images look slightly out of place. Overall, though, this is an incredibly detailed, faithful, and durable set. My highest recommendation both for product quality and for content. Also of note: Amazon packs this thing as if it were as fragile as an egg! I'm very impressed and thankful for the care that went into a safe delivery.

Been a long-time fan of Amano's Final Fantasy illustrations, but only recently have the disposable income to buy a book or series like this for pleasure. These books contain only Amano's illustrations. If those are all you're after, you're in the right place. Many hundreds of pages abound of character, enemy, and some environmental illustrations. The series art is amazing, no complaints there. However, there are NO notes of any kind to accompany the art. I feel this point needed a little more detail than the previous reviews that I read. The only information each book provides are name labels for the main characters of each series. There are no labels for anything else; no titles, no liner notes, no dates, no background info, no nothing. The copyright preamble was probably longer than the total word count in this book. (Correction: a handful of pieces have some sort of title ascribed to them, but it's hard to say if it was a proper title for the piece or the editor thought it sounded cool.) If you're fairly well versed in the FF series, you'll still be able to figure out what you're seeing, as each game is contained within its own section. I could ID about 95% of the illustrations with ease. But if you're like me and you take a lot of enjoyment from at least basic annotations in an art book, you'll likely be disappointed, too. For what this box set costs full price, I'd expect a little something more than just pictures. As it is, this set contains the purest form of art book: literally all art, nothing else. The binding was a little loose on Book #3, and one of the pages had a light crease. Otherwise, the quality was fine and the pearlescent box is pretty. If you just want something Final Fantasy-related for your coffee table, this set will do. If you want a more comprehensive proper art book with some actual information about said art, take your search elsewhere, as I will.

Warning: This "blog" will most likely not help you with anything and does not refund your time back! :P I pre-ordered this back in June and happily and joyfully and tearfully received my copy after release. At the time of pre-ordering I had no idea this was limited in quantity of release! I can't say I'm reviewing this for the full content as I've yet to unsealed its plastic wrapping! At this stage I don't actually want to as I preferably like my limited/collectors edition of art books and such kept sealed without a breath of oxygen. As an avid collector, I would also prefer to have multiple copies of such treasures...one to keep a virgin, the other to break open! ;) Therefore, this non-review score/rating/moogle-star is based on what I've held in my hand. It's beautifully presented with a massively weight distribution and cover with a plastic seal of death for anyone who dare lets it rip!! Mwuhahaha! I love the lavish art work on the cover of the hard bound box holding all the contents, I've never seen such elegant material used for an outer box before...but then again, I don't exactly have a huge collection of expensive art books either. It's all glittery and shiny right now, and hopefully it remains that way :) Like mentioned previously, it was only found out that there's only 1000 units produced and released! I was chatting about this stealthy move with a friend, and he came up with a theoretical reasoning of why the "magic" number wasn't announced months ago or at the beginning. So perhaps they were deciding to limited production to 1000 units and with-holding that vital information from the public until later found out practically...though still not officially or properly announced about the "magic" 1000 number!? One sneaky reason for this was, maybe, to deter 'scalpers' from pre-ordering this in great numbers and therefore 90% of buyers would have only be those who want to profit from poor fans! Had they initially announced that production will be limited to 1000, I'm willing to bet that pre-orders would have been fulfilled within a weeks or just a few days even! There would have been even less chance of any real fans getting hold of just one copy?! eBay right now would have hundreds being auctioned off or with even absolutely ridiculous prices soaring to over $2k?? As it is, I've only found 3 on evilbay, which is a huge decline compared to last week when I found over 10. I've also read on other forums that some have hope of stripped down presentations being released so that everyone else will have a chance to just own the books itself without all the glamour presentations. Selling the main attraction of the package, which are the 3 main art books, may alleviate some hard-done-by would be owners. It is a shame there were only 1000 units released, and I sure hope the individual books will be available to the mass sooner rather than later. I sure would (re-)purchase the books so that I can indefinitely keep the Limited Edition sealed with a kiss! ^___^

I bought this as a gift and it was extremely well-received. The packaging and books themselves are high quality and very coffee-table-worthy. Despite being a huge fan of Amano's work (and FF) for years, there were tons of illustrations I had never seen before, and it was interesting to see how his work changed throughout the years and across the games. I believe the illustrations go chronologically from FFI-FFX. The drawings are not labeled, so someone who hasn't played all the games or has only played casually may not be able to readily identify all the characters. 11/10.

The last time a similar set was released was a couple of years ago. Granted, the previous set was a limited edition box set, but the content is very similar. For those unfamiliar with Yoshitaka Amamo, shame on you! All joking aside, the man is incredibly talented, and his art has inspired many video games, manga, and anime series. He was the main concept art creator for most every Final Fantasy up to 10. Tetsuya Nomura usually had the final design job for most of the newer Final Fantasy games. This collection contains three very large, and very well constructed texts with hundreds of pages of beautiful art from the first ten Final Fantasy games. Each volume covers a few of the games. When I first opened this collection I was amazed at the weight. This set is seriously 5 pounds at least! I know the shipping weight says 2 pounds, but there is no way that it is less than 5. Here are a few notes I think folks will find interesting: * Fabric enclosed slip case (high quality) bearing Amano-san's art. * Three high quality, very large format books with durable binding. * Nearly 600 pages of amazing art from Yoshitaka Amano * A variety of art mediums including charcoal, pencil, pen, watercolor, and more! * Format according to game, not style, so there is variety from page to page. * Highly collectible and sought after - this WILL go up in price once the initial printings are out of stock * Cheaper here than the $89.99 MSRP (Currently $53.99) * Amazing shipping from Amazon, the slipcase was inside a plastic wrap inside a form fitting box inside an Amazon box with bubble padding. No damage at all to the slipcase or the books! * A must have for any Yoshitaka Amano fan! I highly recommend this collection. From one art lover and game design book collector to another - buy it! You won't be disappointed!

Excuse the pun for just a moment and know that this will likely be the best purchase I've made all year; pound for pound some of the best value and satisfaction a physical item can bring. There is some hyberbole to this, but I'm pretty ecstatic at the moment, so being the most impartial/objective is tough. Speaking of pounds, we're talking about a ~12 lb. behemoth of a collection, complete with a fabric bound hard-shell (the slipcase) housing the three hardcover volumes inside. Amazon took care of everything with utmost care. Shipping was fast and cheap, and the condition this came in is as perfect as can be expected. As for the art itself? It's a fairly comprehensive catalogue of the work of master painter/illustrator Yoshitaka Amano, whose work in my estimation deserves (and does indeed enjoy) far more recognition than simply "the Final Fantasy guy." He is one of the best living artists in his medium, which happens to tread a shared path with a wildly popular video game franchise. What I'm getting at is his work is so much more than video game art; it's something that transcends mere concept sketches and storyboards. There are whole worlds and unborn ideas on these pages, and it feels as if the games themselves are mere participants and borrowers of this creative energy, because Amano's works stand alone and complete. Ethereal, androgynous, alien, menacing, serene and coquettish are some words that can describe the range of affect his works convey. I'm no art expert, but I can gather some influences and distill them as such: ukiyo-e, manga, art nouveau and pop-punk sensibilities all reside in Amano's work. Still, words fail, and pictures belie more than the sum of their colours and lines, so just have a look at the art and feel for yourself. In other words, these are all just very precious and somewhat pretentious ways of saying that you'll enjoy this collection even if you're not a fan of Final Fantasy, nor even a gamer at heart.

I wasn't at all prepared for the massive compendium that landed in my hands when I placed this order, especially given the 'feel like I stole it' price that I paid for it. Right off the bat, you encounter an expertly constructed, fabric covered case that when opened, reveals three very large, hardcover books. The presentation for both the case and the three books contained within is excellent, and the collection is assembled using very high quality materials that appear to be sturdy and long-lasting. The pages are a very heavy gauge, smooth paper and the inks used are very clear, sharp, and vibrant throughout, and not a single printing/color error to be found and the art direction on these initial introductions to the collection is very enjoyable as well. The artwork itself spans decades of Amano's work and while the style remains somewhat consistent throughout, you can see Amano's evolution utilizing more varying technique and mediums through the years. The first thing that hit me when I opened Vol. 1 was a wave of nostalgia, one that carried through all three volumes. I recognized many of the simple ink drawings in the early volume as what must have been the reference artwork used to create the in-game battle sprites for various creatures. Because of this, the simple ink illustrations are as interesting to me as the more fully-realized pieces. The later volumes are more focused on character concept studies and fully-realized compositional artworks using Amano's signature style with a heavy focus on linework and loose inking resulting in a very ethereal presence to many of the drawings. All-in-all, there's seemingly hundreds of pages of color artwork crammed into these books and there's certainly something interesting to be found on every page. I am very, very happy to have purchased this art collection. It exceeded my expectations in every respect and am happy to have it in my library. A highly recommended purchase not only for Final Fantasy fans, but fans of fantasy art in general.

Amazing collection. Amano truly is a visionary with the Final Fantasy references he had to work with given a time when they were pixelated sprites. This collection is magnificent. However, i guess there are random hiccups that can occur in assembly. Book 1’s cover for me, looks as though it experienced packaging issues when assembling the entire slipcased product. It has a clear scratch on the front and has scuffs and edge the material off as spots on the cover, and slightly on the back. Now, amongst all three books as well i guess printing can experience issues too as there are some black dots, smudges, smears spread around illustrations where originally were not present in other prints (NOTE: this is only present in a few illustrations throughout the books) I guess this is a unique case, but does not take away the pleasure of enjoying amano’s work. Since the front cover of Book One having these issues along with printing hiccups I'm giving this product i purchased 4/5 star rating based off of book 1’s exterior condition. But the product generally deserves a 5/5 star rating.

This is a great item: a heavy, lush, high quality set of three hardcover art books and one book about the artist, Yoshitaka Amano, himself. These books contain some previously unreleased Final Fantasy illustrations. Most of them seem to be various illustrations from Final Fantasy VI, including but not limited to unreleased renderings of Terra in a predominantly blue outfit; a bluish Shadow and his red-and-white-striped dog, Interceptor; and Locke sporting the finest of pale pink jackets. However, most of the art you will probably have seen before in some form or another. Oddly, this collection does not contain any of the promotional artwork Amano did for the series after Final Fantasy X. Surely some of it would have been available at the time this set was being assembled; maybe not. It's not enough of an omission for me to actually complain, though. The extras are fun: the flip book has a little moogle going splat on one side and a ethereal woman twirling around on the other side. The acetate print is metallic silver on a clear background; I imagine it would look great framed against dark purple or blue matting. The post-cards are pretty self-explanatory and I'd probably rather frame them than use them. And there's a card with an autograph. I know people want the autograph, but it's on its own separate card and not on the books themselves. If ever a copy of this set is published without all the extras, you'll probably eventually have a chance to get the set signed in person at one comic con or another, and maybe Amano will do a quick illustration for you to go with the autograph! Still, I am glad to have mine. I waited anxiously for this to arrive and I was not disappointed. Hopefully Dark Horse will release a stripped-down set for those who are mainly interested in the art books, which by themselves are quite beautiful and worth the price of the set.

When I first acquired this, the first thing I noticed was its weight. I mean, this thing is heavy. Not only that, but it came wrapped VERY thickly with bubble wrap. So much bubble wrap that it took awhile to get through it all, but I guess when you pay as much as you do for a special collection of hardback books, you want to know you're getting them in mint condition. After getting through all of the wrapping, I was absolutely elated to pull gently on the little ribbon to the right edge of the slipcase, which open the hatch on the side and gives you access to the three books. At first, I had the idea in my mind that each picture would come with a description, or kind of story behind it, written out to the side or something, but this isn't exactly what I had thought up. It's actually just kind of like an art gallery. On every page, more pictures of Amano's work, but no descriptions. If a story or description is important to you, then this may not be what you want, but Yoshitaka Amano, I have to say, is one of the most creative artists I've ever paid attention to. I'm not really big on art, unless it's the art related to games, but what Amano has done doesn't look like he was sketching for a game. It looks like a story in pictures. A story of heroes with swords, fighting off many monsters and enemies. I have to say, his artwork is amazing and different than that of any other artist I've seen. His style for fantasy and characters is so unique and amazing that I feel it made up for not having any descriptions. In my opinion, if you're a fan of the art behind the Final Fantasy series, then this collection is worth the hefty price tag.

These books give you an inside into the artists concepts and creations of the living creatures inside the world of final fantasy. They are all in a unique watercolor style with a lot of flowing lines and wonderful forms/shapes. The only reason a star was deducted is due to it being all the finished watercolor pieces and no other concept sketches or different stages of rendering. All still wonderful imagery.

I am still in shock, but lets see if I can manage a quick review. This is probably the best investment in printed media I have ever made. When the package arrived, it felt like it was loaded with bricks. When I opened the package, I got my second surprise: The gorgeous box containing the books themselves. I was under the impression it was a real 'slipcase' from the item description - a circular piece of paper or printed plastic that slid off from around the books. No, it's this big, sturdy case covered entirely with the fabric cover illustration. The case has a tab that opens the side panel which snaps shut well with all three books inside. The books themselves are delightful. Not only containing Amano's most iconic works from 1987 to 2001, the books also have countless character, monster, and location illustrations. The reproduction is gorgeous, to the point where I'm still not completely sure I paid as little as I did for this collection. If I had to lay out a drawback, I would mention that this collection does not encompass Amano's work on Final Fantasy XI, which I consider to be one of his peaks of illustrative perfection. The only other con would be lacking the goodies of the very limited run first edition 'box set', but most of those box sets were snapped up by scalpers and now run for literally 10 times the current price of this item on Amazon. Summary: If you're a fan of Amano's work and would consider one of the many collections available, this set should be the top of the list without question. It is more comprehensive, at a lower price, than pretty much any other on the market.

In a word: fantastic. This set is a priceless addition to any collector's mass of artbooks or Final Fantasy merchandise, and at just over $60, I practically stole the thing. Like other reviewers ecstatically related, this set doesn't really come in a slipcase; instead, it's packaged in a lovely and extremely sturdy case that's covered in a silky, decorated fabric which makes for a beautiful display piece in itself. The three books included in the set are very well constructed and made of quality materials. Many of the illustrations inside, especially in the first volume, are conceptual fiend designs done in black-and-white ink, and I actually think that these are some of the most breathtaking in the whole set. Book 2 is easily the largest, and there is a good amount of FFIV artwork in this publication (which I was most excited to see!), but it's dominated by FFVI works, which comprise about half of the volume. The final artbook isn't as colorful or varied in terms of technique as the others, and a number of the portrayed works are just magnifications or WIPs of other pieces shown, which is somewhat disappointing. It's like the publisher just ran out of stuff to add to the book, so it was done to fill up more pages. Also, there's a weird close-up of Kuja's crotch on one of the latter pages (you've been warned!). Additionally noteworthy is the fact that the final illustrations are peculiar marker drawings of moogles. Still, it was fun to see Amano's representations of later Final Fantasy protagonists and villains, and the third volume brought the set to a satisfying close nonetheless. Basically, you can't go wrong with this purchase.

I bought this set of artbooks when it was on sale for around $30 and it was definitely worth the money! Many people complained about The Sky because they were expecting art that was more reminiscent of the video games' style but as a fan of Yoshitake Amano, this was just pure eye candy for me. Anyway, people who complained about the art should have researched the artist before paying a lot for art that they're not interested in. Yoshitake Amano has a very sketchy and painterly feeling to his art. His drawings are incredibly stylized and it very easy to recognize. He's done logo art for Final Fantasy so that can give you an idea of his style. So this version of The Sky comes with a slip case that's covered by some sort of cloth with Amano's art printed on it. The slipcase is very sturdy (and it needs to be since the books inside are pretty heavy!). A few threads came loose on the case, but only like 1 or 2. Nothing terrible. Inside the case are 3 books of Amano's Final Fantasy art, spanning from Final Fantasy I to X. All are printed in very quality so no complaints there! Overall, this was a great purchase and I would recommend Final Fantasy and art enthusiasts out there to buy it! However, you should look at other artworks by Amano before deciding you want The Sky. It's heavy and takes up a good amount of space on a bookshelf. But if it's your cup of tea, then this is perfect for you!

There's little I can say that hasn't already been said in these reviews. The collection is gorgeous -- the slipcase itself is less a slipcase and more a box, made of sturdy material with a canvas-like texture and a small cloth latch to open and close it. The three books are of similarly high quality, sturdy with nice, thick paper and clean printing. The three books catalogue most of Amano's conceptual and promotional illustrations for the Final Fantasy series from 1987 through 2001 (Final Fantasy I-X), including some rare sketches, unused designs, and the illustrations for the Final Fantasy II novelization, with only a small number of omissions like his logo designs (which were included in a separate smaller book in the limited box set). I do have few minor complaints, thought they don't warrant knocking off a full point. The binding is a bit stiff, and as with any portrait format artbook, landscapes span two pages and the crease. Beyond that, a handful of illustrations are slightly cropped. Lastly, despite being extremely extensive there is no catalogue / index listing of the illustration titles, dates, or media. All-in-all an amazing collection for any fan of Final Fantasy or Amano. I hope that someday Dark Horse will publish a supplemental fourth volume to catalogue his work on the franchise post-2001.

I'm a huge art lover who works in the field of graphic design on a daily basis. So I enjoy elegant and beautiful things especially wonderfully put together collections of art work by an artist to admire at home when I need inspiration or just for viewing pleasure. It makes it so much nicer when the book is as elegant and beautiful as the art work itself. • The BOX which is called the "slipcase" is a solid sturdy thick material and wrapped in a satin like material with a rich sheen to it, wonderful to see and touch and the image you see is printed on this material • Each book is a sturdy hard cover with a wonderful art work wrapped around each one, with gorgeous thick glossy pages really emphasizing the art work. • The art work speaks for itself, its wonderful and more so to fans of Final Fantasy series. To see the characters and architecture of these worlds in their sketch form from games 1-10 having played the games is a joyful experience. This book is a steal at and average of $60 and should NOT be passed by any art lover, an especially NOT by any Final Fantasy fan. When it showed up I was taken by surprise on just how heavy the packaging was and more so after I seen the books with my own eyes. I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase, the best $60 I have spent in a very very long time!

An old fan of Yoshitaka Amano but a new fan of the Final Fantasy series, I knew I had to have this set of books. I looked at other reviews online, unboxing videos, and the books looked amazing so I came over here and ordered them as soon as I could. My order came within two days and arrived right on time. The box where the books are placed was neatly wrapped and it was a pleasant surprise that the box had a fabric texture on it. I sat down for about an hour to quickly look through each book. If you like Amano's works like I do then you'll find that every drawing is gorgeous and fun to look at. Amano's beautiful watercolors and sketches blew me away and it's nice to have his Final Fantasy works all in a set of books that I can just take a look at whenever I please. All for the price of $43.99? An AMAZING deal if you ask me. This is a must have for anyone who is big into the Final Fantasy series, or if you're a big fan of Yoshitaka Amano. :)

First off, if you are expecting video game 3D art this isn't the collection for you. Let me get that out of the way so that can move on to how truly amazing this collection is. The three books included in this collection are quality items. The box the books come in is not only beautiful and sturdy, but covered in silk. It is fancy schmancy, and I love it. Now, onto the art books themselves. The creators didn't skimp on quality in these books. They are heavy, sturdy, and the pages that art is printed on are of high caliber paper. Each of the books displays different years and games of the Final Fantasy series, starting with FF1 and ending with FFX. The art in these books is beautiful, and varies from character concepts to beast ideas to full-fledged paintings. While none of the pictures feature any "true" 3D images, it is loads of fun turning the pages and seeing how the ideas and stories behind the games unfolded. And trying to match up what creature became what in the final games, that too. I grabbed this collection when it was on sale for $31, and I would gladly pick up extra copies for my friends if it comes back in stock. The quality of these items at that price point can NOT be beat. It is truly a great collection for any fan of art or the Final Fantasy series.

You can’t have played games in the Final Fantasy series without becoming aware of Amano’s art. His work borders on legendary. And even if you haven’t heard of him, take a moment to browse through some of his artwork and chances are you won’t be able to deny that the man has some serious talent going on. This gorgeous collection is packed with hundreds of pages of beautiful artwork from most of the Final Fantasy games, and if all you’ve ever played is the original versions of the games, in all their 8- or 16-bit glory, here’s a great chance to see more detail than you get to see with blocky sprites. And also the chance to see many of your favourite characters wearing long flowing dresses (females) or skin-tight pants that show off one’s butt (males). Seriously, Amano seems to have a thing for tight pants. This isn’t an artbook I would recommend for everyone. I can’t even say that I would recommend it for every die-hard Final Fantasy fan, though that’s mostly due again to the collection’s cost. This isn’t an everyday purchase. But for the fan who has the money to spare, it’s definitely worth buying this collection. The art is beautiful, the insight amazing, and there will be no regret in acquiring this artbook. I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed.

Absolutely beautiful. Honestly, I didn’t expect such high quality, I’m shocked! The overall execution of the product is astonishing. It’s a definite must buy for a final fantasy fan! It looks amazing on the shelf.

I bought this as a gift for my husband who has been a Final Fantasy fan since childhood. When we got the package this morning, I questioned for a moment whether it was the right package before handing it to him, it was so heavy. I have paid twice as much for "fancy" coffee table books that do not even compare to the quality, weight, and beauty of this set. When I suggested we could lay out the books on the coffee table, my husband rightfully responded that it would probably break the coffee table(it's from Ikea). They're that heavy. The pages, printing, covers, and even the slip case are of the best quality I have ever seen for something in this price range and beyond. And it goes without saying that the content itself is wonderful. I can't find a more eloquent way to describe the artist's work than to say that it is beautiful. As another reviewer said, if you're even remotely interested, get this set. There's absolutely no way you will regret it. I am not even a Final Fantasy fan, and I was still amazed when we opened the box. This is a perfect gift for any Final Fantasy lover, particularly if they appreciate art. I imagine that this will either sell out or the price will increase in the near future, so get it now while you can. It's an absolute steal.

Beautiful doesn't begin to describe this. High quality glossy pages, huge illustrations, many of them full color. It's just illustrations, no text. I can't read Japanese, so this doesn't bother me. Quality hard cover books. The slip case is gorgeous, just HEAVY. Even without the extras, I can't recommend this enough for Yoshitaka Amano and Final Fantasy fans.

I truly feel badly for those that pre-ordered this and did not receive it. It seems like it was a stroke of luck for those of us who managed to get a copy, and yet there are a lot of copies up for resale out there, which is curious to say the least, as there were only 1000 made. Anyway, I mention that only because it is a shame that many true collectors and those who appreciate Amano's work will not be able to see this incredible set. The box, books, and other included materials are made of the highest quality. The weight just screams, "I am a premium product." It is the amazing art that truly makes this an unforgettable set, however. If you are even looking at this review you would most likely have the proper appreciation for what this is, and I am preaching to the choir. Bottom line here is that the art is worth owning. Dark Horse is re-releasing this in a stripped down format, with the main books included in the set, and I highly recommend that fans who were unable to purchase The Sky look at pre-ordering those as soon as possible in case they somehow become limited as well. As for The Sky, if you can somehow get your hands on this, regardless of price, I think it is worth it.

I'm going to make this short... I did not expect THIS MUCH for such a price. I've bought nearly 50+ artbooks (a majority of which I bought from Japan) and this is THE MOST I HAVE EVER GOTTEN FOR MY MONEY. Bang for your buck? Here it is. Amazing, intricate and mystical! The artwork of Amano-sensei. The paper is of very good quality. Nice and thick with a glossy texture. The binding is near-perfect. The perfs where the book is bound (white lines between the pages) is slightly visible, but stretch enough and not too much to the point where you can view 2-page artworks almost perfectly without it being a hindrance! The slipcase... I did not expect it to be very hardbound WITH SILKY FABRIC WOVEN ON TOP WITH ART FEATURED ON IT!! The 3 books themselves are STURDY hardcovers unlike hardcovers that feel like they're made out of cheap cardboard that are sure to last along with the beautiful slipcase. This slipcase set comes shipped with literally 2 boxes. The shipping package (in this case, Amazon's) and a well fitted cardboard box that keeps the set very, very well protected! No issues with damages at all if bought new! This was an amazing buy. If you are the slightest bit interested. GET IT. So much content, astonishing presentation, extreme satisfaction. That's all I can say. Happy shopping!

This is an excellent collection of artbooks from the great and sometimes controversial Amano. I personally love his art and I felt it necessary to add this to my collection. The box art is amazing and the case feels nice. Amazon did a relatively crap job shipping it, like they tend to do with most of their stuff unfortunately, so I ended up with a small dent on the top. However, I was able to push the dent out and it's not noticeable. You are getting a ton of artwork to look at with a really reasonable price. I'm happy with it.

These books are absolutely stunning presentation of Amano’s work on my favorite gaming franchise that I grew up playing. It is such a special experience flipping through the high quality pages to see artistic renditions of characters that are so dear to me. <3 I took a star down because the corners of the books were bent up and damaged, and in the first book there was a really gross blob of packing tape that left residue and basically ruined the pages. :(

The product was delivered in time, in perfect condition and contains exactly what I expected. The prints of the Amano's work for the FF series. Very recommended if you are an artist or a art collector.

Very hefty set. I can see why they broke this up into 3 volumes. I have this on my coffee table and it's a great conversation starter. Getting to see the actual sketches he made for the games really opened my eyes. Some of the monsters.. how did he will them onto paper from his imagination, just amazing. It's too bad there weren't any FFXI art, those were my favourite. If you're a fan of Amano, this is a must have. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy but prefer anime-style line art, Amano's art style is probably not for you. But you might still want these artbooks. You can see where the developers and designers really tried to stick close to Amano's vision of the world of Final Fantasy. side story: my sketches were nicknamed "etchy sketchy" by friends. They had always assumed I was copying Amano's art style until I asked them one day, who's this Yoshitaka Amano? And what's Final Fantasy? And they introduced me to Final Fantasy and the amazing art of Amano.

I can't believe how much artwork I got for such a reasonable price! This is a great investment for any Yoshitaka Amano fan. The beautiful sketches and rich colors are reproduced wonderfully on quality paper. There is so much content that this massive set feels like it weighs 12 pounds! I'm very happy that I bought this. I've been a fan ever since I discovered my brother's Final Fantasy III (VI) instruction booklet. A few additional things would have made it perfect for me. I know this is an art book, but I wish there was something written in the beginning about the artist and the media he works in. Also, there is not a lot of artwork for some of the later Final Fantasies (especially VII & VIII). Although maybe he just did not make much for those games. He perhaps seemed to be using printmaking skills (time consuming) for those illustrations as opposed to his usual watercolor sketches. Although I'm just guessing based on what it looked like. This is a great purchase for any artistically inclined Final Fantasy fan!

This set is unbelievable, especially considering how affordable it is. I would recommend this for any fan of anime or manga. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy or Yoshitaka Amano's other works (like the art he did for Vampire Hunter D) then you will especially appreciate this. The second volume of the three is definitely the strongest; The art for Final Fantasy Iv, V, and VI is in many cases truly breathtaking. The second volume is also the largest of the three with VI taking up nearly half of it. Fans of VII and VIII might be disappointed by the relative scarcity of the material for those games in volume 3. IX and X get most of the attention. One thing I noticed for the art of VII was that Amano depicted Cloud's sword in the familiar shape but in perfectly reasonable proportion (about the size of a typical bastard sword). One wonders if the large size of it in the game was the result of the modeling process for the PlayStation favoring exaggerated weapon sizes.

Nice set of 3 hardcovered Amano art books. If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series, especially the games before Final Fantasy 7, you will probably love this set of books. The only reason that this set is not getting 5 stars is because of the condition that the seller shipped it in. Unfortunately the slipcase box that the 3 books sits in, the bottom corners on one side were really crushed. I checked the books themselves to see if there was any damage caused by the crushed box, and sure enough there is some minor damage to the hardcover corners. It is not super noticeable on the books themselves, but on the slipbox it is super apparent. I can live with it because I love Amano art, but I am a little disappointed.

Would it have killed them to put literally any packing bubbles in there? Just a massive heavyweight book sliding around in the box, thanks Amazon. Otherwise the product content itself is 10/10, highly recommend for FF fans.

These three books chronicles a large collection of paintings by Amano from Final Fantasy 1 - X as well as various other FF related art pieces from those years. Its a beautiful collection that I keep looking at and pleasantly packaged in a beautiful fabric case that looks good on a shelf. A wonderful collection for fans as well as art lovers.

Exactly as advertised. This neat, solid box contains three books that depict art from FFI 'till FFX, although the later ones (FFVII-FFX) don't really show a lot of images (in fact, most are just duplicates or zoom in's of other images, giving a sense that there was never that much to grab on to fill an entire book with, and that book is the thinnest of them all) Regardless, the images or the first two more than make up for the whole thing, and show an amazing and natural evolution that the games took from its humble, fantasy setting to the modern takes we see today in the series. Really recommended for anyone that loves the art of Final Fantasy EXCLUSIVELY.

If you are a fan of Final Fantasy from 1-10, you will enjoy this graphic book! From someone who has played all of the final fantasy and growing up with the video games + using your imagination on how each character may look like, this book completely enhances your imagination now with the illustrations from the conceptual design. I will let you have the chance to experience the book once you buy it! The product itself comes with 3 hard cover books in this BEAUTIFUL slip case box with a wonderful illustration in a silk like material! Holy crap, the presentation alone is wonderful! I use this as a nice coffee table book for a nice conversation piece with friends and guest that may or may not know anything about the games but are interested in wonderful art.

This collection of art is INCREDIBLE. It's a must buy for any die hard fan of the art of Final Fantasy 1 though 10. No text, just hundreds of pages of hand drawn art by one of the best video game artists ever. Book 1 showcases Final Fantasy 1-3. Book 2 is the thickest one, showcasing (in my opinion) all of Amano's best work from Final Fantasy IV through VI. Book 3 is the lightest one because Nomura was doing a lot of the art by then but there are still some amazing sketches of Cloud and Sephiroth that were hand drawn by Amano. All 3 books come in a beautiful box that is definitely worth putting up on display. If you're even the slightest Final Fantasy fan you owe it to yourself to pick this up. At this price you'd be crazy not to.

I can not believe the amazing quality and finish the book has for the price! As a fan and collector of all "art of" books, I must say this is one of the most impressive... Especially for the price. Three very large volumes are stored withing the silky fabric covered box/slipcase, each with many, many full page illustrations. The range from earlier Final Fantasy ganes to newer games is also impressive. I am only a minor fan of the games, however the evolution in the concept art is very cool. Starting with loose and dark designs of characters and enemies thats turn to more refined concepts later in the books, giving a nod to the earlier designs. It reminds me much of a Franzetta with Japanese influence, great inspiration for any artist. Overall I can not recommend this book enough for artists and Final Fantasy fans alike. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

The item showed up in good condition. There was an issue with the shipping that was outside of Steve’s control, but he was communicative and kind throughout the process.

I have to echo everyone else's thoughts on this collection of art. It is absolutely stunning. I have grown up with Final Fantasy and these books brought back so many memories. There is such strong characterisation in these drawings alone, it is no wonder that these games turned out to be masterpieces. Final Fantasy V and VI take up most of this collection which is no bad thing. It is amazing to see how the look of these characters began and how immediately recognisable they are throughout every game. It is a testament to both Amano and the final game artists to create such strong characters across vastly different media. The quality of the slipcase and books is perfect. Pages are printed beautifully and the slipcase is thick, strong and has real weight. The value of this collection is bewildering, an absolute must have for fans of the series and conceptual character artists.

This is a fantastic edition. As others have said, getting the original "The Sky" Artbooks will cost you a fortune seperatly. This edition makes getting all 3 of then very affordable. Althought I did find the flap of my slipcover case very lose, doesn't really stay closed. A minor inconvenience when all is said and done, since you get a bunch of fantastic artwork from the man himself. Probably my favorite is from the original final fantasys, before the 3D era. I highly recommended buying it, if you can still find it now though.

I expected a single book, and got three. The art in this is just BEAUTIFUL. I bought these as a birthday gift to my JRPG loving Fiancee. I got them on sale for something like $19 and was floored at the content and quality. Now that I see they're $50+ I would like to say that, if presented with the desire to purchase them today, I would still consider it. This is a gorgeous set of concept art from Final Fantasy I through FFXIII, and the dedication put into the imagery is obvious as you look through the high quality glossy printed pages. If you are a FF fan, and love the art styles, I suggest considering this set. If not, find someone that is, buy this as a gift, and enjoy it anyway.

The product is beautiful. Nice strong silky smooth slip cover for all 3 books. A definite must have for Final Fantasy fans.

Corner of slipcase was dented [like dropped] pretty decent but books inside seem okay, overall pretty satisfied with purchase

This hefty three-volume set arrived on time and intact. Binding is great and the embroidery-like slipcase covering is pretty nice. Amano's work has always been unique and compelling. This set certainly showcases that fact. The set offers an interesting look into the concepts behind the Final Fantasy series, its characters, landscapes, etc. I would have liked to have seen more pre-final sketch work but that really doesn't detract from the overall experience. A great addition to my art book library. If you're on the fence about this purchase, just consider that it's full of interesting art and it's a cool slice of video game history and won't be easily acquired forever.

The quality, the paper, the weight and everything is simply unbelievably good. I own Dawn and the quality of the illustrations and paper there were good but Sky is just very good. I've seen most of the images before in expositions, on the net or in the books I own there were a few of them that I've never seen before and that was quite another surprise. If you are a fan of Amano you should get it, if you are fan of Final Fantasy or an artist searching for inspiration you should look at it and see if you want to buy it. If you are a fan of both or art collector you must have it. The prices are more than worth it, I feel even that I've gotten this box for free!

This book is simply gorgeous. I honestly cannot comprehend how i only paid 55 dollars for this, and would even consider paying 3 times that amount for something of this quality. The casing that holds the 3 books looks/feels incredible. I wouldn't consider myself an avid final fantasy fan, though i enjoyed a few of the games I've played, but this book makes me want to pick up each title and play them again. Every final fantasy fan should be picking up this book, and even people who simply collect art books, would find an appreciation for what yoshitaka amano has drawn in here.

I managed to get this deeply discounted during a lightning deal, and when it arrived it absolutely blew me away. The three volumes come in a beautifully printed silk case and weigh about 600 pounds. The hardcover books are printed on thick glossy paper that really capture the beauty and detail of Amano's artwork. It's really amazing to see the amount of detail that went into creating the world of Final Fantasy. This book is worth having even if you've never played a Final Fantasy game just for the artwork alone. If you are a fan, (or even if you only played halfway through the first game and quit), buy it. Buy it, buy it, buy it. I can't stress that enough. You will not be disappointed.

This is a beautiful collection of Amano's work. It's amazing to see just how much he's contributed to the series, all in one place. The slipcase looks amazing and the material is great.....BUT... item was delivered with creases and folds on the corners of the box. If it wasn't wrapped in plastic I would have thought it was used. Very dissapointing. Would recommend this product in a heart beat, but find a different distributer.

The art books themselves are absolutely excellent. The presentation is wonderful and the overall book casing has a nice feel to it. Unfortunately, the delivery wasn't so nice. The product arrived damaged with one of the corners of the overall case and the book touching that corner being damage and squished as if someone pressed on it with heavy machinery. Sadly, I was quite a bit younger when I ordered this and didn't think to ask for a replacement. I would definitely recommend purchasing this product, but perhaps not from this supplier.

It's hard to believe that something like this would exist for so little. I definitely got more than I expected, and it felt like every religious holiday thrown into one when I saw the size of the package the post office handed over to me. And then I opened it! Pages upon pages of glory spitting your face. Silk bound box, with three massive books with more pictures than words. I'm sure I must have been tricked. I keep checking to see if there is maybe some kind of 'conspiratorial' script watermarked into the pages, for a cult trying to brainwash us through reasonably priced masterpieces. Haven't found anything yet. Might just have to accept that someone in the publishing world decided to be very nice to people like me.

If you are a fan of Amano's artwork or Final Fantasy--these artbooks are a must. They are all big enough to look nice on a coffee table :D

This is an amazing set. I have many Amano art books and will say without a doubt this is the most impressing. Beautiful hard slip case with three hardcover books in each. Covering Final Fantasy I-X, They are arranged by console/era for the most part; the first book containing the Famicom games I-III, second being the Super Famicom IV-VI and the final being the Playstation era VII-X (even though X was released on the PS2). If you are a serious Final Fantasy fan, you owe it to yourself to consider this book as part of your collection. If you are a Yoshitaka Amano fan, this is perhaps the best art book put out with his work. A+

Beautiful product. The slipcase is sturdy and the three hardback books inside are filled with gorgeous illustrations and feel quite solid. I almost gave myself a small hernia getting it into the house because I underestimated the heft, but it was worth it. My only complaint is that the descriptive page it came packaged with, the one they place on the back between the slipcase and wrapper, is too large to fit into the box. It would have been nice if it could have just slipped in there with the books, but I guess only pack rats like care about things like that.

Final Fantasy is one of my favorite video game series. The gameplay, the story, the music, and the artwork is so great. So when I saw these books up for pre-order, I had to get it. I really enjoy studying other people's artwork because I want to make video games and movies. Amano has a very distinct style. In these books, you get to see all of his character designs, monster designs, and environment art. The pages are big and the books have a nice hard surface to protect the pages. And to contain the three books is a hard slipcase. If you like to draw or just enjoy fantasy artwork, I recommend buying this.

I'm not a Final Fantasy fanatic, but my boyfriend is. When I bought this, I was expecting a decent sized book of maybe 100 pages (I read reviews, not the description). What came in the mail impressed the heck out of me! It's heavy with a satin (ish) casing (So gorgeous) and (unbeknownst to me) a complete collection of 3 books! I can't wait to see his face when he opens this and if he doesn't love it, shoot! I'll gladly keep it!

This is my first of this kinda book and it's amazan how with in a few pages is so much art history, it's heavy but for 600 page i did't think it'd be light this is a great thing for any fan of FF as a art fan i'm blown away with the range of pencil and water paints and what the end resarts word look like

The quality of each art book included is quite amazing! The level of detail towards preserving the original works are truly astounding as the viewer is able to clearly discern which pieces were originally created utilizing different techniques such as water colors. Even the fabric case that houses the art books is visually stunning, fantastically made, and quite durable. Anyone who enjoys the art associated with Final Fantasies 1 - 10 should certainly consider buying this amazing collection! P.S. Those who buy the art books exclusively for viewing Final Fantasy 7 and/or 8 pieces will likely be discouraged as there are not many created by Yoshitaka Amano or at least there are not many in the associated art book included.

Great collection of Amano's work! Some sections of the book, specially the later Final Fantasy games, have art work reprinted on a larger scale due to lack of artwork for of the specific game. I got this book on sale for 14 dollars and my copy arrived with some damage on the first section of the first book. This was due to printing and not shipping but if you get your books with press damage to the pages and paid full price I would return it. Since I paid 14 I'm a happy camper but for some reason it bothers me. XD Awesome art book and I fully recommend!

Just buy it. Even if it's $40, or $60, just get this - it's well worth your money, if you have any appreciation at all for the series, even if it's just vague nostalgia. As others have noted, the books and presentation are stunning. Amano's art is truly in a class of its own, and this is a wonderful showcase of it. I am very fond of his other,more comprehensive, books, but most of those I would like to recommend - like Hiten and "The Complete Prints" - are considerably more expensive than this one is currently. Truly a stunning piece that I'll be showing off for years to come.

This is a great addition to any art lovers' or final fantasy fans' book collection. The three books are a wonderful quality with with most of the pages being dedicated to one piece of art or a grouping of 2-4 pieces. Book 1 covers final fantasy I -III, book 2 covers final fantasy IV - VI, and book 3 covers final fantasy VII - X. It's compromised of mostly character and monster designs with a few atmospheric landscape and action sketches. I really love Yoshitaka Amano's art style and will enjoy having these books in my collection.

Amazing value for three beautifully printed books. I have bought many video game art books, but this stands out for its sheer volume and quality.

This is by far the best collection of art books I have ever purchased. The case itself is a covered with a soft silk cloth with art on it. The books as well are extremely good quality paper and the colors just pop right out of the page, many looking almost as if they were drawn in the individual book. Picked this up for $37 after tax and shipping, and it was an absolute steal for that price. I still can not believe what I received in the mail. It is worth every cent for a lover of Amano's art even at full price.

This is a wonderful product, I just received my box today with surprise since it was only scheduled a week later, and I can't believe I got all of this for less than 90$ at the time I pre-ordered it. This is a long overdue occidental version of the Japanese box that went out a few years ago and sells today for crazy prices more than 1,000$, so if you also have a chance to find it don't hesitate ! Everything is so perfectly package, and the books are of great quality. If you love Amano's work you won't be disappointed ! Truly a beautiful piece of collector, I highly recommend it to any final fantasy fan as well as art enthusiasts in general.

While the art isn't as spectacular as I would have liked. Its very much worth the money in my opinion if you are a FF fan. There are several character moments that I felt could have been captured better or were not included. I would be upset if this cost more. The thing is, sometimes you feel like the artist didn't actually play the games and so the art feels like its painted by someone who just grabbed random characters and put them in random poses. Hope this helps your choice somehow.

I will try to make this short and sweet. Amazing! I have been waiting for this to come out forever and it finally arrived. I knew it would be good but this is deffinately the classiest set of books I have ever purchased. They went above and beyond with this thing. Not only are the books and contents inside them beautiful and wonderfully crafted, the case they come in is of the same quality. Not just some throw-away cardboard box but a piece of art itself. Buy it while you still can. What you'll get is worth many times more what you'll spend.

The book was bigger than and better than expected

It's The Sky rehashed into a slipcased version without the autographs and the like. What's further to explain? The books are all great and made of nice quality and it gave many who missed the chance on this to be able to get the books again. It's all win/win with a lower pricetag, so if you're an avid Final Fantasy fan, I strongly suggest getting this slipcase edition for all your Final Fantasy art needs out of any of the other FF art book collection choices.

I bought the Dawn Final Fantasy art book, but couldn't pass this up when I saw it. Easily the best compilation of Final Fantasy you'll find in an art book. My only complaint is that my favorite set in the series (7,8,9) don't get that much love. I'm uncertain for the reasoning behind this, but it isn't that big of deal when there's so much more to be seen. For those missing out on the later games art, the only thing I could recommend is The Art of Final Fantasy 9. It is very well done as well.

This collection of Final Fantasy artwork is amazing. Everything about this collection is great. The box feels silky and is quite heavy. The box holding the three art books closes with a magnet and protects the books completely. It is probably the nicest box I've seen yet that houses art books. Each of the books contain artwork from a different set of games. The first book displays artwork from FF1-3, the second book contains artwork from FF4-6, and the third FF7-10. Any Final Fantasy enthusiast should welcome this collection into their home with open arms and display it proudly!

If you are a fan of the cover art that you see on the japanese FF games and in the earlier releases then this is for you. If you are only a fan of the heros, villans, and in game worlds, then this might not be for you. The art is limited to just the one artist and therefore pretty much only one style of drawings. Preview the book here on amazon first before deciding to buy. Getting for only $18 though makes this me much happier with my purchase.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my brother, and am looking forward to getting a copy for myself. This book is beautiful from cover to cover and if you're a fan of any of the many series Amano has done work for I highly suggest it.

For the price this book is amazing. Having not even played the original 6 installments in the Final Fantasy franchise, that didn't prevent me (Or potentially you) from being floored by the beautiful artwork featured within the books pages. At times I found myself staring at certain pieces for hours on end, mesmerized by all the colors and bountiful details incorporated. By far my illustrations were of Terra Branford, Final Fantasy VI's protagonist. A must buy for any Final Fantasy fan, or even those who appreciate spell casting works of art such as this. I love it.

I did get this like 50% off which is why I took the dive but was happy I did. Way heavier than expecting Feels premium in weight, construction and paper used. Even if your not a fan you could appreciate the art.

Not only are the books amazingly well put together so is the packaging. 3 hardcover books inside a cloth/sturdy board slipcase that has a little door , this is quite a high quality product that shows respect for the art it holds. The books themselves are great my only problem being that there is not any commentary about the games or the pieces however if that is not an issue and you are in it for the pretty pictures in a great set I don't think you could find a nicer product period.

So much thought was put in to designing the characters in Final Fantasy. I don't mean just the main characters, but even the weakest random encounter monsters. This collection is a must have for all Final Fantasy fans who appreciate its art. I wish they will publish another collection for the more recent games in the FF series.

This compilation of work is not as good as expected. Although Mr Amano is talented, the majority of works portrayed in this 3 book collection are not as detailed as the cover picture. There are quite a few black and white ink drawings that remind me of flat graphic art. There are only a handful of pretty detailed line drawings with vivid color, but most of what you have here is like a water color wash over pen and ink drawings. The artwork also slightly reminds me of anime style work. I have an extensive collection of fantasy art books and was expecting this collection to be of similar representation in style. Specifically I have the entire series of Spectrum Fantasy Art , which contains 19 volumes. Number 20 comes out later this year. Although I was not familiar with this artists work, I was expecting it to follow the styles as the majority of the artists in the Spectrum series. To me, the only worthy part of this purchase is the vivid colors in the pictures and the outstanding packaging design. Also, each of the 3 books are very well designed and constructed. There was obviously more attention given to the materials used in the design and construction of the slip case that holds the 3 books as well as the design and construction of the book themselves. I wish this work fell in the category of "Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover". Overall, the cover and design of this slipcase edition puts the contents to shame. Greg Hoffman

The Sky: The Art Of Final Fantasy is an amazing collection of 3 artbooks. They contain a bunch of official artwork from the first 10 Final Fantasy video games from 1987 to 2001. This is a MUST HAVE for fans of the video game series. The art is absolutely gorgeous. The artist Yoshitaka Amano draws beautiful fantasy/sword and sorcery drawings and sketches. I highly recommend that fans buy this collection of artbooks. You will love it. A HUGE thank you to Dark Horse for releasing this.

This is probably the most beautiful book I've ever seen, and as a pretty intense Final Fantasy fan I highly recommend it to anyone from the biggest fan (like myself) to the newest of newcomers to the world of Final Fantasy. The book is featured prominently on my bookcase and I show it off to all of my friends whenever they come by. They're astounded at the book, as well as for the price I managed to get it for thanks to Amazon. ^-^ 10/5 any day of the year.

This completely exceeded expectations and is a must-have for any Amano fan.

I snagged this for $30 bucks and when I opened the box to see a huge case with the 3 volumes inside i was blown away. I couldnt even beleive that I picked it up for that price. Its a beautiful hardcover case with the 3 books inside. Beautifully printed and the art work is so nice. If your a fan of art and art concepts or a video game fanatic or just a fan of the FF series trust me you need this book.

The books are almost completely pictures, very few words. You will be pleased with it. The case is covered in fabric and the books slide in and out easily. Great collection for a gamer's coffee table (once I get a coffee table). This is the cheapest place I've found to buy this item. I've seen it priced at convention merchants for $100 or $150.

I have been eyeing this series of books forever! And in stores this set is priced much higher, I decided to check amazon and it did not disappoint! Very fast shipping, got here 4 days earlier than expected, package was in perfect condition and the art... amazing. Even if you are not familiar with Amano or Final Fantasy, this is a perfect buy for any artist/illustrator especially if you're trained in the fine art mediums. Really beautiful work to admire or study. You will not be disappointed!

Just beautiful. This is a must have for any true and hardcore Final Fantasy fan. Although a few drawings are outdated (these are from 1987-2001), they still provide many of Amano's illustrations all the way up to FFX. Lovely silk boxed set collectible that can be kept for years. Shipping was relatively fast as well, it took mine exactly a week and there were no problems with the weight of the books.

Yoshitaka Amano is my favorite artist! I had three of his art books already and I had to have this. The box that holds all three volumes is absolutely beautiful, and of course all the art inside is amazing. The second volume is by far the biggest of the three, and FFVI is the one most represented. That worked well for me, because that's my favorite of the series. This is a must-have for any Amano or Final Fantasy fan.

I havent even seen all the available art. I take my time to take in the beauty of the drawings. Felt raw and full of emotions (I normally dont even feel that way when looking at artbooks; this one was different) Majority of the art ranges from the early Final Fantasy videogames until Final Fantasy X (I think) Great artbook! Got it on sale, so thats an extra star too! :D

This bookset was INCREDIBLY heavy, and INCREDIBLY beautiful! It arrived a day early, and was packaged excellently. The slipcase itself is nice and soft with a subtle pretty shine to it. As a Final Fantasy and Amano fan, I was super enthused to get my hands on this--especially at the price listed!! It's a total steal if you're a fan of fine arts of Final Fantasy games, definitely recommend it to anyone interested!!

Breathtaking! Definitely an visually immersive and stunning to the core! A must have for all Final Fantasy and Yoshitaka Amano fans.

I, as with many others, expected this to be more detailed and realistic art. Instead it is highly abstract and sketch-like. That style of artwork has its place in the creative process and it is cool on some levels, but I don't think it is the most visually interesting. Nor do I think it is the most instructive about the creative process, because there's not much explanation behind the drawings and they are not presented in terms of any logical flow (this lead to this lead to this). Perhaps with better annotations or explanations this style of artwork could succeed in an art book. As it stands, it doesn't provide a whole lot to Final Fantasy fans like me, who want to see how this artwork related to the games.

Been playing FF games since the original for NES. I remember going through the instruction booklets and miniguides for the NES and SNES Squaresoft games and seeing all of the great artwork. They quit doing that after the SNES era. I loved the differ style artwork based on the games. Now you get a ton of it here from the golden age of FF. Must have for FF fans and at a great price ($13 at the time).

Gorgeous packaging, and amazing artwork by one of Final Fantasy’s best! Easily worth every penny.

This collection of books is a STEAL for the price! Seriously, it's incredible! I purchased these as a gift for my boyfriend and he is in love with them...he is all digital but is so proud of these books! They are absolutely beautiful and the case they come in is gorgeous as well! If you're even thinking about getting these, Please do! You won't be disappointed! I know these books will bring us happiness for many years to come!

This art book spans Yoshitaka Amano's work on the Final Fantasy series. It's a handsome set in a very nice slipcase, and while I don't have any particular affection for his work on the series after Final Fantasy VI, those first six games are loaded with enough iconic imagery and artwork to carry the whole collection. It's worth it alone for his work on IV and VI; everything else is just a bonus in my eyes.

Wow. This thing is HUGE and HEAVY! I thought it would be three smallish art books (because they were such a low price($30 when I got it), but they are each quite thick and the slipcase they come in is very high quality in both artwork and durability. It is very well made and will last quite a few years for nostalgia. If you know Amano's art style, this art book will not let you down in the least.

This was delivered today and immediately I was shocked by how heavy it was. Opening it up, I can honestly say that the quality on this is AMAZING. The binding it nice, the paper is a good heavy quality, the artwork is vivid and crisp. Leafing through the pages, looking at the sheer quantity of art contained inside makes it well worth the price of entry and more. Highly recommended if you're a final fantasy fan.

This box set surpassed my expectations! Every detail is beautiful, from the front and back covers, to the box. The expression on my boyfriends face was priceless! Well worth it! Thank you so much for this set!

If you are a fan of Final Fantasy, you need to get this amazing collection of art works from a multitude of the games in the series. The outside of the box is very high quality stuff and each book contains very high quality pages of different characters and monsters from the game. For the price it is right now there should be no second thought. Great price and great piece to own for any fan of Final Fantasy.

Bought it as a present. She cried with joy. Seems like it's worth it to me.

I ordered this when it was on sale a few weeks ago, but it was backordered, yet still go the sale price. Let me just say this thing is MASSIVE. It's far larger than you may expect. The construction is great and the books themselves are beautifully printed. It would have been nice if the books were equal in size, but that's more of a personal nitpick that doesn't affect the score.

Received my item quickly, the slip case is beautiful, unfortunately when I opened it, it contained one copy of Sky 2 and 2 copies of Sky 3 and was missing the Sky 1 book. This was a gift so I was a bit disappointed not to have the full set and instead receive 2 copies of the same book, which I don't need.

While I did order this during a sale, this book is worth more than the MSRP listed for. If you are a FF fan than you know how important the artwork and concepts are to the series. There are three books inside this slipcase and all contain beautiful renderings and ideas for the series. While it might not be for all, it makes for an excellent addition to your library.

I'm kind of a Final Fantasy freak and I was waiting forever to get this into my collection. The slipcase is beautiful as well as the book themselves which comes in a set of 3. The artwork is superb and the quality is everything I would have expected. If you like Final Fantasy or just artwork, it's definitely something to have in your collection. You will not be disappointed.

In 1995, I received a used Super Nintendo cartridge for Final Fantasy 3. It has been almost 20 years since then and I am still mesmerized by the work of Mr. Amano. I would recommend this to anyone who is on the fence. Yes, it's worth the $. Side note: My slipcase has a corner where it looks like it was dropped.

I loved this set, as a fan of Final Fantasy since the NES days I had to have this. It's great to look through this book and remember the Final Fantasy series and see some of the concept art, some you recognize, others you don't (since they didn't make it into the game). This set contains three hardcover books each covering a few games from the series.

Pages and pages of beautiful sketches. Final Fantasy has always been one of my favourite games. Seeing the making of it and all the art of it just make it complete for me. The innovation and creativity of Yoshitaka Amano never fail to amaze me. What a great talent. Many people can draw, but not many of us can create, and Amano sure is a master of creating.

Here you'll find a very complete guide to Amano's Final Fantasy related art work. It is chronometrically ordered; you'll see sketches as well as the final concept ranging from early designs found on the classical Final Fantasy I from NES, to FFX. These comes on 3 hardcover books inside an elegant boxlike container. If you are akin to Yoshitaka Amano's Art; this is a must.

This is a great collection of the artists works relating to Final Fantasy. I’m happy I ordered it, and highly recommend it.

I had been waiting for this collection for years, ever since I found that it was such an amazing gathering of Amano's work. I was supremely lucky to get the chance to own it the first time around, and I have not been disappointed one single bit -- this set is the epitome of Amano's work, of Final Fantasy, and of video game art altogether. It is a masterwork, through and through.

I love this guy's work, it's so imaginative. I don't think this collection has absolutely every illustration of his from I-X, but it's the most satisfying collection I've seen so far.

The books are great, exquisite paintings and sketches yet, if you are a FF XI fan like me you'll find that the book III covers only until FF X; all ilustrations made by Yoshitaka for FF XI like the installation screensavers and maps are missing. Was very dissapointing because I was looking specifically for those, everything else is great specially the art for FF VII.

For the price, it's more than worth it. The case itself is just gorgeous and feels amazing--like a satin, silk thing. The artwork is just as amazing as you would expect. Great for a collection or a good coffee table book.

Beautiful! If the earlier years are your favorite you will love this set. It is very heavy in games 1-6, but lighter in 7-10. 1-6 is in 2 thick books and 7-10 is in one book that is about 1/2 the size of the others. But the overall layout and implementation is outstanding! This one is out on display!

What an amazing journey back through Final Fantasy. I remember seeing these images in Nintendo Power and other gaming guides, but this format is not only inspiring but beautiful. Well worth the price for this collection!

I think this is possible the best artwork book i ever purchased. The quality of the illustrations is beautiful and the covers are also something else. It's a must have for any old-Final Fantasy fan. It certainly poor in the FF7 and FF8 side; but it covers (for me) a lot on the best FFs (FF4, FF6 and FF9). This is how all artbooks should be.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVE for any Final Fantasy fan that appreciates art and aspect of the games!! The price is a steal for the amazing packaging and 3 beautiful hard cover volumes of amazing artwork within!! This collection of masterful art by the very talented Mr Amano is a welcome addition to my collection!!

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Its soooo way different from what you usually expect from an artbook, but still, it makes your imagination wonder at some distant worlds... what else you can expect from an artbook? great source of inspiration.

Amazing set. Beautiful presentation and choices showcasing each of the games in the series. They really pulled out all the stops here. These books are wonderfully bound, and the box the set comes in is just as gorgeous. Highly recommend for fans.

very good!!

The printing is oftentimes too rough, either the originals were too low resolution to be sized up like how it was, or for expense reasons they could'nt do high quality prints on different grade of paper rather than the usual comic book gloss it is in now. The price is great though, and overall it looks handsome in any videogame fan's collection.

This book is like a dream come true. It literally has all the art work that I always wanted to see.. its huge, hardcover book, its filled with beauty, and is a perfect coffee table book. for the art connoisseur. I cant reiterate enough, its an amazing book, and is a must for any collector.

As a huge final fantasy fan and it art. This collection is dream come true The books and packaging is top notch. Sturdy and elegant like. The color and packaging design just screams final fantasy. The art work is brilliant and inspiring. The books are very sturdy and well put together. It just screams quality when u pick it up.

You simply cannot beat Amano and this collection is perhaps his best. Even though many of the books do not include some of the more dynamic pictures that you can find in his other art collections, it is great to see nearly all of his art for the Final Fantasy series in one place.

It's an amazing book set. The slip case is very delicate with fine printings. It uses paper of the highest quality and the three books added together are indeed heavy. The graphs of Yoshitaka Amano are undoubtedly beautiful. Very valuable purchase for such a price.

This set makes for a great piece in my collection, and I highly recommend it. It came in perfect condition and arrived earlier than I expected.

I have playing games from the Final Fantasy series since I was a lad and have enjoyed every single one of them. At first glance I knew I had to have this amazing collection of art from one of the lead artists for most of the series. For any art fan or fan of the series I highly recommend this. ^_^

If you area fan of the Final Fantasy world and also one who appreciates art, you will enjoy this worlderful walk down memory lane. The renderings in this book highlight the often overlooked artistry that went into this franchise. It is easy to blinded by the compelling forty and forget that every character, creature, and weapon was summoned form the mind of a human being.

Fantastic collection of works by legendary Yoshitaka Amano. The quality of the paper, binding and packaging is second to none.

Great for any final fantasy fan!

If you are a fan of Final Fantasy, then you must get this exquisite item. It's bound to be a collector's item, I believe. There are only a couple of things I wish it has. One, captions for all, if not the majority of the artwork (especially for each character). And two, a lot more Chocobos!

I was very surprised by just how great the quality is on these. A lot of game artbooks I've received have been pretty flimsy, but this has a beautiful velvety box that you open by pulling a ribbon containing very durable and good looking hardcovers. Tons of art, definitely the best collectors piece for final fantasy I've bought.

But this immediately completely worth the money. If you love yoshitaka amanos final fantasy artwork this is a must have

This thing is big and heavy! I wasn't expecting that :) It's BEAUTIFUL, though. It's a lot cheaper on Amazon than a lot of stores have it for (Closer to $100 in some stores!). So great that you can find it here for such a great price. It's definitely highly recommended.

:)

it gets shipped in two boxes the slipcase itself is felt covered the books are hardbound and for the 60 bucks I paid for this thing was a steal. the art is like looking into the mind of a master of the craft. I would highly recommend it to any other art students or fans of Final Fantasy:)

JUST WOA....Incredible.....woth every single penny.

I bought this for my sister for christmas. She loves art and the final fantasy games so I thought it would be great. I was a bit hesitant because I wasn't sure what a "slipcased" edition was, but this looked like a book to me. It really is 11.5 pounds and looks great.

U know liking a game/series so much that it becomes ur favourite game of all time. And than u find out that its art book is actually the freaking best work and compilation ever as well and for a price that makes u doubt the deal credibility? Well my body my mind cannot bear so much happiness.

I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy and I have played just about very game in the series. This book really shows some of the artistic underpinnings that have spanned the series. It's great to see the concept are spanning well over a decade of games. This collection officially lives on my coffee table now.

The collection for any Final Fantasy fan! It came on time and was in BEAUTIFUL condition. Truly worth the money.

Other than the fact the box that holds the books came with a dent, the books itself are massive and gorgeous. I only took a glance at book 1 so far, but at this point I know I made the right choice in purchasing this set. I just wish next time the box that contains this beautiful set was more well protected.

A MUST HAVE for any Final Fantasy fan. Everything about this box set is gorgeous - the slip case, the hardbound books, and the artwork inside. It's an amazing collection of Amano's work that covers Final Fantasy I - X. Love it!

This is one hefty coffee table book. I was able to get it for a very good price and astounded at how high quality the outer slipcase box is and how fun it is to look through the books and recognize artwork from games I enjoyed as a child. Very nice!

I bought this on sale, and never bothered to check out the dimensions. It's way bigger than I thought, easily worth the real price. The entire collection is amazing, the hardcover box holds all three books firmly. The art is obviously very nice; I love contrasting the artist's sketches to the final product.

Quite larger and heavier than I was expecting, the cover has a nice texture and it feels like it will last a very long time. Even if you're not a fan of Final Fantasy you might enjoy this collection, my mother noticed me flipping through it and said it looked beautiful.

Bought as a gift for a FF fan. He absolutely loved it! If you know someone you love that adores FF, please buy this for them!

These books are gorgeous. Don't expect text or new information about the games or anything -- these are "just" drawings of the characters. Everything from rough sketches to full-cover promotional art, of both main characters and enemies. Highly recommended if you're a fan of the first 10 Final Fantasy games.

Brilliant paintwork, a clear progression of work flow I wish there was more explained about the different mediums or character design changes. some character sketches by Mr. Amano look very different from their final design. I also wish there was more about the artist himself, what influenced him and what roles shifted as he continued working for square.

No reason to buy this if you're not a fan of Yoshitaka Amano's Final Fantasy art. But if you are, this is the single greatest thing since almost forever. The fabric slipcase is amazing. The three books are sublime quality. The art, exquisite. Easily a 5 star item, at any price.

Gorgeous artwork. Makes me want bigger, poster or even canvas versions of the artwork created by Amano. I can get lost in it.

a friend told me to jump on this deal when it was on sale but he warned me the book was big, he failed to mention it is three books and they are gigantic. but beautiful. the art is amazing. any true final fantasy fan is going to love it.

A lot heavier than I expected! I was impressed with shipping time (super fast) and how well-made this seems. The cover is beautiful fabric. I bought this as a gift so I have not explored the inside. My friend loves it, however, so I will take her word on it.

As most art books (especially by Amano) are overpriced and incomplete, this set is an absolute steal at $65. The art is reproduced with outstanding quality and given plenty of room to breathe on the page. My only complaint is that Squeenix doesn't make a modern game with this art direction!

Fantastic art of the final fantasies, if you are an art lover or fan of the games this is a great purchase, my only let down is it had very and I mean VERY little concept art of the summons :/

My husband loves it

recommended for general art fans as well as FF fans. seeing the earlier Final Fantasy art brings back fond memories of childhood. This is a fantastic coffee table book that everyone can enjoy appreciate- the art is very unique- the splashy watercolor look is distinct.

This is such a handsome collection. I got it on what appeared to be a fire sale. The quality of the printing is elite! The slip case is beautiful. I am very proud to have this in my collection.

Came in perfect condition! Beautiful art and just what I was expecting!!!

If you love Final Fantasy you'll definitely love this artbook. The quality of the book, pages, and artwork is beautiful. All the main art and concept art that never got released is really impressive. Overall, a great buy for any collector or lover of the Final Fantasy games.

Just what my husband wanted!

This is a must-have for any lovers of Amano's work. I've seen lots of items in this collection that I've never seen before. The silk-wrapped slipcase feels really high quality, and each of the pages are lovely and thick, and make excellent use of page space.

Ok ok I haven't even open this thing yet, I'm regretting not having ordered two, one to open and one to keep mint. It looks fantastic and is soooo big. I got it at a super great price and am so happy.

This is fantastic. It weighs about 25 lbs and is super high quality. Everything from the slip case to the bindings to the actual pages is the highest quality. I am very happy I purchased this and it is proudly displayed in my house!

Beautify quality in every aspect. Box is wonderful, printed on a fabric, and gives a very beautiful finished look. The thing weighs about a billion pounds, so it can also easily replace your bench lifting equipment. So nerds, order with confidence.

This is a beautiful book. Everything about it is a great piece of any Final Fantasy collection. The artwork is amazing and looks great together in one collection. Would be a great gift for any collector.

This is a really great collection of concept art for the final fantasy series in multiple mediums. If you want something interesting to toss on your coffee table when your friends come to visit this would make a great choice.

Be-Yoo-TIH-FULL, illustrations, Yoshitaka Amano is my fave artist, and the slip case is so beautiful, the illustrations inside just take you into another world with how surreal they are, it's nuts.

If you appreciate the various types of final fantasy covers you will enjoy this book. You got a lot more then you pay for and will thoroughly enjoy this collection. Dark horse always makes wonderful books. Very high quality.

This art book is amazingly beautiful. The print is gorgeous and the quality of this book feels like it can last forever. I had all my friends that are fans purchase one too and they loved it!

Yoshitaka Amano sparked my love for art as a child. This purchase was a no brainer. 3 volumes of all the concept art work done for final fantasy throughout the years. This is a must purchase.

I just recieved it and the quality is awesome!!!!! Yoshitaka Amano is a genius and as a long time fan of Final Fantasy and RPG's on a whole I wish other games would do the same and release art works.

Amazing book. If you like Final Fantasy games in any way, then you'll love this book. Each book in the set chronicles the eras of artwork from Final Fantasy 1 on the NES up through the newer releases.

I'm very please with this. It is heavy though so don't put it on a book shelf, unless it is really really sturdy. But the artwork is great and…well I'm a fan so I love it!

Amano's work is very iconic. I really wish this set included the "about Amano" book that the original collection included. However the reduced price and the near impossible to obtain nature of the original release makes this great.

This is a great collection of art but it's not for everybody, if you like Nomura's designs. This is not for you! This is only for people who like the very strange and unique Amano's drawings

book full of sketches...no nonsense stuff. what i love about this book is some sketches are so crude yet the evolution is amazing afterwards...this truly inspires that u just need a start and u can go about doing wonders.

Just pure awesomeness! A must have art book have for FF fans.

It comes in 3 hardcover booklet. Separated by final fantasy 1-3 for example. Very heavy set of books. Unfortunately it only goes up to ffx. This will be a great addition to my library.

Beautiful art collection. Worth the price.

Five pounds of Books - Three in total and all are the most beautiful work of Amano's I've ever seen. I'm really glad I bought this for the price I paid. Thanks

The kit with 3 books is much better than I imagined and the finish of the case is sensational. Who is a fan of Final fantasy amano and have to have these books in the collection.

Got this as a gift for a friend, but was able to take a peek once it was opened. This is a well put together collection. Wish I had gotten a copy for myself.

Beautifully printed! Love the satin fabric on the case!

This is a rerelease of a art book previously only available in Japan. Great translation, and quality paper used to print the art. The water color sections really look lush and vibrant.

Bought this for my adult son who is an artist & a huge Amano fan. He was really happy with it. It's a substantial book. Makes a great gift.

If you love final fantasy and the art that went into making our most beloved games, then definitely get this set! It is my crown jewel of videogame art books and inspires the mind