So I never knew what a mook was before I ordered these and if you are wondering the same thing, its basically a mixture between a magazine and a book. I think its probably just a Japanese term because these books are both Japanese and they are pretty much what a softcover art book would be in the United States. The two mooks I have are for Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky and less known film Only Yesterday. Both are a joy to watch and if you havent seen Castle in the Sky, which is my second favorite Ghibli film, I would give it a try.
These mooks I added to my collection mostly because they have a few differences from the art books I already have, but also they were relatively cheap and seemed to have more sketches. I actually dont have another english art book for Only Yesterday, most likely because it is relatively unknown in the west. The amount of people who have actually seen Only Yesterday end up being hardcore Ghibli fans. Its a cute story and I would recommend it if you havent seen it before. Not the best work they have done in my opinion but with every Ghibli movie, the art is fantastic and the world is gorgeously animated.
Ultimately these are art books and the sole purpose I collect art books is to sit down, look at the images and imagine im in the world of these stories. Castle in the Sky is a really special one for me because I saw it at that perfect part in my life where it left a huge impression, much like Spirited Away. As you can see from the designs and art within the mook, they have aged wonderfully. They arent super photo realistic, but the art stands up like many of the old Disney movies do. Only Yesterday I can say the same for, even if most of the images there tend to be what Japan looked like in the 80s and 90s.
Only Yesterday feels like a time capsule for the average life of someone growing up in Japan in the 70s-90s and for someone who wasnt even alive during most of that time, I find it fascinating. In some ways it feels nostalgic and calming to me which is mostly why I got the art book. The character designs especially with the cheek bones are a little strange, thankfully Ghibli moved away from that aspect, but other than that they remind me of the characters I saw when I was growing up in the 90s.
Both are wonderful mooks and I wanted to share them with everyone. I will do a big special on all my studio Ghibli art books at some point, but it might be in a few segments because theres around 10 or so books with potentially more on the way. If you are looking at studying watercolors or anime character design definitely look at these mooks because there is a lot you can learn. The watercolor backgrounds especially are fantastic and still stand the test of time very well to this day.
-Calaber24p!