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Spent $40 on a guidebook for a classic series and it was a total waste

I got into the original Gundam series a few months back and wanted to understand all the mobile suit specs and timeline stuff. I saw this fancy looking guidebook online for about forty bucks and figured it would be the perfect resource. It arrived and it's basically just a picture book with captions, no real deep dives into the themes or production history. The worst part is that all the technical info it does have is easily found for free on the fan wikis, which are actually more up to date. I feel like I paid for a glossy version of information that dedicated fans put online for nothing. It's just sitting on my shelf now, a reminder to check community resources first. Has anyone else bought an anime guide or art book that turned out to be pretty useless?

4 comments

4 Comments

ward.kim2mo agoTop Commenter

Glossy version of fan wikis" is exactly why I stopped buying those art books.

barnes.stella2mo ago

Ugh, right? Why do they feel so empty now? I used to save up for those big hardcovers but the last few I got were just... pretty pictures with captions. I mean, I already saw all that stuff online for free. It's like they forgot to put any real artist thoughts or early sketches in there. Maybe it's just me but I want the messy stuff, the notes, not just a printed-out gallery.

fiona_kim14d ago

pretty pictures with captions" nails it, I used to defend new art books but that's so true.

wyatt1352mo agoProlific Poster

Honestly I started looking for older art books at used book stores. Found one from like 2005 that's full of pencil sketches and margin notes about why the artist changed a character's costume. It feels like a real workbook, not just a gallery. @ward.kim is totally right about the new ones just being glossy wikis, they lack that personal touch.