Hunting the Elusive

Houkago Photograph, Goto P’s C76 K-On! fanbook release, is a full colour, 20 page (18 removing blanks), normal doujin-sized book. Goto P is one of those artists who have a defined style, and is relatively well-known for it. Surprisingly (or not-so-surprisingly, depending on which side of the debate you are coming from), his style actually suits K-On! pretty nicely, and the shading which plays such a critical part in his pictures adds a dimensionality and realism to the K-On! characters without going overboard and making them appear awkward. This is really an artist who knows his craft and the characters. [Release] [PNG]

Overall, Houkago Photograph has an overarching graphic theme of a corkboard, so in a way its like a collection of photographs of the K-On! Houkago Teatime members on a notice board. Nice touch. The opening illustration shows off Goto P’s mastery of light, and various touches like “over-exposed” parts of the sky, the detailed but bokeh’d out town below, etc, really gives it a photographic feel.

The landing page is the same picture, but cropped in and in sepia, and with a blur applied. Excluding it from this post so I can show the book as it is spread.

The first two pages of proper content is of Yui. Again, we are looking at stuff which really emulates photographs – very good photographs. Firstly, we have Yui in mid-stride on her way to/from school, on a zebra crossing which is or is not referencing the famous Beatles picture. Then in the facing page, we have a rather melancholic portrait of Yui looking out of the window (exposed for the shadows, of course), and a shot of the stairwell.

It’s quite an interesting way to start the book, because we tend to see Yui as a dojikko, lively and friendly girl, not a solitary, contemplative one. However, these pictures bring us back to the roots of the character, in that she was pretty much alone until she met the K-On! club members.

The next two pages focus mostly on Mio. Of course, we have the trope of the fast food restaurant, with Mio in the middle of her chips, and a rather odd picture of Mio in a bathing suit, angled and posed as though the snapper had just surprised Mio with a quick shot.

Ritsu is the focus next. There’s really no other way to depict her except as the lively character that she is. Check out the shading on her clothes in that hose one.

More Mio, this time of the musical side. OK Goto P, we know which character you love, and which character you don’t like now. GG. I must say, stunning as the visual kei version of Mio is, I’m not sure it works that well. Possibly the elision of her mouth disrupts the picture a bit too much.

More Ritsu. An interesting look at the calmer side of this character – when she is sick, or in a bit of downtime during a lazy afternoon, possibly posing for Mio.

Ah, so we do get to Tsumugi eventually. I must say, the drawing of the food is rendered so well, that when I first saw it, I thought it must be a real photo which has had various effects put on it. Seriously, the lighting is perfect.

The ending for this book has Yui and Tsumugi as a pairing. I think it would be more natural with Azu-nya, really. We also have a dakimakura-cover-like illustration, with neko-mimi Yui.

I’m not sure why most of the book did not have Azu-nya in it. She finally makes an appearance here at the very last page – or at least, I think it’s her? The hair seems to fit, but she’s otherwise unrecognisable, especially due to the pose. Perhaps Goto P had problems depicting Azusa, thus the dearth of Azu-nya pictures?