Hisakata Souji is an artist whose work leaves an impression not only because of the softly painted fantasy characters, but even more so because of the elaborate and detailed fantasy landscapes they're placed in. Esora Sekai - Memories features a collection of handpicked color illustrations, and while there aren't many, they are pieces that made the artist proud.

Esora Sekai - Memories is B5-sized and 16-pages when counting the covers. The printing is very high quality, which works especially well on these painted-style works, keeping details crisp and sharp. The pages are thick and sturdy although the collection is staple-bound.

Though Hisakata Souji's art work has appeared in a few books recently, namely 100 Masters of Bishoujo Art and Moeru Classic Heroine Collection, this is his first solo collection. The illustrations in Esora Sekai - Memories really do amazing things with lighting, from the cover illustration with the girl standing in the tip of an illuminated doorway, and even more notably, the girl swimming in the strangely reflective lake.

There really is a lot to like about Hisakata Souji's art work, especially if you're a fantasy art fan like I am. As it is, the majority of his commercial works are for role-playing games and that influence really shows even in his original illustrations. It's still available on Toranoana, but you can also check out his works in smaller resolutions on his website, Esora Sekai.

• Title: Esora Sekai - Memories
• タイトル: エソラセカイ 回想録
• Pages: 16 (including covers)
• Release date: 08/15/2010
• Buy: Toranoana