CRADLE Misaki Kurehito Illustrations is an impressive collection of the artist's works from 2005 through 2010. As some of you may recall, earlier this year Misaki Kurehito released a doujinshi art book called REW, which also featured illustrations from the same time period. And yet, surprisngly, there isn't a significant overlap between the two art books, and CRADLE is the better book based on print quality alone ^^;

Both the standard and the limited edition versions of CRADLE came out on December 22, with the major difference between the books being that the LE version is hardcover and the standard is paperback. The "bonus" you get with the limited edition is a clear file with the cover illustrations, and a slip cover case, with the white version of the cover art work. The first few illustrations inside feature the cover girl, and one of them was also the cover for the doujinshi art book REW.

As can be expected with hardcover books, the binding is tight and there isn't any image overlap for page spreads, so the center of the illustration gets cut off. This isn't a big deal in CRADLE however, because most of the illustrations are single pages, and they all have huge margins. So huge in fact, that while the art book is A4-sized, the majority of illustrations are better suited for a B5-sized book.

CRADLE Misaki Kurehito Illustrations includes two fold-out pages that display like posters with a little running over onto the opposite page. Misaki Kurehito creates beautiful backgrounds for his characters, but the two featured on the posters are easily the most impressive.

CRADLE heavily features Misaki Kurehito's original illustrations, many of which have appeared in magazines like E☆2 and Dengeki MOEOH. His fan arts however, didn't appear in CRADLE so the bundle of Touhou, and To Heart illustrations that appeared in REW are exclusive to that art book. Several of the commissioned works from Toranoana are included in this book, along with his illustrations for the AUGUST/ARIA Calenders over the years.

Accompanying each illustration in the vast white margins is the publication information along with the original size and time period when it was drawn. As a result, there isn't an index, and instead the book ends with a 7-page interview with Misaki Kurehito. It's pretty much illustrations from start to finish in this 152-page art book.

From about page 87 onward, all of the illustrations are from Boku To Kanojo Ni Furu Yoru (ぼくと彼女に降る夜), a light novel. I wasn't familiar with any of the work, so it made this section quite refreshing as far as new content goes. The illustrations are just as lovely as his usual works too, though there are more spreads in this section that the rest of the art book.

CRADLE Misaki Kurehito Illustrations is a really gorgeous collection, and definitely the book to choose if you're debating between this and REW. As a collection CRADLE really meshed, concentrating more on choosing top-notch art works that being a comprehensive collection. Definitely a must have---in standard or limited edition---for any fan ^^

• Title: CRADLE Misaki Kurehito Illustrations
• タイトル: Cradle(クレイドル)-深崎暮人画集-
• Pages: 152
• Release date: 12/22/2010
• Buy: Amazon Japan, eBay