Deva Zan by Yoshitaka Amano

Deva Zan Reviews

• 
  Karissa

  This is a stand alone book done by the artist Amano who has contributed art to both the Vampire HUnter D series as well as Final Fantasy (among a million other things). He is one of my favorite artists, so when I stumbled upon this in Half Price Books I was excited to pick it up.
  
  This book deals with the mythology of Japanese Buddhism. In this book the twelve Juni Jinsho stood guard over the cosmos, each guarding a point on the zodiac…now they have vanished leaving humanity to fight against the forces of darkness on their own. Enter Deva Zan, a samurai with no memory who ends up journeying through time and space to find the Juni Jinsho and help restore their memory.
  
  This book contains some amazing artwork, which I absolutely loved. The art pretty much makes this book. The book is amazingly well put together, it is a large volume with huge color plates and very high quality.
  
  The story was decent and focuses mainly on Japanese mythology and one samurai’s quest to find the Juni Jinsho and help them remember themselves. The Juni Jinsho themselves end up being pretty stereotypical characters who vary in quality; some of them are incredibly interesting and some are forgettable.
  
  The story is decently done, but can be a bit confusing and ambiguous at times. It jumps around some in space and time, but in the end everything came together nicely. The story does lag a bit at some points and, to be honest, it was the awesome art rather than the story that really drove me to keep reading the story.
  
  Overall this book had some amazing art and a decent story. I enjoyed learning some about the Juni Jinsho and enjoyed some of the characters throughout. The art, more than story, was what made this book engaging. I would recommend for fans of Amano’s art and also for fans of the Vampire Hunter D series (the story has a similar tone to it).
  
• 
  Anika Claire

  Wow! This graphic novel is an epic struggle between gods and guardians, told in a beautiful storytelling style and accompanied with gorgeous and often strange images, including paintings, sketches and watercolours. Some of the pictures are almost child-like in their simplicity but others are amazingly detailed.
  
  At times I struggled to keep up with the story, but then again I was reading on a computer screen. I think holding a copy in my hands would be a completely different experience and hopefully the images would tie together with the story a little better than they do in this review copy.
  
  An enjoyable read, and I'll be looking out for this illustrator's other works!
• 
  Tahlia Newland

  Deva Zan is an extraordinary illustrated metaphysical fantasy. The author Yoshitaka Amano has illustrated many books by other artists, but this is the first novel that he has written, and what a wonderful debut it is. The prose could do with a little work in places, but the concept and artwork make up for any lack on the writing side.
  
  Deva Zan is a powerful story about a Japanese Warrior from ancient times who has forgotten his true self - surely an analogy for everyman in this essentially Buddhist tale. His disillusionment with battle cause him to wander and come upon an ethereal girl who encourages him to seek his lost comrades and remember what they once were - gods - and what he once fought for - saving existence from the void. His journey takes him through many bizarre realms, including modern day New York City, and leads him to the Akashic records which hold all the data of all times. Here, he picks up a disc containing what he needs to remember, but reading its data comes at a price, the knowledge of one of their company's death.
  
  The setting for the final battle is beyond the physical realm and the imagery invoked by the words at this stage is as vibrant as the artwork. Our concepts fold in on themselves along with a chunk of Manhattan and in true metaphysical style, good and evil, existence and non-existence are seen in their true light, as two sides of one whole. The book held my attention throughout and built to an exciting and conceptually fascinating conclusion.
  
  I can't do justice to the intricacies of this beautiful book; it is a deeply spiritual tale that speaks of the very foundations of existence as understood in Buddhist philosophy. The surrealistic artwork is not merely an illustration, it is symbolic communication, an integral part of the story and, for me, the best part of the experience of reading this book.
  
  I received this as an electronic ARC via Netgalley and read it on my iPad in a Goodreader app that allows you to see both pages of a double spread, a necessity for an electronic version because the layout of the artwork on the double pages is part of the aesthetic. However, even if this publication is available electronically to the public, it is one of those books you'll want in hard copy so you can pick it up and look at it over and over again. I highly recommend it.
  
• 
  Chrissy Poo

  Absolutely stunning art paired with some of the dumbest, most sophomoric, try-hard surrealist/fantasy prose I've ever read. It's like watching an Ed Wood script directed by Ingmar Bergman.
  
  Completely ridiculous and endlessly entertaining.
• 
  Selena Villegas

  I am not familiar with this author, but I have always seen this book on the graphic novel section of my public library and have been wanting to read it for a long time. Zan's story really touched me, and Amano's art style is so beautiful. I hope to have it in my shelf in the future.
• 
  Arianna

  Amano has such a unique art style, its very beautiful.
• 
  Brent

  Whether you know his famous design work from the long-running Final Fantasy series, the art from Vampire Hunter D, or even his brief partnership with Neil Gaiman in The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, there’s no denying that Yoshitaka Amano is a talented man. He has an art style all his own, a respect for classic mythology, and a creative flair that few can equal. One of the few things he’s had little of up until this point was a written voice, but that’s all changed with his latest work, Deva Zan.
  
  Deva Zan is Amano’s personal expression of the legends of Asia for his Western readership. In an epic that spans across different dimensions, and in arenas like the streets of modern day New York and feudal Japan, twelve divine generals fight against an entropic force that would see the end of everything they hold dear.
  
  In many ways Deva Zan may be Amano’s greatest work to date. Amano’s artwork is stunning. His style, reminiscent of the classic Japanese brush painting, is classic, elegant, and rich in a broad spectrum of colors. Some images include a bright rainbow of colors, almost disorienting in their brilliance, while others are wispy images forged in varying shades of gray. The play of light and darkness, as well as the variance between full-color and two-tones, all serve to highlight the story, its characters, and their struggles.
  
  The story itself is similarly impressive. The twelve divine guardians, plucked straight from Japanese mythology, are stripped of everything that made them gods, even their memories, but retained everything that made them warriors. Traveling through different world and times, Amano explores the meaning of life, memory, and will. It’s a timeless conflict made more tangible and contemporary by his artful storytelling. The beings he describes, although seen as gods by man, are portrayed as all too human, each with their own fears and doubts to overcome even as the greatest opponent they have ever faced looms overhead.
  
  They say Amano spent the last ten years planning this book, and judging from the quality of both the artwork and the storytelling I don’t hesitate to say it was ten years well spent. There’s a reason he’s one of the biggest names in fantasy, and this is far from his final work.
  
• 
  Deniz

  When I finished reading this book, all I could think was how does one review a book like this? Where to start? It's so unique, so different. I wouldn't call this really a graphic novel but on some level it is…. I guess an illustrated novel would be more accurate. Since the story is written in novel style...
  
  The storyline is interesting and unfolds slowly. But it was a bit confusing in the beginning. To be honest I know very little about japanese mythology- so I am not sure if that's the reason for my initial confusion.
  As the story of Deva Zan unfolds it becomes multilayered and get deeper and deeper as one reads. I found myself pondering on different questions. Is it right to battle and kill, if the cause is right? Does one desire power for just the sake of power or for a good purpose really? Destiny and choices- how do they correlate?
  The story is told beautifully, really like an old fairy tale or like I imagine long ago myth were told to the younger generations around the fire.
  
  The illustrations are mind blowing! Absolutely beautiful. Each a piece of art, each totally unique yet still in Amano's style. They underline the beauty of the story and enhance it.
  I didn't expect anything else from Amano but he exceeded my expectations by so much! I knew that I will like the art work . I like his work usually. But this book in my opinion is his master piece so far!
  
  This is the first book where Amano did the art work as well as written the story. And honestly I don't think Amano is going to be a great novelist, but the combinations of the two is what made this an amazing piece of art.
  
  Something to go back to many times, admire and discover details in the artwork and ponder over the story.
  
  I am looking forward to its release so I get my own hardcopy of this!
  A must have for lover of illustrations and fans of Amano!!
  
  
  ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in return for a honest review. Thank you!
• 
  Popzara Press

  These questions along with flowery prose and Amano's striking illustrations move the tale along at a rapid pace (sometimes a bit disjointed, but that's to be expected with a memory lapse timeline) and keep you engaged, page after page. More than a simple graphic novel, the beautifully-detailed paintings accompany the text and offer a glimpse into the ethereal world of Zan and his companions. Amano's prose is just as striking as the artwork accompanying it, and Deva Zan is a brilliant introductory novel that fans of his work and the simultaneously classic and futuristic should take the time to explore.
  
  
  Deva Zan Review on Popzara
• 
  Benjamin

  Amano's first full length illustrated novel is a riveting tale of gods scattered across space-time, desperately searching for the anamnesis that will unlock the memories of their past lives, and propel them back into the great conflict between the forces of order and chaos. The delicately-wrought figures flit and fight across highly textured, dreamlike vistas where explosive splatters of color alternate with chiaroscuro murk. The text draws on eastern mythology and references to quantum mechanics, and Amano's authorial voice is every bit as strong here as his artistic vision. Fantasy fans will be very pleased.
• 
  Rekesh Vekariya

  Beautiful read especially if you are a Final Fantasy fan or a fan of Amano's art style. I know people might criticise the plot but it drives the story forward and also gives time for the characters to reflect and develop.
  
  Now a piece of pride on my bookshelf.
• 
  Zoe I.L.K.

  It was really interesting. The artwork was dark eerie and beautiful, the story had an even tempo.
• 
  Christopher Baddaker

  Good read for a short story. The artwork was outstanding.
• 
  Missie Kay

  In Which I Am Confused.
  
  
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