Best Anime Art Books: 13 Official Books Compared by Price and Pages

The best anime art book for most fans is The Art of Spirited Away (VIZ Media, 240-page hardcover). The best value today is The Art of Howl's Moving Castle: 256 pages for $16.59 on Amazon, against a $35 list price. For the most art from one manga series, the 400-page The Art of Haikyu!! and The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024 are the biggest books here.

Last checked: September 26, 2026. Page counts, formats, ISBNs and release dates come from each book's VIZ Media product page. Amazon prices come from each ISBN's Amazon.com listing on the same day, and they move often, so check the price before you buy. All 13 books are official English editions from VIZ Media.

Two kinds of art book. An anime art book collects production art from a film or series: concept sketches, character designs, backgrounds, storyboards. A manga artist collection gathers an artist's color illustrations, covers and chapter title pages. Pick the kind that matches what you love.

All 13 compared: pages, list price and Amazon price (our table)

We divided each book's page count by its Amazon price on September 26, 2026 to show how much book you get per dollar.

The links above are Amazon affiliate links: PrimeTime Anime earns a commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. List prices are the prices printed on each Amazon listing.

Our read: the older Ghibli books (Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke) are discounted by roughly half, so they are the cheapest way to own a large, well-printed anime art book. Newer releases such as The Boy and the Heron sell close to list price. Pages per dollar measures quantity, not quality.

Our picks by what you want

• Your first anime art book: The Art of Spirited Away. VIZ describes it as the first English collection of the film's color illustrations, with paintings and designs from the production.
• Best value right now: The Art of Howl's Moving Castle. At $16.59 it is 53% off list, with 256 pages.
• The newest Ghibli film: The Art of the Boy and the Heron (May 27, 2025). VIZ lists concept art, storyboards, character designs, backgrounds, key animation and staff interviews.
• The most art from one series: The Art of Haikyu!! (400 pages), which collects the manga's color art, chapter title pages and bonus sketches.
• A whole career in one book: The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024 (400 pages), covering Urusei Yatsura through Inuyasha and Mao. It is printed right to left in the original format and includes a long interview.
• Horror fans: The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions. It has more than 130 images in black-and-white and color, with Ito's commentary on each.
• Cheapest current-anime pick: The Art of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Anime, a $14.99 paperback of ufotable's production art. It has over 300 illustrations, mainly from the Unwavering Resolve arc.

Skip it if: you want art from the latest Demon Slayer films. VIZ says the anime book covers mainly the first arc. And One Piece Color Walk Compendium: East Blue to Skypiea stops at the Skypiea arc, so it is the first of VIZ's compendiums, not the whole series.

Studio Ghibli art books

VIZ publishes an English The Art of book for most Ghibli films. The five in our table:

• The Art of Spirited Away (2002, 240 pages): the film's color illustrations, paintings and designs.
• The Art of My Neighbor Totoro (2005, 176 pages): concept sketches, character and background drawings, paintings and cel images, with staff interviews.
• The Art of Princess Mononoke (2014, 224 pages): hundreds of images from preliminary sketches to animation cels.
• The Art of Howl's Moving Castle (2005, 256 pages): art from Miyazaki's film of Diana Wynne Jones's novel.
• The Art of the Boy and the Heron (2025, 328 pages): concept art, storyboards, character designs, backgrounds and key animation, with commentary from the team.

VIZ's catalogue also lists The Art of books for Nausicaä, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Manga artist collections

• The Complete Art of Fullmetal Alchemist (2018, 288 pages): all of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist color art from 2001 to 2017, including chapter title pages, volume covers and promotional art, with an interview.
• The Art of Haikyu!! (2023, 400 pages): Haruichi Furudate's color art, title pages, illustrations and bonus sketches.
• One Piece Color Walk Compendium: East Blue to Skypiea (2018, 312 pages): Eiichiro Oda's color art from the East Blue arc to Skypiea.
• Dragon Ball: A Visual History (2019, 240 pages): Akira Toriyama's color art, creator commentary and rarely seen sketches.
• JoJo 6251: The World of Hirohiko Araki (2023, 178 pages): Araki's illustrations, foldout posters and behind-the-scenes material.
• The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions (2020, 150 pages) and The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024 (2025, 400 pages): see the picks above.

Buying tips

• Check the ISBN. Every book here has a single English ISBN-13 on VIZ's product page, and the links above go to that edition.
• Watch for dented copies. Large hardcovers are often damaged in shipping. Keep the box until you have checked the corners.
• Buying a gift? The heavy Ghibli hardcovers are the safest present for anime fans who don't read manga. The artist collections suit someone who already loves that series.

If you're displaying them next to your manga, our manga reading guide covers what the series themselves cost to catch up on.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best anime art book?

The Art of Spirited Away is the best first choice for most fans. For the most pages for the money, The Art of Howl's Moving Castle was $16.59 for 256 pages on September 26, 2026.

Are anime art books in English?

Yes. All 13 books on this page are official English editions from VIZ Media. Some Japanese art books have no English edition, so check the ISBN and publisher before you buy.

What is the difference between an anime art book and a manga art book?

An anime art book collects production art from a film or series (concept art, character designs, backgrounds, storyboards). A manga art book collects an artist's color illustrations, covers and chapter title pages.

Which Studio Ghibli art book should I buy first?

The Art of Spirited Away for the film most people know, or The Art of My Neighbor Totoro if you want the cheapest one ($15.53 on September 26, 2026).

Is there a Demon Slayer art book in English?

Yes. The Art of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Anime is a 120-page paperback from VIZ, mainly covering the first arc. VIZ also lists The Art of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, a separate book of the manga's art.

Sources checked

• VIZ Media art book catalogue and each book's VIZ product page (format, pages, ISBN, release date, description)
• Amazon.com listing for each ISBN (price and list price), checked September 26, 2026