Gynoids Reborn

Rating:
Summary: Sorayama's "techno remix!"
Review: When THE GYNOIDS first appeared in 1992, it was at the time the single biggest turning point in the evolution of Sorayama's artwork. Up until that point he had infused his strikingly realistic techno-fantasy art with an eroticism that was subtle but powerful. THE GYNOIDS was the most explicit thing he had done up until then, taking his fusion of man (and woman) and machine and adding a most overtly sexual outlook to it all. Unfortunately, due to Japanese censorship, the book was only available in a ludicrously bowdlerized edition that blocked out all explicitness through the clever placement of typography.

In 1999, Japan lifted many of the censorship restrictions governing pictoral material. Rather than simply reissue GYNOIDS in an unexpurgated version, the publishers have gone several steps further:

* All of the art in the original GYNOIDS book is presented here without any ceonsorship at all.

* Many new pieces of art have been included, some never before presented in any form.

* In many cases, some of the works have been redone or "re-engineered," sometimes to make them even more graphic. The original versions and the "remixed" editions are presented within the same volume.

* The whole book has been redesigned from the ground up, with a spectacular chrome-steel cover and new internal layout.

In short, this is more than just GYNOIDS II; this is essentially a whole new work. If you already own the original GYNOIDS, then having this is indispensible; if you don't, then you can pick this up without feeling guilty about not owning the original.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Sorayama is how he makes the most outlandish material seem instantly familiar and comfortable. Many people find his artwork to be the sign of a sick mind, or someone who has an axe to grind against women -- an easy and cheap formula for people who only see the surfaces. Level One viewers will say this art is repugnant. Level Two or deeper viewers will understand that it's as much ABOUT our repugnance as it is a testing of it.

This is probably not the best volume for newcomers to the Sorayama fold. Best to start with the relatively restrained "Sexy Robot" books (I and II).

Rating:
Summary: Sorayama's "techno remix!"
Review: When THE GYNOIDS first appeared in 1992, it was at the time the single biggest turning point in the evolution of Sorayama's artwork. Up until that point he had infused his strikingly realistic techno-fantasy art with an eroticism that was subtle but powerful. THE GYNOIDS was the most explicit thing he had done up until then, taking his fusion of man (and woman) and machine and adding a most overtly sexual outlook to it all. Unfortunately, due to Japanese censorship, the book was only available in a ludicrously bowdlerized edition that blocked out all explicitness through the clever placement of typography.

In 1999, Japan lifted many of the censorship restrictions governing pictoral material. Rather than simply reissue GYNOIDS in an unexpurgated version, the publishers have gone several steps further:

* All of the art in the original GYNOIDS book is presented here without any ceonsorship at all.

* Many new pieces of art have been included, some never before presented in any form.

* In many cases, some of the works have been redone or "re-engineered," sometimes to make them even more graphic. The original versions and the "remixed" editions are presented within the same volume.

* The whole book has been redesigned from the ground up, with a spectacular chrome-steel cover and new internal layout.

In short, this is more than just GYNOIDS II; this is essentially a whole new work. If you already own the original GYNOIDS, then having this is indispensible; if you don't, then you can pick this up without feeling guilty about not owning the original.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Sorayama is how he makes the most outlandish material seem instantly familiar and comfortable. Many people find his artwork to be the sign of a sick mind, or someone who has an axe to grind against women -- an easy and cheap formula for people who only see the surfaces. Level One viewers will say this art is repugnant. Level Two or deeper viewers will understand that it's as much ABOUT our repugnance as it is a testing of it.

This is probably not the best volume for newcomers to the Sorayama fold. Best to start with the relatively restrained "Sexy Robot" books (I and II).