猫の本 (Neko no Hon) simply translates to “Book of Cats”. Being a cat lover, I couldn’t resist this purchase. A collaborative illustration book that was released for Comitia 95, it is beautifully designed by Maniji, a group consisting of SHINN and 今井 虹太郎 (Imai Kotaro).
Book design by SHINN
The cover design is simple and gorgeous. Matte black paper is complemented by a gold embossed title and best of all, a red ribbon with a delicate gold bell.
by Itou Hiroyuki (left) and Eihi (right)
This book showcases both cat-eared persons… and persons with cats.
by Kubota (left) and Juunigou (right)
If you’re like me, then you’ll be happy to know that for once, the characters aren’t exclusively female.
by Sakamoto Himemi (left) and Shiwasu Takashi (right)
Shiwasu Takashi’s piece of art on the right is one of my personal favorites.
by Konaka Suika (left) and Tsukako (right)
Each illustration was done by a completely different Japanese artist.
by Tomatika (left) and Namee (right)
by Niwa (left) and Hami (right)
It was a bit hard to photograph because of its square dimensions and tight binding, but it’s pretty clear how adorable the contents of this doujinshi are!
by POO (left) and Pontiki (right)
by maruco (left) and mebae (right)
A fairly wide variety of styles are featured, from bold and graphic, to wispy and soft.
by yukke (left) and Lisa (right)
While I didn’t photograph every single page, I did show off the majority of the content. Interestingly enough, I was not familiar with many of the artists. Collaborative illustration collections are great for discovering new talent, especially since they frequently add a list of each contributing member along with their website address at the end of the book.
List of Contributors
You can view the above image full-size to check out the artist names and their corresponding website links. Some of the links don’t work anymore, but you can most likely hunt them down by Googling their pen-name. (Feel free to leave me a comment if you’re looking for an artist and can’t find him or her.) You can also go to the official release website for this book. There is a page that has all of the above links to check out.
If you’re looking to purchase a copy, it’s still available at Keibunsha Bambio and on eBay.
Plastic Pleasures 
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