Komiya is an acquired taste. I remember not liking his cards at all when I was a kid but now I really like his art lol.
And the opposite of that are CGI cards. They looked cool before but age very poorly.
I like Komiya cards because he portrays pathos so well that it breathes new life into the pokemon he illustrates
Ex: I knew Cubone was a sad orphan, but never knew how sad
Agreed! I love the ones where pokemon are portrayed with emotions/personalities not typically associated with those pokemon (not sure if Komiya just uniquely has the license to do this, as I think TPC often wants to control certain associations with certain pokemon). Pokemon Personality Tests is a great example. Some other examples I like:
Angry/violent Swinub:
Evil/malicious Exeggutor:
Listless Poochyena:
The Poochyena is especially funny given the contrast with the pokedex entry: “persistent nature” and a depiction of a Poochyena looking like he’s bored out of his mind.
I kind of appreciate the really old Kinebuchi/CRCG Gangs stuff a lot more these days. It has a retro CG vibe that I enjoy but I definitely wasn’t that interested back in the day.
But I’m not a fan of newer CG that sort of blends with the traditional art look and just comes off like a weird frankenstein of the two. I don’t know if they actually WERE CG but the Black/White stuff is awful imo.
Komiya is life though.
@bbobrob board or exasperated? That’s how I often see the depiction of Poochyena and @BANKS agree that is the saddest Cubone ever. I can almost not look at it. @SolemnStar sorry you deleted you opinion as a Komiya fan I appreciate the style is not for everyone .
@SolemnStar Just felt the need to chime in. I didn’t see your original post, but I also didn’t care for Komiya’s work for a long time. As a kid, I definitely didn’t get it and felt it was even cringey, almost like an artist just trying to be “different.” As the years have gone by, and I’ve been a consistent member of E4, Komiya has surprisingly grown to be probably now one of my favorite artists. This happened mainly through the appreciation for his work that I saw through other people here on the forum. So many were so passionate about his pieces that I took the time to go through Komiya’s entire portfolio. As I journeyed through I slowly started to appreciate his interpretations and color usage. I could start to see why different folks would like his work and realized that there may even be beauty in seemingly not beautiful form. This can be said for even a Pokemon design like Mr. Mime. I’ve always hated Mr. Mime, but it wasn’t until I met @brendantheclayboy that I could appreciate HIS love for that design. Mr. Mime’s form is, on some level, like Komiya’s art, such that it may take some one else’s admiration to help you see the positives in the design and the beauty in the form.
I still wasn’t completely sold on Komiya for a while, until his release of the Baxcalibur line in Shiny Treasure ex.
For whatever reason, that art hit me on a different level than most Pokemon art I’ve seen. It harkened back to a Frank Zappa album art for “Cheap Thrills” that I always admired as a kid for its outrageous and busy nature. That was the first Komiya piece that actually moved me in some way. I think art appreciation can be somewhat like food taste over time, in that for most people it expands a little as you try new things, and other things get stale if you have too much or have it too often.
Either way, seeing your response in the meme thread, I really appreciate your decision to take down your apparently harsh opinion, just because you wouldn’t want Komiya to read it. That shows some real self-awareness and reflection. Respect! I hope this whole thing hasn’t soured you to E4. While there can be a playful ribbing and seemingly teasing response from members here (almost like that of siblings), I ensure you that the vast majority of people here are insightful, good-natured, passionate, and overall lovely. I hope the rest of your time here is awesome, just as it has been for me over the years.
I think Crystal Charizard’s art is terrible
Indeed.
Unpopular opinion?:
The “unpopular opinions” thread is often taken WAY too seriously.
Nuisance and Nuance look close, but there is a gap between, wider than the Grand Canyon.
Keep it classy, and Post away, you Contradictory Collectors! You Rebellious Rebuttallers!
Heres my unpopular opinion, i think most trophy cards look extremely mid
Set fire to the scrolls!
Trash the keys so they no longer have a master!
Why do you dislike the scrolls and keys so much?
I feel they are completely removed from the Pokemon universe and could just as easily be in any other TCG universe. Correct me if I’m wrong, but neither of these items feature in the games or anime.
I get the history behind the way these cards were distributed and understand their absolute rarity, but to me they do not feel like Pokemon cards, which should depict a Pokemon, trainer or location from the various multimedia.
I can see what you mean about the scroll, as it doesn’t feature any Pokemon.
But the key has a Celebi in it and was released during HG/SS - a remake of Gold/Silver in which Celebi was originally introduced to the meta as the last Pokemon in the Johto Pokedex. I think it’s a fitting trophy for the 2010 Japan World Championship, and a nice homage to Celebi and Johto master trainers.
Oh I actually never noticed the Celebi in the background of the Key. That’s very fitting in relation to the era the card was released in!
I do declare fine sirs and madams. I find the current state of Mr. Tomokazu Komiya
art to be of a less preferable aesthetic compared to earlier work. It is perhaps an unenviable view to hold, but one I shall shoulder with some scrutiny and disrepute. Nonetheless the images of those halcyon days do fill me with some degree of warm nostalgia and I shall continue to feel the warmth of that familiar hearth for as long as I draw breath.
I like the pros, @SolemnStar =)
Komiya has always been kinda “meh” to me, personally. BUT some are very interesting. Never “attractive” IMO. I HATE that Slowking one that everyone likes, but in an odd way, I also like it because of what it would represent (once I decide to get one) in my artist collection: the vast array of excellent illustrations from WTaF? to Dayum!
Some incredible vintage and EX-era Komiya art:
I love solaire bulbasaur.
praise the sun