Screenshot Amano 2
Image: Square Enix / Yoshitaka Amano

No doubt about it, Yoshitaka Amano is one of the most famous video game artists in the world, and probably one of the most famous Japanese artists too. His distinctive, elegant character designs and illustrations brough together western comic book art, Japanese woodblock print, and Art Nouveau to create something that felt alive on the paper.

Though he worked on the anime Speed Racer and novel Vampire Hunter D, he didn't get into the video game art scene until 1987, when the very first Final Fantasy was in development. And while he stepped down as the lead character designer after Final Fantasy VI, he has continued to provide logos for the series - all of which are iconic.

Last year, Amano worked with Japanese brewery and sake maker Asahara Shuzo to provide art for their Bleed Them Dry Premium Sake collaboration with Vault Comics' vampire ninja comic book of the same name. And now, through importer Takasan, you might just be able to get a hand-signed autograph from the artist yourself! And, if you've been saving your gil, you might also be able to have an exclusive one-on-one video chat with him.

As you'd expect from a premium brand of alcohol, these don't come cheap, so you might have to sell a few shards of mythril if you're desperate to get your hands on something extremely rare.

There are four different bundles you can purchase:

  • BTD Collectible Set - $275 - 1 Bottle of the Red BTD Sake & 1 Bottle of the Black BTD Sake, 1 BTD Artwork w/digital autograph and a video message from Amano.
  • BTD Bloodthirsty Vampire Set - $295 - 1 Bottle of the Red BTD Sake & 1 Bottle of the Black BTD Sake, 3 BTD art prints w/digital autograph and a video message from Amano.
  • BTD Eternal Vampire Amano VIP Set - $389 - Includes a unique one-of-a-kind Shikishi (autograph board) signed by Yoshitaka Amano, 1 bottle of the Red BTD Sake & 1 bottle of the Black BTD Sake, 3 BTD art prints w/digital autograph and a video message from Amano (limited to 30 sets).
  • BTD Ultimate Vampire Amano VIP Set - $499 - Includes a rare one-on-one zoom video chat with Yoshitaka Amano, a unique one-of-a-kind Shikishi (autograph board) signed by Yoshitaka Amano, limited edition Bleed Them Dry Graphic Novel with cover art by Amano, 1 bottle of the Red BTD Sake & 1 bottle of the Black BTD Sake, 3 BTD art prints w/digital autograph and a video message from Amano (limited to 5 sets).

You can check out the bundles on Takasan's website yourself. And, funnily enough, this isn't the first time Final Fantasy and alcohol have been in touching distance. For the series' 30th anniversary, Square Enix created a bottle of red and white wine to commemorate.

Will you be raising a toast and spending your gil on this pricey collaboration? Let us know.

[source takasan.co, via talesfromthecollection.com]