TRIP by Ukke

Autumn has come, and with it fog so thick you can cut it with a knife. It's also cold; like, real cold. We need some color around here...

    Just a few weeks ago I have reviewed  a dōjinshi by artist Ukke - in fact, a photobook /illustration hybrid, which left such a good impression I definitely had to snag something else by them with my next shipment. And so I got my dirty paws on Trip, this time a illustrations-only publication from 2008, entirely the work of Ukke themselves. Full color, A4, at 20 pages it's substantially smaller than Bouquet, but still an excellent addition to my collection.

    There is no specific theme, this time around. What we have is a collection of cutesy pinups, a 'best of the year' or so in the best dōjin tradition. One thing that immediately leaps to the eye is how masterful Ukke's handling of color contrasts is. As usual, my pics don't do it justice (for those who don't know, I'm philosophically against bending or unbinding stuff): each page is laden in vivid colors, complemented by a clean digital tract, and an eye for pattern design. This one is definitely a dōjinshi that would only make sense in full color. As mentioned, there is no specific theme, though Ukke seems to have a preference for almost-but-not-quite chibi bishoujo; no surprise, considering Bouquet started as a series of drawings, before becoming a picturebook. 

    If anything, its only fault is that it's a bit too short. Will definitely be on the hunt for more: in the meantime, if you want to see more of Ukke's work you can check out their Twitter or Instagram, where they post regular updates.