Yom – Kuro Tights (Fakku, 2021) – My Comment

Kuro Tights is an anthology by Yom, focusing on the theme of tights, or rather, girls wearing them. The artbook features works by various artists, not just Yom himself. Each subsequent page is dedicated to a different creator. On the left side, we see the work of the illustrator filling the entire page. On the right side, there is space for a few words about the creator. In the Fakku version, all texts are translated. The original order of names is preserved (unless the artist uses a nickname, of course). There is also a thumbnail of the full image sketch and information about the titles the author is known for. Each creator was also asked a few identical questions.

The artbook consists of 100 pages in A4 format. It was originally released in 2018, while the edition discussed in this review is from 2021. The cover price is $39.95, which is higher than the price of the original release. The publication of Kuro Tights was released in the West under the title Black Tights.

On the last pages, we can find a text titled The Black Tights Conference. It is a conversation between the curator (Yom) and two artists – Shimahara and AF_Kuro. They discuss the theme that is the focal point of Kuro Tights, namely, why they enjoy drawing women in tights and what they find attractive about them. The conversation also touches on topics such as the software they use and their drawing techniques.

I can’t fault the print quality. All illustrations look really good. The color saturation and contrast are pleasing to the eye. The paper is slightly different from that used in the original edition, but it does not affect the presentation of the prints.

A few interesting facts

Kuro Tights is an artbook that initiated an entire series with similar themes under the guidance of Yom. I also have other oens in my collection (though already original Japanese ones), so this is certainly not the last item I present in the form of a review. Next up will undoubtedly be Kuro Bunny, as that combination is just peak. It’s also worth mentioning that as part of this project, there’s also a short-format anime series titled Miru Tights. Definitely worth watching.

Yom – Kuro Tights (Fakku, 2021) – Show Off

Before moving on to the gallery, where you will be able to see some photos of the contents of the artbook, it is appropriate to show how it looks from the outside.

The Fakku edition doesn’t have a wrapper (and obi), unlike the artbooks in this series originally released in Japan. It’s a bit strange because the manga offered by this publisher does have wrappers – here, for some reason, that element is missing.

Gallery

I’m including several sample pages from the content of the Yom – Kuro Tights artbook below.