Regarded among some collectors as the “Holy Grail” of artbooks, Tsukiyo Chakai by Tinkle (Tinklebell, Tinkle, Tinkerbell) can be difficult to locate these days. It is out of print and can go for 5,000 – 10,000円 on Yahoo! Japan Auctions (if you can find it). I actually stumbled upon this artbook at, of all places, Ebay USA for what could only be described as a steal ($10). Being that this is a used artbook, it is not in perfect condition. The cover has some parts that are worn, particularly in the corners and edges. The pages inside are pretty much free of defects which is what really matters to me. Overall, this was a great find and I’m glad I was able to pick it up. Now, let’s take a look at what’s inside.

The artbook is 128 pages and includes original work by Tinkle as well as sections for Magical Tail and Cafe Little Wish art. The original work is very nice and contains many of my favorite images. The artwork is quite beautiful and represents Tinkle’s unique illustration style. Tinkle is gifted with the ability to create exceedingly cute and detailed characters though you will find a decent number of ecchi shots in this artbook. Pantsu shots are scattered throughout the book, but aren’t in poor taste. There are also a few slightly more ecchi images of see-through clothing or missing tops (teehee).

The artbook itself is printed on non-glossy, rough paper. This makes the colors look somewhat duller than other books but the images still look good.There is a 3 page interview, short Photoshop how-to, and 2 pages of Tinkle sharing thoughts on various topic such as favorite color, use of rabbits in illustrations, lolita, and more. Finally, there are 8 pages of cute illustrated stories in color. I definitely recommend this artbook if you can find a copy. I know I’ll be looking for other Tinkle works now ^^

Sample scans below: