Close Up: A Hideo Kojima Book: From Mother Base with Love

At the beginning of last year, Tarak Chami, a Belgian Metal Gear and Kojima fan, embarked on a mission. His goal was to create a self published book consisting of anecdotes, testimonies and creations from Metal Gear fans, and people who’ve worked with Kojima over the years. This book, titled A Hideo Kojima Book: From Mother Base with Love, was to be presented to Kojima himself at the Tokyo Game Show later that year.

An ambitious project, but nonetheless, Tarak accomplished everything he set out to do. He brought many people on board, including fans, communities, voice actors and artists, and flew to Tokyo in September to hand over the finished work.

Aside from the physical copy for Kojima, the book received a very limited print run of 100 copies, to be distributed among those who contributed to the project. Metal Gear Informer was among those contributors, and thus we received one of the books.

First of all the whole book looks really professionally made. The print quality is great, the layout is excellent and the whole thing just feels right. The book was designed by Tsuchinoko, a graphic artist from France, who also created the cover.

On the first page is a kind message handwritten by Tarak, and the number of this particular copy.

The book has 224 pages, and contains 7 ‘chapters’, including an editorial by Tarak, a foreword by French gaming journalist Julien Chièze and a word of thanks to all the people who’ve been a part of this project.

As stated before, only 100 printed copies were made, with each one individually numbered and with a personal message by the creator.

Editorial

An introduction to the project by Tarak aimed at Hideo Kojima himself. He explains his motivations behind the book and its contents.

Foreword

A foreword by French gaming journalist Julien Chièze about his experiences covering the Metal Gear series and other Kojima projects over the years.

Artworks

Pages with fan arts and a short profile of the creators, in which they describe what Kojima’s works meant to them.

Cosplay

Pages with cosplayers from all over the world, from Tokyo to Italy.

Communities

Pages dedicated to Metal Gear online communities and websites, including our own.

Guests

Lastly, a list of individuals who are also relevant to this project, including people who came into contact with him one way or another through their profession. Singer and voice actress Donna Burke, ex Kojima Productions LA graphic designer Omer Younas, director Ryuhei Kitamura, and many more all took the time to write a short text for this book.

Thanks

A conclusion in which Tarak thanks everyone who helped the project become a reality.

Every line of text was translated to Japanese, so Kojima will have no problem reading it – if he ever has the time for it.

Leafing through the pages and seeing all the awesome artworks, cosplays and other creations is a joy in itself. But perhaps the coolest thing about this book is that it reminds us of the power of a creation with worldwide appeal. It shows us that people from vastly different places, different backgrounds and different ethnicities can come together as a community, connected solely through the love for these games. Thank you for your work, Tarak, and for letting us be a part of it!

Update: Tarak Chami has released a digital version of the book, in PDF form.