2021
Documentation, Interviews & Artistic Reflection
In 2021, while international travel and convention appearances remained heavily restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitsuhiro Arita entered a period of increased documentation and reflection on his career. A major six-page feature in Illustration Magazine No. 229 presented his work and creative process, accompanied by a cover illustration created by Arita. During the year he also published and reorganized material documenting earlier projects, including his work for Rangers Strike and the Power Rangers Collectible Card Game. At the same time, Arita began preparing for the eventual return of international appearances while publicly clarifying how his name and artwork could be associated with independent projects.
Career Archive
Timeline Events
Illustration Magazine No. 229 was published in January 2021 with a major feature devoted to trading card illustration.
Mitsuhiro Arita created the cover illustration for the issue.
The magazine included a six-page interview with Arita discussing his work and career.
The feature documented parts of the professional illustration process, including rough artwork and revisions.
Arita continued giving interviews about his career and artistic development during 2021.
In December, Journal du Japon published an extensive interview with Arita covering his childhood, early interest in computers, university studies, transition toward illustration and later professional career.
Arita published a substantial online gallery documenting his earlier Rangers Strike and Power Rangers Collectible Card Game artwork.
In accompanying commentary, he explained that he initially approached the live-action characters with dynamic manga- and anime-like compositions while maintaining a photorealistic rendering style.
Arita explained that supervision later became stricter, requiring his illustrations to conform more closely to the established appearance of the characters.
During 2021, Arita was announced as being involved with the crowdfunding project Final Redemption TCG.
Arita subsequently withdrew from Final Redemption TCG because of internal issues with the project.
He explicitly confirmed that the released draft artwork would never become a card, although he received permission to complete the artwork independently as a print.
Following problems surrounding crowdfunding projects using his name, Arita publicly established a general policy that he would normally not participate in projects already being funded through crowdfunding campaigns.
Arita also began publicly discussing when he might be able to resume overseas convention appearances following the pandemic.