• Original Art: “Balloon Festival” from Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone
• Era: 2015
• Region: Hiroshima, Japan

Take a trip through a fantastic world of underground cities, hot air balloons, tree-top towns, and haunted houses. Behold the magical world of Pierre the Maze Detective!

The image reproduced here is from Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone, one of the series of wonderfully intricate and mesmerizing books by Hiro Kamigaki and his design agency, IC4DESIGN. The Hiroshima-based studio is dedicated to sharing the lively, fun, and intricately detailed artwork they create with the world.

The Pierre the Maze Detective books feature pages of beautiful illustrations that capture the spirit of art and play through their complex and spellbinding mazes. Intrepid readers are swept away through a thrilling world of discovery as they navigate vortexes of secret metropolises and attempt to solve the case of Mr. X (who is bad news for Opera City!). The interactive imagery lets readers trace their way across each maze, spot clues, and solve extra mystery challenges along the way.

In The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone, Pierre has a brand-new case to solve. Mr. X has stolen the Maze Stone, which has the power to turn the whole of Opera City into a maze. Together with Pierre and his friend Carmen, readers will help find Mr. X and save Opera City before it’s too late.

The original image we have reproduced here, with its impressive array of balloons dotting the sky, is called “Balloon Festival.” Mr. X can be seen floating away in the biggest balloon. Blown by the strong wind, he is making rapid progress. Can you guess where he will come down?

We invite you to delight in the epic journey this visually stunning design will take you on.