The "cleanliness" of the resulting images is undeniable, but once you get past the sheer awe at how crisp and clear the upscaled image is, you'll immediately notice the loss of detail. It completely does away with any and all texturing, which is especially noticeable in the last image ([1] vs [2]) - look at the scales and patterned lines on the snake (?) around his neck and the white strands in his hair, and of course, the letters have been turned into (unrecognizable?) squiggles.
Still, in terms of pure shock and awe - they're jaw-droppingly nice for upscaled versions, to the point where if you didn't have the original, it wouldn't occur to you that this wasn't it.
Still, in terms of pure shock and awe - they're jaw-droppingly nice for upscaled versions, to the point where if you didn't have the original, it wouldn't occur to you that this wasn't it.
1: http://ukiyo-e.org/image/mfa/sc165440
2: http://i.imgur.com/541uG5t.png