TOM Special Creator Round Table [1/3]

Tokyo Otaku Mode (TOM) Special Creators visited our office! With two cosplayers and five illustrators, there was a total of seven in all! Seizing this opportunity, we had each creator give their impressions of each other’s work!

Creator Profiles
Retsuna
Illustrator. Planning to work as a CG designer for a game company starting in April.

Alice
Cosplayer. Outside of cosplaying, works as a model and media personality and has also appeared in TV, films and fashion shows.

Nonomy
A male cosplayer who primarily portrays female characters. A law school student outside of cosplaying. Studying hard to pass the bar exam.

Kazuharu Kina (just Kina below)
Illustrator. Many pieces feature high school girls. Says, “I want to spread the cuteness of high school girls and the beauty of Japanese school uniforms throughout the world.”

Fuumi
Illustrator. Draws light-filled fantasy-like worlds by hand using Copic markers. Has been taking on digital art recently.

atori
Illustrator. Excels at drawing bishōjo.

Kusakabe
Illustrator. Has an established reputation for depicting things found in real life, such as scenery and cities.

Retsuna Comments on Alice

Retsuna: I guess I’ll begin with Alice then. I came to know her about one year ago, and we hung out together last year. We’ve gotten to become friends. As for her work... I personally have a weird rule where I prefer to say female rather than girl, but with her female characters... She tends to cosplay as characters who have a cuteness, calmness and, above all, beauty, and in my mind that is linked to the character’s image. So, I really like a lot of her cosplay work.

Alice: Now I’m getting really embarrassed!

Alice Comments on Nonomy

Alice: I knew Nonomy from before. On the first cosplay site Cure, they have character rings and the person in first place appears on the top page. From that, I saw Nonomy’s work when he was ranked first place.

I thought he looked like a cute girl, but an ordinary girl and not some type of gorgeous person who’s had work done... So, curious about why this girl was in first place, I checked the profile page where I saw “Male” written and was like, “What!?” Among the many cosplayers who take photos at studios, with each and every character, Nonomy really captures the source material without a single flaw, even for people who don’t like cross-dressing. It’s like, this is what this anime would be like if it were live action. I admire the dedication to take each and every image to the next level, and I think that because of Nonomy, there are a lot of people on Twitter and other sites saying how beautiful cross-dressing male cosplayers can be. He’s a trailblazer for male cosplayers dressing as women.

Nonomy: That’s very kind of you.

Nonomy Comments on Kina

Nonomy: I first found out about Kina looking at his work on TOM. Anyone who looks at Kina’s work will see how amazing female high school students are, and I would just like to say the things I personally like about his work. In particular, he is good at recreating the scenery he sees on camera.

Unlike with illustration, a cosplayer’s work is in photography. Because of that, there are ways that we see scenery differently, such as when doing a bokeh. Kina actually goes out and photographs scenery, so his bokeh and people in front of backgrounds are spot on. Rather than giving an impression that he looks at pictures, Kina’s illustrations make me feel that he really looks at photos.

Something else that I want to point out is the way he does black hair. I’m sure everyone says this, but he does hair really beautifully. He even draws the wisps of hair... I like that.

Kina: Thank you. There aren’t many people who touch upon the camera use, so that makes me happy.

Kina Comments on Fuumi

Kina: The first time I saw Fuumi’s work, I thought she was someone who drew digitally. But, when I looked closely, in the tools used section on Pixiv it said “Copic”... I was like, no, this has to be a joke [laugh]. If you blow it way up though, there are definitely things like unevenness in the color, and when I realized that it was in fact drawn in Copic, I thought about how there are some truly amazing people out there. So, I got really interested in her work, and I first met her when I said hello at Comitia or somewhere. I know I’m still starting out myself, but I think that Fuumi is definitely a creator to keep your eye on in the future.

Lately, she’s been transitioning into digital, but since she’s always been doing things analogue, so feeling like I could give some advice on digital art, there have been some times where I’ve gone ahead and made some recommendations. Afterwards, her response to what I said and her ability to absorb it was amazing, and it was like she could just make anything her own... I was blown away by her ability, and I’ve since been motivated by Fuumi, so right now I feel like we have a good creative friendship. And the pictures themselves... As Nonomy just said, my backgrounds have a realism based on scenery I see through a camera. But in Fuumi’s art, it feels as though she’s creating the entire world. Also, you really feel the sort-of depth of the space in the illustration. It’s like looking through an 80mm lens or something... [laugh]

Backgrounds usually seem trimmed down, but in Fuumi’s illustrations, it’s like everything is packed in. The layered atmosphere in the very center, the dynamic zig-zag in the foreground, the unevenness... With all of that she masterfully blends various colors that wouldn’t really be there and I think it’s amazing how she creates a balance throughout the entire thing. I think she’s going to have more and more to offer... Personally, she the creator I’m pushing the most.

Fuumi: I’m very grateful. I’ll keep doing my best.

Fuumi Gives Impressions of atori

Fuumi: Well, when I saw atori’s work on TOM, the girls were so cute and moe, and there were a lot of areas where I felt like I could learn something. Also, I’ve recently seen atori using transparency and creating light atmospheres, and I’ve been inspired by these attempts to try new things.

atori Gives Impressions of Kusakabe

atori: I first said hello to Kusakabe at a TOM networking event. From there, I was shown pictures and received a book Kusakabe made. Just like everyone says, the backgrounds are amazing. With me...most of my pictures are people-heavy. Also, the finer areas [of Kusakabe’s work] are wonderfully drawn down to the small details, and I want to learn from Kusakabe's approach to drawing without taking any half measures.

I personally find it appealing as well, how the colors used are very clear and the backgrounds are boldly colored. The illustrations feel very summer-like. There’s a good balance struck between the strength of the sunlight and the shadows, and I think that along with the bright colors makes for very comforting backgrounds. How shall I put this... I think it has the same good qualities as a background in a Ghibli film, and I want to learn how to do that and take in everything that I can.

Kusakabe: Thank you. I feel very honored to have someone speak about it that way.

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.