Guitarpost now with video! Although I need better recording equipment, surely. Sora deserves better.
Michi no Saki, Sora no Mukou
Theme from Yosuga no Sora
See the original here.
Composed by Manack
For a really good cover of this song, check out DimeMan’s version.
After Miao Diary finished, there were three parties who wanted to recruit me for their own long-term projects, all visual novels. The friend (who still wishes not to be named) who had asked me to do the Ravnica: City of Guilds project wanted to expand it into a full visual novel. Samukun, of Sunrider’s Landing, had openly invited me to illustrate his visual novel that was a dating sim in a space opera setting. And let’s not forget Rocket’s standing offer from way back to join his team, which was also a visual novel about love in space.
After Hinano’s New York City Weeaboo Chronicles showed the blogsphere the proper pace at which to produce a visual novel at the amateur, low-budget level, and after I had learned to strike a balance between speed and quality with Miao Diary, I figured I had learned what I needed to be a useful contributor to someone’s visual novel. I did consider producing another comic of the same scale as Miao Diary, but decided against it because I felt that my coloring techniques needed more work.
The thing is, each of these projects would 1) require a commitment of at least 10 hours a week for over a year, and 2) pay me nothing. While I do have enough time on my hands, and I’m no closer to getting a job as an artist than I was when I lost my first and only art job, I would prefer to work on a project where I like the subject matter. And while I am a loyal Magic the Gathering player, I can’t imagine myself drawing characters like these for a whole year without getting paid for it. When I work for free I demand moeblobs, and that means no Magic.
No Magic for you.
(Click for larger image)
The next two redesigns for the Ravnica: City of Guilds project are the Golgari and Rakdos characters.
(Click for larger image)
The first two redesigns for the Ravnica: City of Guilds project are the Izzet and Selesnya characters.
March 10, 2009, is my 29th birthday. It is also the second anniversary of the founding of the Heart’s Content blog (founded on March 10, 2007). Today hasn’t been the best birthday, but it wasn’t the worst either: there was an emergency at work, the Maid RPG rulebook I wanted to buy was out of print copies (although I did eventually find a place that had it in stock), Hinano and JP gave a bad review to my #3 favorite show Little Snow Fairy Sugar, no one gave me any presents (although I was greeted by my various family members, at least), and my Xbox 360 developed the red ring of death in the middle of my rewatch of To Heart (although I could still watch on my PC).
Two years ago, Heart’s Content and H.C.Staff (originally called Potato Lovers) were founded in hopes of creating a visual novel about a school for moe haremette training. That project eventually failed, replaced by a comic written by Jason Miao. That project failed too, replaced by a comic about Jason Miao. And that, at least, was completed successfully.
What’s next for H.C.Staff? Well, this:
This is a concept drawing of two of the lead characters from the upcoming project. There will be a formal announcement with more details on April 2. Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about Ravnica. I’ll get those updated designs done before the end of March.
(Spoiler: Toradora wins.)
Last Fall, Dengeki Light Novel series Toradora and Magical Index got the royal treatment from the great J.C.Staff: high production values and notable directors (Toradora director Tatsuyuki Nagai directed the second season of Honey and Clover, while Index director Hiroshi Nishikiori will be forever loved for Azumanga Daioh). Both light novel series are award-winning and highly-ranked.
Brought to you by J.C.Staff, home of all things loli.
Unbelievably spoilerish Toradora, Index, and Digimon Tamers (yes, that’s right) spoilers to follow. This includes who the Toradora end girl will be based on the end of the light novels. You were warned.
Hoshi no Samidare: Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, by Satoshi Mizukami, is conclusive proof of Hinano’s theory that cute girls with wimpy boy servants, violent tempers, superiority complexes, and flat chests are evil demons from hell.
At certain times during the Earth’s history, a gigantic hammer has appeared in the sky, and evil magi and their grotesque golem servants have walked the streets. During these times, magical talking animals have partnered up with special humans, known as knights. They have granted these knights super powers and compelled them to fight the magi, hoping to put an end to them before the hammer – known by the ominous name of “The Biscuit Hammer” – descends to Earth and shatters the planet to pieces. And these knights are also charged to protect and obey the Princess Anima, a special girl with super powers of her own, as she leads them in battle.
You know how songs in anime will sometimes have English lyrics being sung with Japanese pronunciation?
And have you ever wondered what the reverse would be like?
From Paul Gilbert’s album Spaceship One. It’s good stuff. I bought it. You should too.
A site calling itself Establish Nechoes (NSFW) has appeared, supporting the establishment of Nechoes everywhere.
But, you may ask, what are Nechoes?
They sell mugs of sleepiness.
They have an artbook called Smart Nekomimics, featuring art from eight professional artists, some of whom are only five or so years ahead of me in terms of skill, but some of whom are so astoundingly good I’ll never reach their level,
such as Rikose (of Denki Shiki)
and puni-puni loli specialist Kito (of Sorahate).
Now, is it clear to everyone what Nechoes are? Good!
I must say, Establish Nechoes is one of the best names for a site since TwinsCatEar.net.
Back before I made a stab at a Magical Index doujin, I was working on a side project called “MoeMoe Ravnica” in between chapters of Miao Diary. This was supposed to be a project in which I designed moe personifications of the Ravnica Guilds of Magic the Gathering.
However, since then the friend who I was doing this project changed the specs and requested a general increase in character age and general decrease in cuteness, aiming for something more along the lines of Toward the Terra or Fate Stay Night. Though those shows are not without moe (quite the opposite, in fact) a male lead who looked as though he was 12 years old was no longer going to cut it.