a bit of a longshot but if anyone is willing to share their touken ranbu stages/musicals (performances, backstages, clips, etc.), please hit me up 🙏 recently got back in the groove of watching stages and i miss them all so much.. 😔
★ A3! 8th Anniversary | MANKAI Company’s Second Special Performance - “The Blessing of Le Cadeau”
They were given two endings—eternity or momentary pain.
Summary
In the great sea lays a small island, protected by four great countries and a sacred island. Because many writers have lived there since ancient times and countless works have been produced there, the island has come to be known as "the island where stories are born." It is there that stories are created constantly.
In order to preserve and pass on the stories, an academy was founded to train librarians—Le Cadeau Academy.
This year, twelve new students will arrive at this traditional and prestigious academy. With one unfinished book given to them as proof of admission and their own aspirations, they take the first step toward becoming librarians.
However, there is a "secret" hidden within the school. A secret that gives them choices and determines the ending of the story. Now, is the ending it spells out a happy one? Or...
Cast
Aubrey played by Sakuma Sakuya / Tenma Sumeragi
"Come on, let's go! To stories yet to be seen—."
The youngest. His origin is that his grandmother read picture books to him when he was a child. He's honest, charming, and people around him always want to take care of him in any way they can.
Kieran played by Tsumugi Tsukioka / Banri Settsu
"I plan to be a great hero by the time I graduate from here!"
A childhood friend of Jared. He's a young man brimming with curiosity. He's fascinated by the kinds of heroes you see in stories. He's come to confirm the rumor that "librarians never age."
Kenneth played by Tsuzuru Minagi / Kazunari Miyoshi
"I can't believe I've been spotted by royalty of all people. Haha, my school life is over, huh?"
The class president. He had the misfortune of being nominated as class president, even though he had planned to graduate unnoticed. He's diligent to his core and tries his best to do the work that is asked of him properly.
Amalia played by Yuki Rurikawa / Azuma Yukishiro
"There's a book I'm looking for. Ever since before I even stepped foot in this place. All I remember is it's binding."
A woman with a thoughtful personality who always takes a step back and surveys her surroundings. She'll never forget a book she once came across in a small bookstore that she went to when she was little. She was going to save up to buy it, but the book becomes no longer available when the bookstore closes. She's been looking for that book ever since.
Leroy played by Muku Sakisaka / Citron
"I started writing stories... because I wanted a chance to get to know my older brother."
Gordon's gentle younger brother who's a friend to everyone. He feels more than a little indebted to his older brother, and as a result, he has the personality of someone who is more concerned about his surroundings. He is often attentive and keeps his balance in the moment. He began writing stories in the hope that they would help him restore his relationship with his brother, but he has yet to show him any of his works.
Gordon played by Kumon Hyodo / Omi Fushimi
"...Do you enjoy sharing with others? It's so strange, I've never had a conversation like this with someone before."
Leroy's older brother. Once Leroy was born, their parents stopped caring about him, and he used books to fill his loneliness. Because of that, he's somewhat introverted and not very talkative. At best, he's a hassle-free boy. He's puzzled inside, not understanding why his younger brother, who has so many friends, came to the academy with him. (He isn't aware of it, but he's worried that Leroy will take the story away from him, just as he took their parents away from him.)
Joachim played by Juza Hyodo / Sakyo Furuichi
"I've memorized all of your faces. Prepare yourselves for the year ahead."
Royalty. The third prince of the Kingdom of Le Cadeau, which oversees the academy. He enrolls to fulfill his royal duties in other ways, as he will not inherit the throne due to where he stands in the hierarchy. He was hit somewhat hard by Kenneth, who thought that since Joachim had the highest status among the students at the academy, he'd naturally be the one chosen as the class president.
Henrick played by Taichi Nanao / Guy
"All people need is a single story."
There is just one story he'll never forget. He has an aspiration to have as many people as possible encounter books such as he did. He's somewhat narrow-minded and self-righteous. He hopes to encounter only one book in his lifetime that will change his life. He and Meredith tend to clash with one another due to their different values.
Meredith played by Masumi Usui / Chikage Utsuki
"I just love each and every story that's been born into this world."
He loves all stories. The same holds true for how he feels about people. For that reason, Henrick thinks of him as being shallow, and they clash about everything.
Jared played by Azami Izumida / Homare Arisugawa
"It's too ominous to have a black cat pass right in front of you just as you're about to enter school... This must be a warning. This better not unravel some kind of mystery..."
A childhood friend of Kieran's. A gloomy young man. He enrolls after Kieran gets involved. Because he's afraid of librarians not aging, he doesn't want to get involved with them. He tends to think negatively.
Vance played by Tasuku Takato / Misumi Ikaruga
"You wanted to see me? Sure thing. This is gonna be a fun school year."
The student council vice president. He loves mischief and loves having fun. Thinks being vice president sounds fun, so he agrees to do it without any real consideration. He saw a librarian using magic when he was a kid and thought that life would be more fun if he could learn to do it, so he enrolled at the academy.
Abel played by Hisoka Mikage / Itaru Chigasaki
"I don't like being left behind."
He enrolled for one purpose. He gets good grades and is sociable. He behaves as a problem-free student and is trusted by both students and teachers.
Finished this just in time for the new trailer drop! This is my Mononoke illustration featuring assorted merch from the anime, movie, and stage play! How many can you recognize? ⚖️👹
(Yes, please send answers in the replies! Answers, progress pics, artist commentary will be drafted on a separate post when I'm less tired)
⭐️ UPDATE 04/03/24: Abridged artist commentary is now available under the cut! For the full version, please see the Google Doc linked in the replies.
👁️Overview
Late last year, I rather belatedly discovered Mononoke’s 15th anniversary came and went, and with it, an entire swath of new content to manically pore over. This is an illustration of the various Mononoke merchandise, props, and set dressing I discovered.
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🔎Scope
Some fun facts regarding the work that went into this illustration!
Not including research time, this project ran for roughly two months, consuming much of my waking hours outside of my full time and freelance jobs.
While the illustration does not depict all of my findings, it does feature over 120 unique props and set dressings!
The majority of the props and set dressing were modeled to varying degrees of detail in SketchUp.
To model prep, I often put together schematics on Photoshop or Illustrators. Some were created from scratch. Others were created with the liberal usage of the Photoshop transform and perspective warp function.
The master file is 1.5GB. The dimensions are 6400x3600 at 300 dpi, and contains over 2,200 layers.
Near the end of production, the master file became so unwieldy I created a separate working file. This way, I could create assets lag-free then import the layers into the master file.
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Past this point is where most of the commentary cuts were made for the sake of brevity. Again, look in the replies for the Google Doc link containing the full version with a table of contents for easier navigation!
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🗳️3D Layout
As you can see, the backbone of this illustration is the 3D model. I spent perhaps 30-40% of my production time on this stage.
And this is the lit version. The lighting ultimately got downplayed in favor of showcasing the vibrant colors. I like how simple it looks though!
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🎬Production-Based Set Dressing
In addition to merchandise, I wanted to insert set dressing and props from the various Mononoke productions.
🦊Kusuriuri
It’s odd to have a section dedicated just to him, but his unique appearance warrants it. His garb and overall appearance is an amalgam of the anime and movie. The original intent was ambiguity– kind of like the blue/black vs. yellow/white dress phenomena a few years back. But after doing the color flats, I rather liked how the rich, unaltered colored fit with the overall composition so it became more blatant. I’m surprised that nobody has commented on this since I published the illustration. Maybe because I didn’t feature him in a close-up?
🐈 kai ~Ayakashi~Bake Neko (2006)
Finding props iconic to this story arc (outside of the Kusuriuri’s tools of trade, of course) was somewhat difficult. While the environment was richly decorated, it mainly consisted of 2D artwork which I wasn’t keen on retracing. I opted to paint objects that characters interacted with or featured heavily in the show.
Salt Jar
Candlestick
Rat Trap
🦋Mononoke (2007)
The props fall into three distinct categories here: Kusuriuri’s tools and trinkets; things featured in the opening and ending credits; and objects iconic to each of the five story arcs in the series. I tried to keep most of them clustered on the tatami, but as space grew scarce some props trickled up onto the deck as well.
Medicine Box
Exorcism Sword
Tenbin
Paper Talisman
Mirror
Ring
Geta Sandal
Necklace
Paper Umbrella (Zashikiwarashi)
Daruma Dolls ( Zashikiwarashi)
Gunpowder Ball (Umi Bozu)
Smoking Pipe (Nopperabou)
Genjiko Blocks (Nue)
Train Ticket (Bake Neko)
Lantern (Anime OP)
Butterflies (Anime EP)
☂️Mononoke: Karakasa (2024)
Pretty slim pickings for the new movie since I only had the teaser, first trailer, and movie poster to reference from. Kusuriuri’s tools of trade were a given, but finding memorable and narratively significant objects was a tad troublesome.
Thankfully, the set dressing ended up (however subconsciously) strikingly similar to the movie’s environment design, down to the green tatami and multicolor shoji screen. I suppose at this point I was so immersed in Mononoke content that its aesthetics subconsciously informed my design choices!
Exorcism Sword
Tenbin
Paper Talisman
Comb
Movie Poster
Butterfly (Custom design)
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🪭Official Merchandise
Goods related to canonical narratives and/or productions.
🎊15th Anniversary
Mononoke Shu - A light novel by Hideyui Niki & illustrated by 2964_KO
Whiskey Glass & Box
📖 Key Frame Art Books by Hashimoto Takashi
Ayakashi Key Art Frame Book (2010)
Key Frame Art Book vol.9 (2017)
📚Manga by Yaeko Ninagawa
Kai Ayakashi: Bake Neko Vol. 1-2
Kai Ayakashi: Mononoke Prequel
Mononoke Vol. 1-10
🎭Butai Mononoke
Bakeneko Pamphlet
Zashikiwarashi Pamphlet
Zashikiwarashi Acrylic Standees
Zashikiwarashi Manegi
💿Physical Media
Official OST CD
DVD Box Set
Yokai Pattern Fabric
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Common Collab Merchandise
This category consists of goods that are generally more affordable and feature graphics from the source material with minimal alterations.
Amnibus
Wall Scrolls
Tenugui Fabric
Shot Glasses
Minoyaki Bean Plates
ANIGA-TER
Stickers
Can Badges
Canvas Prints
Anique
Diorama Acrylic Stand
Acrylic Blocks
Challenge Kuji
Kusuriuri & Hyper Clocks
eeo Store Online
Folding Fan
Keychains
Can Badges
gj character G
Cushion
Acrylic Charms
Neo Gate
Satchels
Mini Badges
Mini Badges by Mame Shinoda
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High-End Collab Merchandise
Goods which derive motifs from the characters, props, and patterns from the production and transform them in an elevated manner through abstraction or usage of precious materials.
WIP previews for my contribution to the @mononoke-zine I took part in. My dumb ass for got to share it on Tumblr last year. Well, here they are belatedly. 😅
I created the cover art, and I look forward to y'all seeing it in its full glory soon! ^_^
The preorder is scheduled for February 2025, so please look forward to it!
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