Edit: the title for this comic is âPuzzle Ratâ
this oneâs a few days late due to having a lot of doctors appointments sorry
itâs  just 9 pages, and about some rats⌠itâs more symbolic than anything really
(itâs completely unrelated to any of my songs that have to do with âpuzzleboyâ)
Patreon: www.patreon.com/PengoSolvent
I've seen somebody on twitter/X reach out to coly (?) and apparently they didnt use AI while designing Sparkling Stars? I'm not sure if this is legit, but I do hope so.
[ More news about Sparklink Stars here and here!
My personal thoughts + warnings about coly inc. and AI usage here. Just be aware that this doesnât necessarily mean they will use generative AI for the final illustrations.
Character design comments: UPbeats! | aMazINC | Endelore ]
Oh, are you talking about this tweet?
I wouldnât interpret colyâs response as âthey didnât use AI while designing Sparklink Starsâ. Coly did not actually state anything about AI in their email; in fact, they completely fail to address OPâs initial questions of â[what is] the type of AI used (generative or logarithmic)â, âhow it is to be usedâ, and âwhat this means for the future of Sparklink Starsâ.
Coly instead glosses over any mention of AI and just makes a vague statement about â[their] creators and production teamâ, claiming âEvery aspect of the game is carefully craftedâ. âFrom the earliest planning stagesâ could mean gen AI is used for conception of ideas. âThoughtful discussionâ and âdeliberate creative decision-makingâ could mean the devs and creatives sit around picking which generated design or elements of it should be in the final version.
This is corporate PR speak for âI donât feel like answering your question, so I will try to distract you by talking about something else and hope you donât noticeâ. Itâs a total NON-ANSWER; they are dancing around the issue and not providing any real details.
We NOT be accepting this email reply as any kind of proof that no gen AI was used for Spalik.
My personal thoughts + warnings about coly inc. and AI usage here. Just be aware that this doesnât necessarily mean they will use generative AI for the final illustrations. ]
I wanted to comment on the character designs as they come out (since that's a topic I'm really interested in), so that'll be its own series of posts.
PLEASE NOTE: I may not necessarily be super positive about the designs, so if you feel this will affect your enjoyment or excitement for the project, then I advise you not read.
UPbeats! is a fresh-faced 5 member idol group of best friends based in Dream Plaza. They are cheerful and will lift your spirits!
Neo Michel (Mickey Mouse)
CV: Shoya Chiba
âUPbeats!--and your smile, too--are what keep me going.â
His icon is the âď¸ (which may get confusing for Twsties since âď¸ is also used to refer to Kalim sometime)
The reliable leader and the center of UPbeats! Neo leads the group forward with a cheery, positive attitude.
Described to be a natural mood maker and a charmer who captivates everyone he talks to.
⌠Why does bro look like a combination of two Enstars characters???With his eyes being the same colors as Mickeyâs torso, pants, and shoes??? And his name literally being âNew Mickeyâ is INSANE work, such a silly name đ
He looks so⌠generic? More Kirito SAO or literally any dark-haired Japanese protag-adjacent than inspired by Mickey Mouse. I wouldnât even be able to tell he was supposed to be The Mouse without context and some of the accessories on his jacket. I wish the sneakers were at least yellow and they tried to incorporate the ears somehow (maybe as a hat/hood, headphones, hairstyle, sunglasses, or hair accessory).
As expected, he is⌠the genki leader. No shocker there.
Hugh Gardner (Goofy Goof)
CV: Fumiya Imai
âCome on, letâs try smiling. Something good is sure to happen if you do.â
His icon is đ§˘
The big brother figure who watches over UPbeats! with a smile.
A mysterious presence who always manages to pull through almost any situation thanks to his innate and extraordinary luck.
Wow, uh⌠the Spalik designs continue to not impress. I think the colors on Hugh are really offânot just the lack of green hat or even orange shirt (Goofyâs signatures; I guess maybe everyoneâs in red and black for more group unity), but also his SKIN?? Why does he look so grey washed??? Were they attempting to give him tan or slightly darker skin? đ
The one element on him I like is how the hair bangs resemble the shape of Goofyâs ears. However, remove other indicators like the âgawrshâ pin, and I would have difficulties guessing what he is supposed to be.
âHughâ makes me think of âhueâ like a color. âGardnerâ may be a reference to Goofyâs English VA, whose surname is âFarmerâ. The nameâs definitely more creative than NEO MICHEL.
I wonder why they decided to make him a big bro figureâŚ? Is it cuz Goofy is canonically a father? But obviously heâs a bit young here so they had to interpret that as something else for this version?
Didi Cedric Bird/Bard (Donald Duck)
CV: Yuya Hirose
"My voice is too loud? Heh heh heh, I guess Iâm just overflowing with energy!â
His icon is đŞ˝
A passionate guy who rallies and motivates the team.
Heâs a competitive go-getter with a positive personality, tackling everything with his all/full effort.
This one is⌠slightly better than the ones that were revealed before him, but not by much. He still has the lack of iconic character colors, generic idol smile, and bland outfit. Is the little puff of hair atop his head supposed to resemble Donaldâs beakâŚ? Or is that just me overthinking it and giving the design too much credit?
Didi looks the most like his Disney counterpart, but thatâs mostly because Donald has the iconic sailor suit and thereâs a version of Donald where he is wearing a black variant. The pose is also less meh than the others; he does look more combative, even if his smile is still leaning bright and peppy. A detail I enjoy is that Didi doesnât have very blatant accessories like Neo and Hugh do; he has more subtle patches that are in the shape of a duckâs webbed feet.
The name of this one is killing me đ âDidiâ, like Donaldâs initials, âDDâ??? (âDidiâ means âlittle brotherâ in Mandarin Chinese too, but I donât think thatâs the intended reference.) I think he has a middle name because Donald also had one as a reference to his sailor. And the surname being âBirdâ/âBardâ (ăăźă/bardo) is pretty on-the-nose.
I was expecting Donald to be a tsundere or have a rougher attitude⌠I guess being competitive is fine and all, but it seems everyone in this group is super positive. I donât associate Donald with these traits at all; heâs lacking the pompous attitude and hotheadedness of the OG.
Raska Moncliff (Chip)
*Note that this name may not be the correct spelling, since JP isnât always clear with r/l, c/k, ea/i, etc. differentiation
CV: Hiromu Mineta
âWell, I have no intentions of showing you anything unseemly/unsightly, so look keep your expectations high.â
His icon is đż
Heâs the brain behind UPbeats!, meticulously planning their stage performances. A reliable anchor/pillar that supports the team.
Heâs always bold and confident, often tellinf his teammates âCome on, you can lean/rely on me.â
THATâS JUST SOME GUY⌠𤥠The one thing I like on him is the acorn earring. Thatâs about it.
I donât have much else to comment on here since Iâm not familiar with Chip or Dale. However, a friend pointed out that Chip has a black nose and Dale has a red one, so this guy could have had a black tie to better indicate which brother he is.
Since I donât know the OG character well, I have no clue what his name is supposed to be about. Maybe âraskaâ as in ârascalâ?
Raska looks to be the reliable type, but Hugh is described as a âbig broâ type, which I also assume would be reliableâŚ? How will they be differentiated? Maybe Hugh is not as competent since Goofyâs silly?
Ranka Munk (Dale)
*Note that this name may not be the correct spelling, since JP isnât always clear with r/l, c/k, ea/i, etc. differentiation
CV: Gen Sato
"When you're feeling sleepy... The best thing to do is just go nap without a care in the world.â
His icon is đ´
The youngest member of UPbeats!
Heâs extremely laid-back.
Usually teams up with Raska to pull pranks; this is Rankaâs cherished way of bonding with others.
This one looks like he has Aceâs hair if it were styled differently (closest I could find is Luxe Couture) and paler + Caterâs lazy eyes. I noticed he has the same acorn earring as Raska, but thatâs the only thing on the design I like. Thereâs unfortunately a consistent pattern of the Spalik characters just not representing the designs of their Disney counterparts that wellâŚ
A-Are they⌠not brothers???? (Update: apparently Chip and Dale arenât brothers and I believed a lie my entire life đ¤Ą) The Chip and Dale characters seem to have different surnames. Not sure where the first name comes from.
His + Didiâs personalities stand out the most to me. Maybe itâs because Didiâs competitiveness and Rankaâs penchant for sleeping and pranks can potentially lead to conflict www
General Thoughts
Those designs were ROUGH could have been⌠much better. My major issues can boil down to:
Thereâs not enough representation of the Disney charactersâ colors; this was traded in for a group color scheme of black, red, and white.
Itâs impossible to tell what Disney characters each boy is based on if you strip them of the accessories that blatantly have the characterâs heads or key phrases on them. In fact, the accessories feel like they were slapped on with little thought as a shortcut to indicate what the inspirations were.
The poses and smiles are generically pleasant; thereâs very little variation among the 5.
Not related to the physical design, but the personalties also read to me as âcookie cutterâ idols. Could just be it seems that way because we havenât seen them in action in a story yet.
They just feel like random ass anime characters doing a Disney-inspired clothing collab.
Itâs possible to make designs that read closer to the Disney inspirations!! Just take a look at these character designs by @ug0nba; the Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Chip and Dale DNA comes off much stronger in the shapes, colors, poses, styles, and faces:
This can be done with other characters as well! Look at Fragaria Memories, in which the characters are knights inspired by different Sanrio mascots. I would not need to tell you which knight is for which Sanrio character, because you can already tell a lot by the various design elements on display.
Iâve also seen lots of fan works of the UPbeats! boys that alter the designs or make their expressions more lively. The fan artists really improve upon the originals.
I definitely think Yanaâs designs have spoiled many other anime-style gacha game designs for Twst fans because it made me realize a lot of them can read as generic đ In Twst. you can easily tell what a characterâs personality is like based on just the subtleties in their posing or the differences in how they choose to wear their school uniforms. These sensibilities also often extend to other outfits. Certain characters wear their designated event outfits in a more loose way, or there are additional items that help express their individuality.
This has become a topic of discussion in the JP fandom lately, too. For example, this one really blew up:
âI think the strength of Yana Tobosoâs character designs lies in their vast knowledge (of fashion); she could explain the intent behind every single detail (on a character) if she wanted to. Thereâs nothing in her work thatâs vague âlace for the sake of having laceâ. Itâs more like, âThis specific type of lace appears here because it was fashionable among this specific social class in Britain during a particular century, so its placement/presence is entirely natural.ââ
I think that, if more character designs were as intentional as Yana and her teamâs are, we would not have as many bland designs in animanga and especially in the gacha game industry 𼲠Itâs such a shame that Spalikâs designs are as boring as they are, because they will always be compared to Twstâs and seen as lesser đŚ
The fact that these designs fall short also do not help the generative AI allegations, which will make potential fans further doubt the project. While the final product does appear to be done by actual artists, this doesnât mean the designs given to the artists to render werenât processed by or conjured up by a machine.
We havenât seen the silhouettes and designs for the remaining groups + characters, so Iâm wondering of there will be different artists or designers per group⌠Maybe itâs cope on my part, because I think itâd be such a shame to waste perfectly good ideas like Monsters Inc, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella boys for this project.
why are there so many posts about asexuals being immune to sirens. people. sirens donât lure you in with sex (necessarily). they sing about whatever it is that you want most. they could sing about mothman or cinnamon toast crunch and guess what then your asexual pirate is fucking dead
Congratulations! Odysseus! Youâve been selected as a winner for the free $1000 Amazon Gift Card, Apple iPhone X 256G or Samsung Galaxy S8! Claim your prize now!
I think a lot more people need to admit that they would get tricked by sirens.
Like I get that your Ace but then they start singing about the embrace of a true friend who accepts you as you are and doesnât think your broken and your ass is over board swimming faster than a speed boat.
snowghoul
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
areudirty
titsay
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
