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Comparison of Zhou Qiluo with Mystic Messenger’s Game Character

  This article is done in duplicate, full Chinese version post on Zhihu, website link:https://www.zhihu.com/question/289838807/answer/469228844; full English version post on Tumblr and Twitter, with this Tumblr and Twitter account @mysmelover.

  All the pictures are from Internet. The main body is free to reprint. The original author is not responsible for any misunderstanding caused by other language translation.

  In case of serious spoilers, please read carefully.

  First emphasize, in the article posted by Love and Producer's official weibo account on 0:16 10th, Aug 2018, the first draft of Zhou Qiluo was made by 2014 can not explain the similarity of Zhou Qiluo's image in the new PV release on 1st, Aug 2018 with the game characters of Mystic Messenger launched two years ago.

  The progress of game character design is a long progress, and a completed design takes time to be enrich and perfect. We believe, the developed team of both game has made a such deal to Love and Producer and Mystic Messenger. But the great effort does not mean we can just use coincidence to explain the similarity of the game character in them.

  Mystic Messenger (hereafter referred to MM) began developing at 2015, launched at both Android and IOS at Aug 2016. When the game launched, the whole character design of 7 game character, player character Main Character (hereafter referred to MC) and the important character Rika has completed. The causal story and deep story is around 5 of them, although at that time, Unknown does not have his own story, but he plays a lot in game's bad ending. Although Cheritz launched V route on Sep 2017 and Ray Route (Ray is Unknown) on 31st, Jan 2018, but: first, this two route is completely independent to the main story, the time, background and story is different; second, before this two route launched, they both had attended the DLC of Christmas, 2016. This all showing that the design of Unknown had also begun at 2015, not 2018.

  Love and Producer (hereafter referred to LP) released the internal test at the summer of 2017, and officially launched at Dec 2017. After its launch, the story has updated twice, now goes to Chapter 18 (not end). Here we mainly compare the similarity of Zhou Qiluo and game characters in MM, especially the similarity of Zhou Qiluo's image in new PV with them.

I. The Comparison of Similar Concepts in Two Games' Character

1. Chip

 "Chip" is a very important concept of Zhou Qiluo and 707. In LP, Zhou Qiluo met heroine (hereafter referred to Youran) because of a bag of chips in convenience store, then he directly calls Youran as 'miss chip'. 707 has showed his love to Honey Buddha Chip. Many Love and Producer players (hereafter referred to LPers) said, Zhou Qiluo does not love to eat chips, but snacks. However, we can see "chip" is a highlight concepts of LP's early story and advertising.

 For example, in LP's Spring Festival advertisement (has been pulled down because of the controversy), chip is a key concept.

 In addition, chip is an important concept of two game's marketing. Although the LP has not officially announced the business cooperation relationship with any chip manufacture. In the event of Zhou Qiluo's birthday, many LPers bought chips to celebrate. This matter actually reached the certain marketing purpose, showing "chip" is a key marketing concepts of LP.

 Not only LPers, Paper Game (LP's game development company) used "chip" as Zhou Qiluo's keywords. In this year's Chinajoy, they put a bag of chips in Zhou Qiluo's room. They constantly use the "chips", proved the deep connection between the character and the chips.

 Coincidentally, Honey Buddha Chip (hereafter referred to HBC) is a frequently element in MM and also an ad of Cheriz. The manufacture of Honey Buddha Chip called HAITAI is one of a sponsor of MM. Therefore, in the game, chips are shown with real logo and looks. This advertisement intuitively affected the sales of HBC. Players bring a lot purchasing. 

  Actually, LP and MM are not the only games used concept "chips" to design the character, also the real-life's marketing promotion used a quite similar concept. In addition, the Korean version of LP has translated the "chip" into "Honey Chip”.

2. Superhero and Space

 Firstly, in many artworks, superhero equals the defender of justice. We consider it as the same concept here.

 For superhero, Zhou Qiluo has called himself as the superhero and will take mission to the space. Some LPers said Zhou Qiluo call himself as the superhero because Youran has called him like this. For a same "idea", different games may have different ways to describe. Here we just talk about the similar of concepts, not the story related.

  Also 707 has called himself a 'Defender of Justice', and always says he wants to travel to the space, even a wedding at the space station. MM has a spaceship under their game to interface. For the MMers, space is a very romantic point to 707. Many fans have created artworks buy using "space". Therefore, "space" has played an important role of 707.

3. Multiple Personality

 For the concept of multiple personality, this two games describe it with two ways.

Performing a multiple personality role

 In LP, Zhou Qiluo's surface identity is an idol, he sometimes gets acting job; and in MM, there is a musical actor ZEN. In the new chapter of LP, the upper news (only can be seen in iphoneX) shows Zhou Qiluo will perform a role of triple personality.

  Being a musical actor, ZEN has performed many musicals in MM story, and there is a musical about multiple personality originally named Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (the game change few letters of the name). The purpose making ZEN perform this musical not only suit his job, but also imply of Unknown, who is triple personality.

The character is/ may be multiple personality

Zhou Qiluo's disposition has changed a lot in the new chapter with no clear reason. Without the story says he has suffered a lot or experienced some kind of shock, we consider he may be multiple personality.

 In MM there is an actual triple personality character Unknown.

4. Duel Identity and Hacker

  At the later story in two game, Zhou Qiluo and 707 both have duel identity, and both of them take hacker as their hidden identity. In MM, 707 run away from his parents, and with V's help he studied and become a hacker; In LP, Zhou Qiluo lived in Heaven Welfare Home belongs to Black Swan, and directly taught by key and take over this identity after the former key vanished.

  In LP's story, evol is a unique concept. Every game character has different superpower named evol, according to this unique setting, we can describe Zhou Qiluo as: A genius hacker with a superpower.

   But 'A genius hacker with a superpower' has appeared in 707's call in MM:

 Although superpower is not a very key concept in MM, and 707 dose not actual have superpower, but same way to say it makes people think.

5. Zhou Qiluo's new image in PV is similar with Unknown in MM  

Tattoo

  In the new PV release in 1st, Aug 2018, Zhou Qiluo has a black tattoo from his right shoulder to arm, Unknown has a same black tattoo, in same arm, in same place. Although their tattoo is different in pattern and meaning, it looks too much familiar at the first sight.

Game CG

  Zhou Qiluo's game CG is very similar with one of Unknown's CG, similar posture, similar perspective angle. We zoom the head part and put these two CG together show the line of nose, ear, chin can overlap.

Change of the color of hair and eyes

  In new PV, Zhou Qiluo changes his hair into white, eyes' color from gold to blue; in MM's story, Unknown's red hair fading after drinking elixir to white and his golden eyes changes to blue.

Change of disposition

  In new PV, Zhou Qiluo changes to a cold person from an idolish character; after the brainwashing, Unknown turns into an angry and intense from a soft and introverted. Although their disposition is different both before and after, they both have a enormous change of it.

 Outfit

  Their outfit also looks similar, black choker, wearing vest or so.

6. Heaven Welfare Home and Mint Eye

 In LP', Zhou Qiluo lived in Heaven Welfare Home when he was young, an anonymous man describes it as 'there will happy like in heaven'; in MM, Unknown always say Mint Eye is a heaven can help people and bring happiness.

 Heaven Welfare Home is a welfare home which choose little children to grow their superpower, and order to get an ace, they will inject medicine every week. In MM, as the heresy set up by Rika, Mint Eye is aiming on make people happy. Rika thinks only she can heal people, so there is also a regular ceremony in Mint Eye, makes its believer drink a medicine named elixir. This medicine would cause adverse reaction of body, like unclear mind, drinking in long-term even makes people being brain washed. After being adopted Unknown was forced by Rika to drink elixir, causes he being brainwashed, his hair color faded and totally changed into another person, even came out triple personality.

7. The descriptions above are all obvious similar concepts in the two games, and we will list some detailed similarities only slightly analyzed as following:

  In the chapter 8 of LP, Youran comes to a party organized by hackers because of a mail. While in MM, MC invites guests coming to the party by mails and other characters also receives mails from Mint Eye in which Unknown stays. Moreover, the final party has always been Mint Eye's goal.

  In LP, Youran received a mail from an “Unknown”. And MM’s story begins because MC received messages from Unknown (in prologue chatroom).

 In the chapter 8 of LP, Youran has reach a bomb attract in the party, key (Zhou Qiluo) protect her. In the MM story of 707, there is a bomb in MC's apartment, 707 come to the apartment protect her. This bomb also shows in other character's story.

Zhou Qiluo and 707 loving to wear a headset. In Zhou Qiluo’s character design and card there is usually a headset around his neck, same gesture as 707 (just look similar).

II. About Cheritz had Copied Other Game

  When Cheritz set up at 2016, it was just a small game company, so as the first game of this company, Dandelion -Wishes brought to you- had given its game character design to an outsourcing company. So to the incident Dandelionis similar with other game named Lamentoin game character's appearance we think, Cheritz just take limited responsibility for it. It is not a very rare situation when outsourcing company causes problem to the game, even Paper Game itself had experienced the same situation. We think, it is not fair to define Cheritz had copied other game just by the mistakes caused by outsourcing company.

  Furthermore, if LPers assume Cheritz had copied just because Dandelionis similar with other game named Lamento in game character's appearance, the comparison we mentioned above can not just called coincidences.

III. Respond to some LPers' Query

1. Clarification of two game's designing timeline

  LP's official weibo had post an article showed the very first design of four male game character and Youran of this game, the first draft picture of Zhou Qiluo was made by 17th, Oct 2014. And the whole design progress is secret until they released the internal test at the summer of 2017.

  According Cheritz's official Tumblr, the first article mentioned about MM was written by 20th, May 2015. In addition, Cheritz has post a team diary on their Tumblr to show the design progress of MM, also made a brochure of design in the VIP package of MM.

  On the other side, if LP's team are prior informed about MM, even LP officially said the progress of design has begun at 2014, but the whole progress is undisclosed until 2017, so they had a lot of time to adjust their design then avoid having similar with a game launched way before it. Even LP has launched at the end of 2017, its story is not complete until now, they should have pretty enough time to change their design.

 Besides, on the game forum TapTap, LP's developer writes the game cost two year to develop, but in the article post days ago they said they begun develop since 2014, so which one is true?

2. Clarification of 'The traditional Chinese translated name of MM has copied LP'

 The traditional Chinese version MM is in charged by a Taiwan prestigious publisher called SNSplus, this company runs all the localization and publishing of MM for official service in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. May because the publisher knowing about LP is popular in mainland China, so they take a temporary name similar of LP (just similar with two former Chinese characters, with the first Chinese character same), but since Cheritz always connect MMers with English and Korean, we doubt they are fully aware of this.

  When this temporary name had announced on twitter, many Chinese MMers was worried about the name may cause misunderstanding since LP is very popular at that time. So they sent comments under this announcement asking for change the temporary name. Days later, Cheritz took the advice and change the traditional Chinese translated name of MM.

 Using this temporary name to compare with LP's Chinese name can not conclude Cheritz of MM is coping LP.

3. Clarification of 'Chinese MMers better loving foreign games than homebred game'

 For many MMers insist that LP and MM do have many similar, some LPers criticize that MMers are kind of worship things foreign (in a badly way). What is more, when we try to explain the issue of the traditional Chinese translated name of MM, they think we put Taiwan aside talking about this problem, it’s actually support Taiwan independence, taking the whole issue to political level.

  The reason why we have separate the traditional Chinese version MM to the mainland China is because by the rule of app store, the store of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan stands alone from the store of mainland China. So this is a policy problem, not a political problem.

  Many people would play games developed by foreigners, and many foreigners play games made by Chinese team, this is a process of cultural exchange, you should not be proud of just by playing games from any country. The standard of judging a game is not by its country, is by game-play and how careful planning by the designer.

  In the very first questionnaire of LP before its launched, they have clearly asked whether you have played MM, therefore the develop team of LP is definitely knowing it. In our opinion, if LP’s development team had found the game itself has a lot similar concepts with MM, even the game was completely designed at that time, the team should change its design to avoid similar, but not launch after MM around two years late. This is the right way to respect all the players loving Love and Producer, loving Zhou Qiluo, and the only way to create their most unique 'dearest one'.