kudotsurugi

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An illustration of Akira from Live-A-Live that I created for ThePurpleCheeseMan's Tradin' Faves podcast. You can check out the latest episode, focusing on Live-A-Live, down below:

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A little late, but I made a pic for TOME's 13th Anniversary

Decided to go more lowkey this time, just a selfie shot of our friendly 5-Man Band of heroes. Back to when it all began.

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X-Whips Battle Network AU OC - GAIA.exe

I originally drew this NetNavi alongside the others in the line-up picture, but I realised I never actually posted this one, so... remedying that today😅

This is GAIA.EXE, based on the Star Droid Terra from Rockman World V/Mega Man V for the Game Boy. To briefly explain her rough backstory idea, (SPOILERS FOR BATTLE NETWORK 6)she is an amalgamation of remaining data left from Colonel, Iris and the Cybeasts from their final battle at the end of the game. After the game's events, said data fragments combined into a new form and identity. I never settled on whether she'd be a friend or foe, but I did see her being similar to Bass at first, wandering the cyber world until she found herself in the hands of a new NetOperator. 

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X-Whip Comics Season 2 Ep.3 (2/??)

And so, the exhibition match gets underway as Alpha and Zetto demonstrate the new rules. But what surprises will the X-Whips find, as the duo reveal their super forms?

As a reminder, this is a story that takes place after the events of a What-If Season 3 story that I made before the A2Z movie trilogy was even conceived. So while some things from the trilogy may carry over, this is essentially a separate timeline.

Also, the new names in the tags are of characters that make an appearance in the crowd on page 4 of this part. We'll be seeing them later in the story.

Episode 1(Part 1 / Part 2)

Episode 2(Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/Part 4/Part 5)

Episode 3(Part 1/Part 2[HERE]/??)

—–

Welcome to X-Whip Comics, a series of comics featuring some characters from the TOME RPG and their random shenanigans.

These were initially comics I shared on a Discord server, but I was convinced to share them online, soooo.…. here we are! All characters presented belong to their respective owners.

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RIP Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)

What can I say that hasn't been said by millions of people across the world already? This man not only gave us manga and anime classics, like Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, but he also defined the look of an entire gaming franchise in Dragon Quest and classics like Chrono Trigger. Heck, his impact was so large, that we may not have had the "Big Three" of Shonen Jump(Naruto, BLEACH, One Piece) without his influence. 

And we still have anime works to look forward to which had his involvement, such as Sand Land and Dragon Ball Daima. The only real shame is that won't be around to share in our joy for the worlds he creates. All the same, while the world may seem a lesser place without him, the impact he has left on the world has inspired many a generation, and it will not be forgotten for a long time.

Rest in Peace, Toriyama-sensei, and thank you for all you've done.

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Random Thought: Why does all "90's Anime style" fanart just look like Sailor Moon?

Okay, obviously not all fanart looks like it. But if you were to type in "90s anime style" here on Tumblr or DeviantArt at the time of this post, it at least seems to be the majority stand-in for 90s anime aesthetic, right? Especially in the characters' eyes.

Don't me wrong, this is not a knock against Sailor Moon. It is a great anime, and the collective character designs by Kazuko Tadano, Ikuko Ito, and Mari Tominaga among other staff are iconic. So iconic that Tadano was brought back as the character designer for the latest Sailor Moon movies. That is quite the staying power.

But let's be fair, there are plenty of 90s anime out there that can also be used as inspiration. So, here are the names of 11 character designers alongside some gifs of shows/projects they worked on in that role. Some you may not know but you've seen their work, and others you probably know for their distinct art style or association with a franchise.

Things worth noting: First, the years listed here with some anime may reflect when the artists' work started airing, rather than when the anime itself actually started. Some folks listed here enter their projects mid-production in other roles, while others are in the role from the start. Second, each entry will list 1 or 2 projects aired/released during the 90s, but it will be noted if the artist's role continues beyond that with certain franchises. Lastly, these artists are listed in no particular order, so no "top 11" hierarchy. With that said, here's our examples:

Hisashi Eguchi (Roujin Z[1991], Sonic the Hedgehog CD [1993])

2. Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru(Dragon Ball franchise (Z [1993-96], GT [1996], Daima [2024]), Digimon franchise [1999-2002, 2019-2023])

3. Kumiko Takahashi (Cardcaptor Sakura [1998-2000], Birdy The Mighty[1996])

4. Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun[1998], Slayers franchise[1995-97])

5. Atsuko Nakajima (Ranma 1/2[1989-1992], You're Under Arrest[1996])

6. Sayuri Ichiishi (Pokémon[Pokémon design: 1996-present, human character design: 1996-2017])

7. Atsuko Ishida (Magic Knight Rayearth[1994-1995])

8. Masaya Onishi (Yu Yu Hakusho[1993-1994])

9. Toshihiro Kawamoto(Cowboy Bebop[1998-1999], Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team[1996])

10. Hiroshi Osaka(Gundam franchise[Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: 1993-1994, Mobile Fighter G-Gundam:1994-1995])

11. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto(Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water[1990-1991], Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise[1995-1997, 2007-2021])

Might've leaned a bit more on the Shonen side of things than Shojo, but I hope you can see my point😅. There are tons of 90s anime out there with their own unique feel and aesthetic. These are only 11 names that I found.

For anyone drawing 90s anime style fanart, I hope this has given you some inspiration, and I encourage anyone reading this to look up your favourite anime on Anime News Network's encyclopedia and see who's responsible for helping bring your favorite characters to life on screen and what other shows they've worked on.

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Gift Art for SakuraNights

A bit of a spur-of-the-moment drawing, but I had to do it😅

To provide brief context, I heard my friend @sakuranights1 share a cover of "Part of Your World" on a mutual Discord server we're in, inspiration struck and the rest is history.

Her tail is based on an angelfish (blue angelfish to be exact) and she likes sea turtles so I gave her a sea turtle friend. The scales were tricky, but I'm overall happy with how it turned out😄👍

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Happy New Year, folks!

With 2024 on the horizon, it'll not only be the 22nd Anniversary year for Kingdom Hearts, but also the 20th Anniversary for the second-ever game in the franchise: Chain of Memories.

This game essentially kicked off what would be the beginning of the Dark Seeker Saga, introducing us to the long-running villain group, Organization XIII. So, to celebrate, I decided to recreate and color one of @amanoshiroh141127 -sensei's illustrations from the CoM manga in the style of a what-if anime promo image.

At the time of this writing, there is currently no announcement of a Kingdom Hearts anime or animated series. But we'll see how things pan out in the future.

Until then, once again, have a Happy New Year! Let's hope 2024 is good one🤞

EDIT: Also, here's a close-up of Sora's 3 cards. 2 friends and 1 enemy card.

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One random day, on a bridge in Mac Anu, a popular meme was re-enacted.

For Those of you unaware, the original .hack//(pronounced "dot hack") games by CyberConnect2, starred the character Kite, a new player to the in-universe MMORPG "The World". There have been many iterations of The World in the .hack// franchise, and also as many character expies of Kite. So much so they made their own visual guide to tell you who's who.

So, I decided to take 5 'Kites' from the franchise and recreate the Spider-Man pointing meme.

From top left to bottom middle, we have:

Kite, protagonist of the original .hack// games(Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and Quarantine, "IMOQ" for short)

Shugo, the protagonist of the anime and manga .hack//Legend of the Twilight

Sakuya, the lead character in the anime OVA .hack//Quantum

Sora/Kite, aka Sora Yuuki, the protagonist of the Feature film .hack//The Movie: Beyond the World, and guest character in the PSP game .hack//Link.

"Tri-Edge"/Azure Kite, the initial antagonist of .hack//G.U.

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X-Whip Comics Season 2 Ep.3 (1/??)

And so we begin the next chapter in the Guilder's Crown arc: the Exhibition Match! This chapter, we'll get an idea of how the new rules regarding super forms come into play. And who better to show it than two of the most famous players in TOME!

As a reminder, this is a story that takes place after the events of a What-If Season 3 story that I made before the A2Z movie trilogy was even conceived. So while some things from the trilogy may carry over, this is essentially a separate timeline.

Episode 1(Part 1 / Part 2)

Episode 2(Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/Part 4/Part 5)

Episode 3(Part 1[HERE]/Part 2/??)

—–

Welcome to X-Whip Comics, a series of comics featuring some characters from the TOME RPG and their random shenanigans.

These were initially comics I shared on a Discord server, but I was convinced to share them online, soooo.…. here we are! All characters presented belong to their respective owners.

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Yu-Gi-Oh! GX-Whips

A new story starring the X-Whips! This time set within a Yu-Gi-Oh! AU

These images above are potential scenarios to expect, while the story itself is being written by @jackskelowine

Once the first couple of chapters are out soon, they will be linked here.

Please look forward to it.

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Reblogging here for those who haven't seen it yet

Here we are, our first video update since the project's announcement.

While not where I hoped we would be, I think the project is coming along nicely. We have a small video reel of both rough work and finished work to share from some animators who gave their approval.

Be sure to check out the folks featured in this video, as well as the project's social media pages. Links are listed below:

Animators

Guest - Twitter - Patreon

@anasten27 - Twitter - YouTube

Arcanira/Bhav - Twitter - YouTube - Website

GirlyWolfPup - Twitter - YouTube

Kelly Productions - Youtube

Slane Films - YouTube

MojoNoah - DeviantArt

Project's Discord Server: https://discord.gg/dRrgfGJsND

Project Social Media pages: Tumblr Twitter

Featured Music: Wonderland's Surprises - Piano Collections KINGDOM HEARTS - Field and Battle

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An animatic created using storyboards created for an online storyboarding course with Triggerfish Academy.

The assignment, as the video title suggests, was to create a storyboard sequence based on a personal memory. For me, this was loosely based on what happened during a trip to a concert with friends in London.

Exaggerated for comedic purposes, of course 😂

Storyboard panels were drawn in Clip Studio Paint, and compositing and editing were done in DaVinci Resolve.

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Here's the photo redraw by itself, based on the original by Seth Kearsley.

A sneak peak of one of our completed cuts, featuring the famous photo.

Animation by @kudotsurugi

Interested in joining the project? Check out our pinned post to find out how!

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“All right, dia duit and all that, let’s do this one more time. Is mise Padraig O’Hara. I was bitten by a genetically engineered spider, and for the last 5 bliana, I’ve been Eireann Nua’s one and only Spider-Man.”

Last week, I got the chance to see Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse with a good friend, and I loved it! If you're a fan of the first Spider-Verse movie, Spider-Man in general, or even animation in general, you're gonna love this new movie.

When the first movie came out, it inspired a lot of Spider-Verse OCs, or Spider-Sonas, from different Earths in the multiverse. So I decided to throw my hat into the ring with "Spider-Man Eire", from Earth-191317. As a nod to the bilingual characters in Spider-Verse, he peppers in some Irish words and phrases in his speech. Also gave him the surname O'Hara as a nod to the half-Irish Spider-Man Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099.

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The project now has its own dedicated Tumblr page! Check it out here as well as learn how you can take part in the project.

So, a couple weeks ago, I decided to redraw some scenes from the Kingdom Hearts pilot animatic. But then a thought occurred to me: Why stop there?

So, I’ve decided to open a multi-animator project to animate the animatic.

If you want to take part in animating it or just want some place to talk KH and other stuff, feel free to drop by the Discord here: https://discord.gg/CF6w3gUWS9

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X-Whips(Battle Network AU) NetNavis 2/2

Ever since the MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection came out and I've been playing it, I've had NetNavis on the brain, so I decided to try reinterpreting some MegaMan characters from across the Robotics timeline(Classic->X->Zero->ZX->Legends) into NetNavis for the X-Whips.

If you want to see them all in a lineup, check out my lineup pic on DeviantArt

1. Dragoon.EXE, based on Magma Dragoon from MegaMan X4 + Dragoon.EXE - Dino Soul. Dino Double Soul armor inspired by Burn Dinorex from MegaMan X5.

2. MakoDuff.EXE, based on Tidal Whale/Tidal Makoeen/Duff McWhalen from MegaMan X5.

3. Salacia.EXE, based on the Stardroid Neptune from RockMan World V/Mega Man V for Game Boy.

4.VaVa.EXE and VILE.EXE, based on the Reploid of the same name from MegaMan X

5. Venus.EXE, based on the Stardroid of the same name from RockMan World V/Mega Man V for Game Boy.

6. Jupiter.EXE  based on the Stardroid of the same name from RockMan World V/Mega Man V for Game Boy.

7. CrashMan.EXE, based on the Robot Master of the same name from MegaMan 2

8. SplashWoman.EXE, based on the Robot Master of the same name from MegaMan 9