After the first two “If they were real” videos, I feel like going back to drawing some more anime themed drawings. For this video I decided to draw characters from one of my favorite animes: TORADORA. It’s a really fun, serious, inspirational and emotional story. If you have not seen it yet I highly recommend it. For the most part the animation and art style are definitely really good. But I feel they could have made it even better. Truthfully the only reason I complain, is because of the time a certain side character dyed his hair (I really thought it looked a bit…).
In any case, this drawing took about five and a half hours to complete. But that was to be expected since I had to color it after all. Over all I wanted to try and bring out the feel of a certain artist I have talked about before, Banpai Akira. This time though I made sure to not look at any of his works and see if I could pull it off on my own. I had to do quite a bit of experimenting, and I really don’t feel I did too bad. The only complaint I have is with Aisaka’s hair. Maybe I should have done it a bit darker (more on the brown side, instead of the light golden hair). But oh well.
This was probably the hardest one to draw. Not because of the difficulty but because of not knowing how Bulma would look like in real life. In my view she could go either way in terms of looks (Asian or Caucasian). So I decided to do some research to help me decide. Much to my surprise that added more to my confusion. As it turn out it seems that Buruma was meant to represent Xuanzang, the Chinese monk (and protagonist) from “Journey to the West”. One would think that it would all end like that and I would just draw her as a Chinese girl, but after examining the original drawings for what would later become Buruma, I found out that he (Akira Toriyama) had a Western girl in mind
So, did that image still carry over to the Buruma that we all know? I was really contemplating and reaching the same conclusion that it could go either way. And since I pretty much imagine Trunks as seeming Caucasian for some reason as well as seeing her family which is made up of one blonde mom. At the very least she could be half and half. But to not complicate things, I will just make her a white girl. With that in mind I’d say that was probably the only character I feel they casted right in that horrible live action movie (too bad they did not give her the full light blue or in some eyes light purple hair). Of course since it was supposed to be based on the original Dragon Ball then they would need a younger actress (or at the very least, make her look , girlier). Not that the right casting would have changed the outcome of the film…
I also tried to pinpoint the source of the name. That of course would lead me no where. After all, as most fans know, Buruma means Bloomers. And again this would not give me a definitive answer since these are/were widely used in both Japan and Western countries. The origins of the garments would not help out much either. So I scrapped this as a deciding factor.
Any way, that is how I came to the conclusion of how to draw Buruma. I infact did use a model to draw this interpretation (from a picture I found in the internet of course, after searching for hours…). Here is the picture of said cosplayer:
As you can tell I borrowed greatly, and mostly just added the bunny suit, as well changed her hairstyle. I’d say she fits the part perfectly. She not only looks like her but also has that youthful look that reminds me of the early days of Dragon Ball.
I also had some other images in mind of course. Some that I personally preferred and would have used if I decided to go the other way. here are the links:
pic 1
pic 2
And so, there you have it. What do you guys think?
For those fans who have been following any news of the newly released live action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, the news of the release of the dvd and blu-ray release should already be known. Sadly you would also know that is was only released in Japan (for now) and that the screening of the film in the States is only in select theaters (from what I found out, it was going to be in a film festival in California), to those who got to see it in the theaters. I can only say, lucky… But despite not being able to see it in the theater, I was able to watch it. And I only have one word to say about it; extraordinary.
In the past we have been given some really far off adaptions of games or manga (and in the west, comics). But it seems like that is all starting to change (finally). Many of the stories one grew up with were usually destroyed when movie companies decided to choose what the viewers wanted to see. Changing the cast to different ethnicities and their over all personalities (Dragon Ball Evolution as an example). And from what I have heard, American comic adaptations also didn’t fair too well either. But it seems like fans are finally starting to make their voices be heard. In the states we have seen the Avengers and the Dark Knight trilogy (I would like to point out that I do not follow comic books so I do not know if they stayed true to the source, but like me, I have heard that fans really seemed to enjoy the adaptations). Now a new era has been forged for comic book adaptations which will give rise to others (like the Justice league, or so the rumors say).
That’s all nice and good for comic book lovers, but what about for those who follow Japanese Manga/anime and games. So far we have been given some horrible slaps in the face, with two Street Fighter movies, Dragon Ball (I get tempted to just call it Evolution) and there is bound to be a couple of more that I luckily have not heard of. Now most of these movies have been taken outside of the country of origin and changed dramatically (sadly I also hear that Akira will also be done in the states, once again changing things). But what of movies made in Japan, the source. It is sad to say that film companies have a bad habit of changing things to their desire, thous hurting the original story. And there is also the use of cgi, sadly from past movies that I have seen, Japan did not have as much control over it as the US. This was one of my greatest worries for the Rurouni Kenshing film. Despite this bad record in the past, Japan has made some good progress as well (just like the US with comic adaptations). Some of the films I have enjoyed so far (specially since I was already a fan) are; Cromartie High school (funny and nonsensical like the manga), Death Note (although not a fan, it still kept most of the components of the original), Shinobi (although there was too much cgi that was apparent), Dororo (do not know the original, but it had that manga film to it) and Casshern (which was estraordinary, the first adaptation I loved. Although I do have to admit I do not know much about the original story). With these titles, I dare to say that this is now the new era of adaptations both on the East and West.
Now on to the main topic of this post (sorry for my previous rambling), Rurouni Kenshin. I must start off by saying that this is by far one of the best manga out there, the anime was also really good (too bad after the Kyoto arc they strayed from the original source). I am an immense fan of this series, and even now after a couple of years of first reading it, I can still remember it quite clearly. So having heard of the adaptation I was weary of what they would do with this master piece. Would we have another “Evolution” movie, or would we have a “Shinobi” film (which was good, but had too much cgi). I really wanted this movie to have extraordinary action, but still have that realistic element to it. After seeing the trailer for it, I was completely blown away. If the movie was just as good as it was being portrayed then maybe just maybe this would become one of my favorite films. But I had been fooled before, so I did not want to make any premature decisions.
here is the preview if you have not seen it yet:
I will try to review it in a way that I do not give too much away. So here goes.
The film is set to cover two of the first arcs, the Kanryuu mansion and the Jin-e arc. Now, because they were condensing so much story into a film two hours long they regrettably had to cut out some events and characters out. But I will say that despite that, it did not hurt the original story too much. The main characters shown are Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Saito, Megumi, Jin-e, Kanryu, and for some reason Gein and Banjin from the Jinchu arc. I do not know much about the other fans out there, but I was kind of sad that Aoshi Shinomori and the Oniwabanshu would not be present in this film. If you had this concern as well, all I can say, do not worry. I actually believe it might have been for the best. I heard that Watsuki san had a say in the film, so I am sure this was his plan. You see if Aoshi and the Oniwabanshu were revealed here then their story would be too weak and short. So I assume that to make up for this they used Gein and Banjin which in turn also helps tie it to any more films after this one (which would inevitably lead to the Kyoto arc and the Jinchu arc). Now as for the other characters in the manga, other secondary characters also make a brief appearance, such as Tsubame, Tae, the police chief and the commander (sorry forgot their names), as well as the old man with the little girls that often come visit Kaoru. And surprisingly we also get a glimpse of the man who married Tomoe as well as Tomoe herself (don’t worry, they don’t say or clearly show her, but fans will know it is her), this was done for those who do not know much about the manga and why Kenshin decided to become a wanderer.
Now I have been going around the net and read a couple of comments of how some were miscast, all I can say is that they are all wrong. I understand some of their arguments, but the demeanor, vocal tone and over all appearance are spot on, heck even the costumes were done in a way that would look realistic but also keep a close tie to the original. One could really see the effort given to this film. Even Jin-e’s eye was kept in tact. Despite the weird design of the original, they did their best to keep close to it and to also make it look realistic keeping any cgi almost unnoticeable (only one scene looked a bit off, but even then it wasn’t bad). Kenshin, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi, Saito well everyone looked just like in the manga. But the biggest complain I hear some say is that Kaoru was too beautiful in this film, but really from what I read she wasn’t really that plain in the manga (and specially in the anime). I’d say she fits the part rather well. I have also heard comments of how Saito appears too emotional in front of Kenshin, and although this does seem to happen at some points (not crying or something like that). I have to say that it felt rather natural to me. Saito does seem to have this bond with Kenshin of rivalry and that of a comrade from the past (despite being enemies then) in the manga.
The story is actually much like the original except with some minor changes that fans will immediately notice but will not mind too much. The film left it open so that it can be continued (although it did give a solid ending that could leave the movie alone as it is). It was done in a way that the film left a satisfying feeling of an end, but also did not give any problems so that the story could continue and
(minor spoiler, you can skip is you want) that Gein and Banjin could make a return in the Jinchu arc.
Luckily for me and all the fans another installment is set to be released, and some other great news is that they vow to keep it closer to the manga. Seeing as they did not change too much on this installment, then the second movie will be extremely close to the original. Hopefully they follow a four film plan, uncluding this one. They should introduce the Oniwabanchu and then start to tie it in to the Kyoto arc for the second. Eventually the Kyoto arc is completed in the third. And finally for the final movie we see the Jinchu arc, with the return of Gein and Banjin in their original costumes and gears.
Over all the film was the best adaptation I have ever seen, the acting and action was definitely top notch. If only because of some of the changes to the original story and the exclusion of Aoshi I will give it a 9.5/10. An almost perfect score. If you ever get the chance to see it, do so. And make sure to support the film so that the film company knows that these are the kind of results we expect from manga adaptations.
till next time and also a hoping you have an Amazing New Year,
I found this really cool cosplayer on the internet and decided to use her pose for this drawing. She was lying down on the ground and extending her hand to reach whoever the viewer was. Also, her body was pointing towards the other direction (if that even makes sense). In other words her head would be by one’s feet and her body would lay (from our perspective) forward. Which is why I had to draw her upside down. Now I know what some of you may be thinking, why not draw her upright then just flip the drawing over? That would be the easiest and perhaps the smartest thing to do, but I thought that it could be more fun to do it this way. As a challenge. Surprisingly I didn’t do too bad, although I did have to cheat at the end when I had to redraw the head (mainly because I didn’t want to use too much time). I hope you guys give it a try too.
request (more like a suggestion) by: alleriaq
I was suggested to try and draw the supper popular Naruto, as well as Itachi. I found some really cool references on the web that I thought would look cool together.
Sword Art Online is one of my favorite animes of the year. I really enjoy how they skip months and go towards the important segments of the story. Except by the end of the first season where it felt more like fan service… Luckily that did not last long and the story progressed.
I’m actually not surprised that I was asked to draw this pair seeing as they are very popular these days. I thought I would make the theme be a sort of, before the battle kind of scene. Kirito forces Asuna to stay out of it while he goes off to fight alone. Something like that. It feels rather incomplete without any background doesn’t it?
Hope you enjoy it,
– XERO
This addition has been added on 1/31/2013.
This is the new project I’m starting for this channel. Which I believe I have mentioned before on one of the other videos. I’ll be taking old videos from my other channel and make a how to/tutorial of how I did it and also some light commentary. This is the second video that has gone through this process, the other one was about Marisa Kirisame. The only difference is that I have not added any voice over. I have become really busy lately so I have to cut any extra work that would monopolize my time. Even so I’ll try to becom more active in both accounts, so I hope you guys don’t wander off too far.
request by: DJKrisyKrisdude
So here it is, the first video to posses narration. And the honor goes to Marisa Kirisame. But because this is a new account I can’t upload 30 minute videos yet, so I have no choice but to split the videos for now.
Man was it annoying uploading it. First I had to make the final touches then I found out I can’t upload the whole video. And so I had to restart varios times. And what’s worse is that since the second part is over 15 minutes I have to split that as well…
In any case welcome to my new channel and I hope you guys like it. My first channel will be for advanced artist, while this channel will be dedicated for those who still need a little bit of help. As always, if you have any questions let me know. I would write more, but youtube already erased my description once, and I don’t feel like doing it again.
Originally meant for a contest that was supposed to close today, but apparently the creator meant that that they would not be accepting any more entries on the 28 of October. Oh well. I pushed my self to finish it but I guess it was not enough.
In any case since it will be Halloween I decided to post it anyways. I’m still taking a bit of a break so I wont be posting any more videos till the end of the this week. Hope you guys look forward to that.
The drawing it self looked a whole lot better without color. I feel that when it comes to drawing backgrounds, color pencils have a major drawback. I am in serious need of some Copic’s. When I draw characters in color pencil, I can manage since I can add as much detail as I want, but when the area is too large (which most background are), it takes far too much effort and time to make it look “incredible”. I’ll have to find a solution to this…
request by: XxHayateNoGotokuFanX
I finally got the request to draw Zero and Yuki together, the problem, I have never had to draw a kissing scene before. So this definitely was tough to execute. There are many things one has to pay attention to. The first is the of course the lips interlocking. There were a couple of references in the manga but not enough to make things easier on me. And I wanted to make it a bit different to give it my “touch”. Another obstacle was the positions of the head, so that the noses do not bump into each other they tend to go against each other sideways. But I decided to try something a bit different and have them face each other directly. The reason was because of the eyes. I wanted them to look at each other. Kind of like the moment just before they part from each other. Kissing then opening their eyes till they finally let go. I feel it is this kind of feeling I managed to draw.
I didn’t really have much of a plan when drawing, which I believe shows in the video. I was really lost as to how to position everything. In the end I had to just draw it out, if it worked leave it, if not then keep modifying it till it works. The hardest part was definitely the eyes. For onething their expressions were hard to imagine. It would definitely look good with eyes closed but what about when they are open? This was where I used up most of my time (specially on Yuki’s eye). The expressions were really tough, but eventually I managed to pull through. But I don’t feel it is good enough, I’ll have to think about them a bit till I manage to get them right at some point…
(SPOILER, kind of)
I decided to go with their looks from the latest chapters which is why Yuki’s hair is so short. Since it was kind of new I found it a bit hard to draw. Zero’s on the other hand was fairly simple. What I’ve noticed is that he looks a little too young, maybe I made his head too small? Finding reference pictures of him in his vest was a little painful since there aren’t that many. Luckily I found a lot starting from chapter 82.
It seems it is that time again, I have to take a break for at least a week then I will continue again. It seems like my drawings are suffering greatly from their full potential so I really have no choice. I apologize to those who are still awaiting their request.
Hope you enjoy it,
I can’t really say much about this drawing, from what I gathered Rias Gremory and Issei Hyoujou comes from an ecchi series about demons …..
This drawing was extremely annoying to do. There were just so many things to do and because of the “content” of the internet I found it hard to find good reference pictures to use. In the end I managed to sort of find them, but I still allowed my fatigue mess around with the drawing. The biggest blunder was definitely making Rias’s legs too short, I tried to do the impossible to fix them. I somehow managed but it still looks a bit off. I also did not add the final mixing techniques when coloring, although this way it does give it a rough look. I’m seriously surprised it took me almost five hours to do this. I definitely need to buy a spare battery soon.
I’ll start off by saying that I want to enter this into the “Professional” category.
The characters are from Kingdom Hearts (specifically Sora and Riku) and the the other character in the tv screen is Obscurus (my Original Character). I’ve also added a photo of Kairi in a poster posted on the wall (giving the impression that she is an idol, or something similar).
I don’t know how others see things when playing games, but I feel like I am right along side Sora (or Riku in the latest installments) on his adventures. In other words we are “hanging out with each other” (sorry I know the description is kinda weak, but I hope you guys get the point). So I thought I would reverse the position and make it seem like Sora and Riku are playing alongside Obscurus on his adventure. In this case Sora and Riku are playing versus mode. Riku having beaten Sora too many times decides to play blindfolded and is still sweeping the floor with him.
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