anime consumed my life

About which scenes were selected

Normally, at a manga original art exhibition, the artist decides which pieces to display and which ones to highlight.

Because there are so many works, it’s impossible to post all the exhibited works. Instead, I’ll show them according to the selection criteria used by the creator side.

The exhibition was divided into five areas following the flow of the story, and each area was given its own title. Below, I’ve shared the original pieces for the final scene in each area.

Ⅰ. 真実　Truth

Ⅱ. 渇望　Thirst

Ⅲ.祈り　Prayer

Ⅳ. 追憶　Memories

Ⅴ(Secret Area). 幾千の夜の果てに　At the end of thousands of nights

▲the last original piece of the manga

※Since photography was not allowed in the secret area, I used the same image instead.

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The pieces of the scenes selected as the Animate bonuses for the final volume of Memories

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The scenes using two-page spreads (often called 見開き大ゴマ)

▼the three main characters

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The piece selected for the highlight position of the Secret Area (AreaⅤ)

The piece, placed at the center of the Secret Area (directly in front as you enter) and the only piece illuminated with two more lights than the others, was also selected as a reproduction for sale.

Since photography was not allowed in the secret area, I used the same image instead.

I think the reason the album scenes were placed at the front of the Secret Area is that Yuki is the protagonist of the story, the title of the series is Memories, and the key item in the sequel is the album.

▼In volume 2 of Memories, Hino refers to what she wants to write in this sequel VKM.

▼Ancestor Kaname

Even after the final chapter, the dynamic between these three main characters is shown repeatedly. Kaname is an ancestor, so he is depicted as ancestor.

Note: Some spoilers from the special booklet are included below.

This section is written to bridge a cultural gap. Feel free to skip this if you’re not interested.

In Japan—particularly within Shinto belief—ancestors hold profound ideological and spiritual significance. Ancestors are fundamentally regarded as protective beings, yet at the same time they can also be seen as objects of fear and awe. Ancestors are believed to manifest as spirits or appear within dreams. The spirits of ancestors are called 祖霊 sorei (ancestral spirits), and dreams in which they appear are referred to as 祖霊夢 sorei-mu (ancestral spirit dreams), 夢告 mukoku (dream revelations), or 霊夢 reimu (spirit dreams).

At the end of the story titled “The Absolutely Non-Neutral Monster,” Yuki calls Kaname, who appeared in her dream, a frightening being who appears in one’s dreams. If you listen to the nuance in the voice drama, this phrasing can be understood as a slightly playful and humorous way of expressing this traditional Japanese view of ancestors. In reality, Kaname tells the two of them, “Please live long and happy lives together,” which ultimately portrays him as occupying a protective, guardian-like position toward the couple. In short, Kaname is depicted as 祖霊 sorei (ancestral spirit).

Additionally, in the story of the three in the afterlife—which Hino writes that is “in a sense, it can be called the epilogue”—the afterlife is referred to using the Shinto term 常世 tokoyo. Within Shinto thought, after death our souls return to our ancestors and reunite with our spouses. From a narrative perspective, this is coherent, and the situation in which Yuki returns to her ancestor Kaname and reunites with her husband Zero can be seen as a direct reflection of the Japanese perspective on life and death.

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The piece placed in the highlight position that can be seen from all of Areas Ⅱ–Ⅳ

Since photographing color works was not allowed, I used the same image I found online instead.

By the way, the promotional taglines and the sentences attached to the opening illustrations of the serialized magazine chapters (the aori captions) are created by the editors. They are not words written by Hino herself.

In volume 13 of Vampire Knight, Hino lists three that she felt were appropriate for the story, which is interesting. One of them is the sentence attached to this illustration.

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The closing work for the entire exhibition

Since photographing color works was not allowed, I used the photo of the same work from the clear folder I purchased instead.

The closing work reminded me of Hino’s strong commitment.

On page 195 of the official fanbook, in the section about the inspiration behind the work, Hino’s statement—“I absolutely insisted on it being a double-hero story”(during her discussions with her editor)—is highlighted in bold. In Japanese, “死守” (shishu) literally means “to defend something even at the cost of one’s life.” It expresses an unwavering determination to never give in.

▼In the Japanese edition, this is on page 195, though the English edition may have different page numbers. It’s from item 12 of the interview with Matsuri Hino.

There are many English posts on Tumblr that contain official-looking mistranslations or misinformation, so please be careful.

Example

▼ The interview with Matsuri Hino at the Taiwan signing event in 2019.

Original Text

Q：自己會想知道千年後的世界是什麼樣子嗎？ 

A：並不會特別想呢，所以樞醒來後的世界，我都適可而止的描述。

Mistranslation

Q: Do you want to know what the world will be like a thousand years from now?

A: I don’t think much about it, so I only describe the world after Shu wakes up.

Correct Translation

Q: Do you ever wonder what the world will be like a thousand years from now?

A: Not really. That’s why I kept my descriptions of the world Kaname woke up to moderate and restrained.

Original Text

Q：優姬的兩個孩子自己最喜歡哪個呢？ 

A：畫愛的時候喜歡愛、畫戀的當下則喜歡戀，不是我要蒙混過去喔，這是真的。

Mistranslation

Q: Which of Yuki’s two children do you like best?

A: I like Ai especially when I am painting it, I am not trying to fool around, this is true.

Correct Translation

Q: Which of Yuki’s two children do you personally like the most?

A: When I’m drawing Ai, I like Ai; when I’m drawing Ren, I like Ren. I’m not trying to dodge the question—this is honestly how I feel.

The second original response from Hino conveys an honest attitude as a creator who genuinely commits herself to whichever subject she is working on and pours her heart into it. I chose these mistranslations as examples because I feel they misrepresent Hino’s artistic integrity. You can find the original text by searching online.

Additional information

No scenes were specially revealed for this original art exhibition. The Japanese wording on the event organizer’s website appears to have given the impression that special scenes would be shown, which led to some misunderstanding.

Personal thoughts after seeing the original art exhibition, the final volume, and the special booklet

Personally, I feel that Hino ultimately wanted the three main characters to be together in the afterlife. This impression comes from the piece selected as the closing work among all the works, generally regarded as symbolic of the overall story, and from the fact that Hino created the story of the three characters after their deaths in the special booklet. It embodies her story after the final chapter and final volume.

I had actually planned to post this right after visiting the original art exhibition. At the time, however, I had seen several instances of posts attacking multishippers or OT3s beyond the work itself, so I wasn’t sure about the timing. I recently remembered that I had drafted this and have now decided to post it. As a Tumblr beginner who had never searched for this work’s tags in English, I was confused at first.