#jiku

The creator of the “Tsukiuta.” characters! A direct interview with the character designer, Jiku-san!

1) What was your first impression when you found out about the “Tsukiuta.” project?

I honestly thought “It looks interesting!” The project was so interesting it intrigued me.

2) Please tell us what were your aims as you worked on the character design.

It wasn’t simply two-dimensional but also, three-dimensional. I drew them with a 2D and 3D image that gave a sense of familiarity… Though, if these kids were in the real world, it’d be quite fun (laughs). I also tried to make them resemble their respective producer’s desired image more than anything.

3) Please tell us what you had in mind when designing the characters. Even if they’re personal opinions.

[December/Shiwasu Kakeru] This hard-working boy with an unfortunate constitution flashed through my head for the first time as someone with “sloping shoulders”. That’s why his shoulders are hanging like that. I observed it just now, but his shoulders are more sloped than a girl’s.

[December/Hijiri Kurisu] I tend to think of her as someone with a tough character, but she’s innocent and lovable, so I unconsciously made her to be a “soft tsundere” instead of just a prideful one.

[January/Mutsuki Hajime] This was the exact kingly image I had in my mind (laugh). His overall appearance resembles a flower’s, and his stage outfit is also gorgeous. While his plain clothes are stylish too, I wish his aura and charisma would surface even more than those.

[January/Hanazono Yuki] This girl was told to be ‘the closest to being a goddess’, so I tried to give her a surplus of composure. She’s a noble queen, but I made it so that she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable when being lined up with king Hajime as representatives of the same month.

[February/Kisaragi Koi] I drew him to be kind of a parkling boy. It won’t be surprising at all if he was a member of Joh●y’s. “I can dance any kind of dance! (sparkles☆)”. Koi is the idol face I thought of having a bright road ahead.

[February/Kisaragi Ai] No matter how you put it, she’s soft! And curvy! Her hair is also very voluminous, but I was careful not to make it heavy. As a result, she became more fluffy rather than soft (laugh).

[March/Yayoi Haru] Nobody could see him as a bad person! Haru-san was born from my image of that older brother on whom you can rely on unconsciously when you have troubles.

[March/Momosaki Hina] Since she’s kind of a soft girl, I gave her a relaxed face and very soft hairstyle. Because of her preference for Japanese-styled things (which came from her producer’s image of her), I introduced some Japanese elements in her outfit through her hair accessory.

[April/Uduki Arata] It was established he’d be the one to have a low presence of spirit and a blank look, thus I made it feel like you can’t guess what he’s thinking. It seems like a part of his background is him liking strawberry milk. That knocked me out completely /// (laugh)

[April/Togawa Chisa] Rabbit girl and trouble maker, Chisa is someone whose hair is also bouncing on the outside. She’s not only energetic, but as I drew her, I also give her cute qualities any girl has.

[May/Satsuki Aoi] To make him seem refreshing in everything he does, generally, making him smile a lot was the way to do it. A white horse would suit him ♪

[May/Wakaba Yuki] She’s a sporty girl and a child with a firm character, so I gave her quite a smart look. I’m happy if I managed to bring something cute in sports.

4) Your favourite character from each side. Also the ones that are hard to deal with.

[Favourite boy] Shiwasu-kun by far! He’s damn cute //////

[Favourite girl] The soft Hina-chan. She’s the child I want to watch over closely.

[The boy that’s hard to deal with] Hajime. Rather than hard to deal with, it feels as if he’s someone I’d watch only from afar. But, if he turns out to be the type who has a wicked tongue only to see a reaction from someone, and he’s not just being mean in general, he might become my favourite boy… I guess that means I have a masochistic heart (laugh)

[The girl that’s hard to deal with] I think it’s a pain and a struggle to draw electric components in Kurisu’s hair.

5) If you could become one of them for one day…

That’s difficult…. Then, it may be surprising but, Hajime! I don’t resemble him in anything, including outward appearance, so I wonder how it would be like to be him. I want to experience being the king once!

6) One last word for our listeners!