#the breakdown

Neku:

Either way, he's going to be a difficult one, but for very different reasons. For Original Game, see that vertically-striped cowl, and consider that loose belt of his. (Seriously Neku IT'S FALLING OFF WHY.) For Neo, plaid. This actually doesn't look TOO bad to me compared to some of the plaid we'll be seeing later on, but it is A LOT of plaid and it'll be a pain in the ass. Now, fortunately for me I consider these types of challenges fun, because once I came to the conclusion I wanted a Shoka and an RG Shiki all of this became inevitable. The collar on Neo Neku's coat is going to be a challenge in its own right. On the other hand, what the fuck even are the fasteners on his original shoes, where did he even FIND those. I think I have a slight lean towards the original game's design, but it's SLIGHT, and I think I'll end up having fun with his design either way.

Shiki:

Either way, this isn't going to be a challenge. I will have a harder time microcrocheting a Mr. Mew for her (because, obviously.) The original skirt pattern looks a bit harder even to simplify than the T-shirt dress graphic from Neo, but we're talking a matter of degrees here. The glasses are probably going to be one of the trickier parts either way, but given I managed the Tutu pendant I'm not too concerned with Shiki. I currently favor Neo's design slightly since the pattern on her dress IS going to be simpler and also we can ACTUALLY SEE HER FACE. (Why didn't the anime give us her face?)

Joshua:

The hardest thing for this one is going to be color sourcing. I'm going to have to DECIDE HIS EYE COLOR, and probably paint them myself unless I suddenly decide I like pupils with my amigurumi eyes (I generally don’t.) I actually suspect I'm going to be able to find a color for his hair without as much trouble as I could, but his original shirt with that weird lilac-gray? That... might be troublesome.

Fortunately, his design itself? Much less of an issue. I've done things very similar to either hairstyle in the past, so I feel pretty confident I'll be able to get them now. The stars on his Neo shirt will be on the tricky side, but that's the ONLY hard part. I have a distinct lean towards the original design here, but it's not definitely strong enough to outweigh what I'd like about having a fully-matched set of Neo designs.

Beat:

Okay, you'd think the biggest challenge is, looking at my amigurumi, that it would be difficult to make an adequately buff Beat. That is a concern but I'm pretty sure working him on a larger hook and adding a few rounds to make sure he's taller than everyone else will do it. His Neo design might be a bit easier than his original one, but I suspect his beanie wouldn't be TOO bad. Either way I think I could have fun with his chain accessories - I can now do a little bit of crocheting with wire, and I suspect by the time I get to him (first wave, but first wave will be months from now,) I'll have gotten enough better at it to at least know what I'm doing. I would have to find black wire of an adequate gauge for the original design... hm...

I don't have a strong preference for Beat's either way - both of them should be pretty doable and pretty fun.

Rhyme: I'll be honest, I think the hardest thing about Rhyme either way is making oversized sleeves with the way I do hands. Since I'd DEFINITELY be simplifying out details on the shirt either way, but it's easier to simplify MORE for the Neo design, the original top would actually be a fair bit harder than it looks. As would that tiny skull pin. The Neo shoes are easier too. On the other hand, both designs have details I think would be fun to play with - the jacket's probably harder, but I do find it EXTREMELY Gender and would have fun playing with the layers either way. I think I’ve got a slight preference for Neo, but it’s not in proportion to how difficult the design would be.

Eri:

Only gets one picture, because of course, the challenge with using a Neo Eri is that Neo Eri Does Not Exist. Gets to be represented here by Shiki because it was easier for matching everyone else, but the irony here is not lost on me. The challenge with normal Eri is that those vertical stripes are harder than horizontal ones. (Why can nothing be easy?) I've done heels before so it's actually not TOO bad in that respect. With Neo Eri, I’ve got a couple ideas for Reel and Deal based off Gatto Nero’s in-game items that I could probably translate to a doll, but it’d still be new to be designing a character like this basically from scratch.

Everyone’s pendants should be equally tricky if I’m doing original designs - Beat, Rhyme, and Eri - so they’d probably all be simplified on the grounds of “this is the best I could do,” a la Tutu, where we call it good that they have SOMETHING in the right color and size.