錐生 零

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.

There were vertically long manuscript pages that were framed individually, as well as sets of two pages framed together. Below, they are photographed exactly as they were displayed in real.

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

I’ll also add here that the previous Animate bonus scene with commentary was on display.

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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 same scenes as the reproduction from the previous original art exhibition (2020)

The same scene as the reproduction from the original art exhibition (2025)

▲All reproduction scenes except for this piece have already been shared.

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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.

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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. I think it embodies her image 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.

There are probably only a few people still active under this tag, but I hope I can at least share some information about the final original art exhibition with overseas fans.

▼Ancestor Kaname (Extra)

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

This is reference information meant to help understand the artist’s cultural background, along with my personal reflections based on it. While interpretations vary, I hope that gaining insight into a uniquely Japanese perspective can help deepen your enjoyment of the work. Feel free to skip this if you’re not interested.

In Japan, particularly under the influence of Shinto, 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 sometimes understood as revelatory or spiritually meaningful.

In the voice drama, at the end of the story titled “The Absolutely Non-Neutral Monster,” Yuki calls Kaname, who appeared in her dream, a frightening presence. 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. Kaname tells the two of them, “Please live long and happy lives together......All for Yuki—”, which ultimately portrays him as a protective guardian spirit toward the two of them. Kaname can be read as being depicted here 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 could/can be called the epilogue—the afterlife is referred to using the Shinto term 常世 tokoyo. In Japanese cultural practices influenced by Shinto, after death our souls are believed to return to our ancestors and reunite with our spouses. In the earlier draft, the wording was oversimplified and lacked nuance, but this reflects a concept that developed in conjunction with Japan’s traditional “家 ie” (household) system. The deceased are believed to return to the ancestral household. Since husband and wife become part of the same family lineage and are venerated together, they are understood to dwell there as ancestral spirits. In my family, ancestors—including parents—are enshrined together, and I visit the altar to greet them. The situation in which Yuki returns to her ancestor Kaname and reunites with her husband Zero can be seen as reflecting a Japanese perspective on life and death.

▼the original Japanese text

「この日以降、夢枕に立つ恐ろしいものは現れなかった。」“From that day on, no frightening presence appeared to me in dreams.”

Note:「夢枕に立つ」→‘Yumemakura ni tatsu’ refers to the appearance of deceased people, deities, or spiritual beings in a person’s dream while they are asleep. In traditional Japanese belief, 「枕」was not merely a piece of bedding for rest, but was considered a gateway for the soul. As the place that supports the head, the pillow symbolically connects the world of dreams—often associated with the realm of the dead or the spirit world—with the living world.

In the voice drama, Yuki spoke in the first person, so I used ‘me,’ but in the booklet, it is written more like a monologue, presenting the content as generalized statements.

「どうか二人末永く良い日々を送ってくれ......全ては僕の優姫のためにー」“Please live long and happy lives together......All for my Yuki—”

Note: The voice actor’s delivery in the voice drama emphasized the sentence ending, which reflects that nuance.

「ある意味ではエピローグと言えるかもしれません。」“In a sense, it could/can be called the epilogue.”

Note: 「えるかもしれない」is frequently used as a rhetorical softening device, particularly in authorial commentary. In such cases, the speaker does not necessarily moderate the substantive claim itself, but rather the tone in which it is expressed. Some translators deliberately omit a modal verb in English and render it more directly as, “It is, in a sense, an epilogue.” However, doing so risks losing the aesthetic of hesitation embedded in the original Japanese and fails to convey its emotional nuance. To preserve that subtle sense of restraint, I think that using a modal verb is more appropriate in this case. In this case, “can be called” reflects interpretive validity rather than mere possibility. However, in English, “can” tends to sound analytical or classificatory, whereas “could” conveys modesty and restraint in an authorial voice. Since the precise degree of intentional ambiguity can only be known to Hino herself, both renderings are presented here to allow readers to evaluate the nuance for themselves.

「最終回後の楽屋裏のような、常世の世界で自然と集まったような、そんなあり得ない状況の三人。」

① 「ような」as descriptive imagery 

“The three of them are in an extraordinary situation like a backstage scene after the finale, like they have naturally gathered in the world of Tokoyo.”

② 「ような」as example or illustrative comparison

“ The three of them are in an extraordinary situation, such as a backstage scene after the finale, and a scene in which they have naturally gathered in the world of Tokoyo. ”

In Japanese, both cases ① and ② are possible. I have presented both here to leave the choice up to the reader.

Note: Tokoyo refers to an ideal realm in Shinto mythology—associated with the land of the dead, an eternal otherworld, and a world beyond the mortal realm linked to gods and ancestral spirits—and it appears mainly in mythological, classical literary, or religious contexts.