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nothing makes me happier seeing Azuki's partners pushing the envelope for animation ❤️🔥
just in the past month:
- ⚔️ Qzil.la, Studio Azuki partner, announced Sekiro anime project.
- 👓 Xenotoon, Studio Azuki partner, handled Ep.22 production for Dandadan S2.
- 🪄 the LINE, our close friend for Elementals trailer, released Hades 2 trailer.
fun journeys ahead.
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At Azuki, we always aim to Tell a Story with the details we touch.
🧵The story behind the Elementals logo. A thread.
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❓提问：红豆的世界中为什么有灵体？
❓Q: Why are there Spirits in Azuki's universe?
Azuki creds: @ChipNFT @konger_eth
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Thank you all for joining the Stages with us 🫡
We dropped the ball,
But Azuki is anti-fragile.
IKZ.
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红豆生南国，春来发几枝。
非常有幸能作为亚太大使加入红豆团队！
旅途才刚刚开始…
Super honored to be joining the Azuki team as APAC Ambassador!
The journey has just begun...
IKZ 🏮
@AzukiZen #Azuki
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Do you know that
🌊the Great Wave - one of the greatest art masterpieces - is an Open Edition?
A thread 🧵1/6
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It has been a blast producing the Elemental trailer.
🧵A thread on its making.
FOUR DOMAINS . ONE GARDEN . ELEMENTALS
We're excited to announce the launch of our new project for @Azuki . Follow The White Rabbit into this 2D animated cinematic introduces the four domains of water, earth, fire, and lightning, along with characters that control these elements
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⛩️Feb’s Note - Fractured Reflections
Putting thoughts to paper on Ep.2 was insanely tough. Let’s dive in:
✍️ Part.1 The Prose
The structure of Ep.2 was deeply inspired by Japanese & Chinese poem.
It is a subjective recount from Shao’s angle for her journey into the Garden.
Visually, we translated this inner journey into distinctive styles:
- Neon Cityscape,
- Chinese ink wash,
- Abstract compositions,
- Ukiyo-e
4 styles, 4 mind spaces of Shao, 4 stages of her journey.
A fractured reflection of the sisters’ story,
A fractured reflection of Shao’s own memory
📖 Part 2. The Process
For an IP as ambitious as Azuki, it is clearly our goal to aim for the stars, the masses.
However, on the ground, we also had to deal w/ being ‘the new guy’ in a highly competitive market.
Ep.2 was easily one of the hardest piece of content to produce:
- Expand on Shao/Raizan’s story within 10~15min
- Form an top tier animation team during a period of massive talent shortage
- Deliver quickly without sacrificing quality
…
The North Star is crystal clear, but we need a path to get there.
That’s when we made the call:
Let’s hit people with a curve ball.
Let’s go against the mainstream, play our strength on character design, visuals, vibe, &
make sth unique,
sth with a unique visual identity, a unique vibe,
sth uniquely Azuki.
It is a naturally divisive call even amongst us.
But ultimately, we took the creative leap of faith because -
🎯 Part.3 The Strategy
When we first designed EtG to be an anthology,
we knew we had an uphill battle,
we had to be ambitious and resourceful.
And that’s exactly how an anthology shines best, when each episode offers an unique flavor that attracts diff tastes.
If we can’t yet directly compete head on against the giants,
let’s try some less traveled paths,
let’s have creative trials & debates,
let’s be adventurous while muscling up our core competency in anime production.
In Ep.2, we were able to greatly expand our capabilities in color design, 3D CG, composition, music & sound production, …
All at the same time I hope, whether befitting your taste or not,
delivering a work that is attention-worthy & occupying a special place in the anime space.
We still need tons of work on story, that’s why we invested heavily into the World Bible
We still need to level up production, that’s why we built up wide & deep production resources across a range of styles
…
And I believe that with Ep.1 & 2 for EtG, we have rapidly, successfully built up the core pillars to launch a real shot at a large production.
------------
⛩️
If you reach reading here, Thank you.
As always, as a producer, I deeply appreciate you spending your time with Azuki’s content. Thank you.
If you loved Ep.2, Thank you.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing a bold artistic vision shared across time & space.
If you didn’t like Ep.2, Thank you.
I agree with vast majority of your criticisms.
I hope in a few years, we will look back & see
how Ep.2 is a short, yet unique paint stroke against a vast world of Azuki stories;
how it has successfully built the foundation for something much bigger.
And I can promise you that Ep.3 will yet again, hit you in a drastically diff way.
We are just getting started,
The Azuki story continues.
IKZ.
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I have so much to say.
Yet, I have no idea where to even start.
For now, maybe I will just say this:
Thank you for watching 'The Waiting Man'.
Today is for us, the Garden.
Yours,
Feb
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when Ep.1 comes out, I'm Certain we will face many criticisms.
'too short', 'more story', 'more excitement'...
but, you know what, we are proud of our work.
proud to have brought dozens of anime legends into web3.
proud to be the 1st web3 IP to have produced an anime episode with the industry.
proud to be bringing holder IPs to the masses.
...
and last but not least,
proud to have made the First step in this long journey for a next-gen anime IP.
ikz
It's officially April.
Which means episode 1 of the @Azuki anthology is right around the corner!
If you haven't kept up with everything, here's a quick high level summary of what to expect over the next month and beyond…
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What it feels like now, vs. what we will become.
Just remember, we are only at Chapter 1.
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2024 was quite a ride for the Azuki IP:
⚔️ Shao & Raizan 2.5D
⛩️ EtG Ep.1 - the Waiting Man, the very first Azuki anime. premiere in Tokyo, 8M+ views globally.
🌊 Mizuki & JD mini shorts, 10M+ of impressions across socials
📖 Azuki World Bible. The foundation for Azuki story.
also,
👤 dynamic billboard for all Azuki holders
🖌️ Ep.1 collectible mints, proceedings back to creators
🎬 EtG Ep.2 announced
🎨 Mizuki month, tons of submissions, with Zora supported votes & prizes
🏥 genga charity auction ~5.8k$, proceedings to St.Jude
💪 key content hires to the team
etc. etc.
hard to believe that just 1 year ago, Azuki's core content portfolio only consisted of a few shorts & lore pages.
Azuki IP’s portfolio is much more robust today, but we are only just getting started.
I believe, we will look back 2024 as a year when
Azuki successfully broke into the anime industry,
& kickstarted its journey to a household name.
the story continues.
we keep accelerating.
ikz.
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'But what if the anthology's Ep.1 doesn't hit?'
I get this question often. Answer is simple:
We take hard lessons. We try again.
Creating an anime is hard. Building a new IP as deep as Azuki is hard. And yes, we likely will not get everything right in one shot.
But anime is core to Azuki's DNA. Giving up is Never an option.
Just like lore drops, animated shorts, BEANZ Instagram...
We simply, try again, and again, until Azuki is a world wide anime IP.
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👀Live reaction from me & @steamboy33 on the top 15 of #MizukiArtContest 🌊
We had so much fun, but I swear its the hardest job on earth to pick the tops 😰
Thank you to all the artists for bringing Mizuki to life in so many styles ❤️
Don't forget to vote on Zora! 🗳️
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such a dope thread & discussion! 🔥
creativity is a particularly nuanced dance, and doubly so for a community as passionate as Azuki.
indeed, a community license + top-tier talent is a First, not only for us, but for the veterans, talents & the anime industry as a whole.
we have went through a highly challenging yet fulfilling creative process with the team on Haru.
but as the pioneer, Haru is only the start of this new creative approach.
the journey towards a truly decentralized IP won't be a smooth sail, and we couldn’t map out this uncharted, yet revolutionary future without your help!
We hear you on hair style, we hear you on distinctive traits. 🫡
Keep the feedback coming. This is how we polish the creative process. This is how we define the future of a decentralized IP together.
IKZ.
Here, @dingalingts I fixed Haru for you.
A thread on a new world of Web3 IP licensing and some challenges we face!
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I got 3 jobs at my role:
1. to deliver the dopest content for the Azuki IP.
2. to build the Azuki world to be deep, engaging yet open to a decentralized community.
3. to time-warp the anime industry that counts in 5~10 years into web3's lightning speed.
they are so daunting, keeping me up at night, everyday.
they are so exciting, getting me up to build, everyday.
Before I was “company”, I was Community. And tbh, I still like to think I am. So what I’m gonna write is mostly from that perspective, but now with more context than before.
When you are a bagholder, for better or worse, you’ve put your blind hope in a team. Sure, you buy to be part of the community, maybe vibe with the art, or perhaps you just want that flex. But for holders, you inherently put some degree of trust that the team is working on something real and rewarding. And fast. After all, you just paid a lot for it.
When there’s silence, you get a little anxious. When other projects pump, and yours doesn’t, you get annoyed. When others get free internet money and you don’t, you get angry. And worse, when there’s a misstep, you lose faith. As an Azuki holder, we’ve felt it all (unfortunately more than I would have wished 😅). And yet, many of you who will read this are still here with Azuki because its something we all *want* to succeed, but we’re just not yet sure how/if it can happen.
Being on the other side now, its easy to see how being a buildoorrr can be at odds with this and where the disconnect grows. For Azuki, the long game is to grow our brand into an multifaceted, globally recognized Anime empire (media, gaming, and physicals), built on the foundations of community, IP, and web3. But building the machine (particularly in the Anime industry) takes time, especially at the scale of expectations. While we can disrupt parts of the value chain, we can’t disrupt everything all at once.
So here’s Azuki’s (and quite frankly any NFT project) challenge: 1) Speedrun our path to widespread relevance in a timeframe that, in the anime industry, would typically take 10+ years. 2) Simultaneously, keep the holder base entertained, engaged, and supportive during that process, 3) push the envelope of web3 and contribute more broadly to the space, and 4) (most importantly) respect the level of investment that holders have put into the project and the expectations that come along with it.
So how will we solve this? A few ways:
- More rapid, iterative development: Rather than shipping “one big thing” once a year, take smaller steps to increase cadence. This will come at the expense of maybe not getting everything perfect, and each release may not appear “world changing”, but it will help us bring the community along for the journey rather than just periodic destinations.
- Better transparency: As a holder, I’m not sure I was completely aware of what exactly the “end goal” of Azuki was/is, And I was even less aware of how the team was planning on getting there. Now that I’m on the other side, its far more clear to me now, and this is something I will try to do a better job at sharing with you all in the coming weeks. Keep in mind I (for obvious reasons) can’t share literally everything, and plans are always subject to change, but I strongly believe that with enough context setting, sharing something is certainly better than sharing nothing.
- More listening: We can never lose touch with what our community is feeling / asking for ever again. Our futures are intertwined; the future of Azuki as a brand is dependent on a strong community and holder foundation, so we need to make sure we are hyperaware of how people are feeling. Please don’t ever feel like you can’t talk to us, whether DMs or publicly.
- Build for the long game, but don't forget the short game. Optimizing for one of course comes at the cost of the other, but this is something we need to always ensure is in better balance.
- Better results: This one is pretty simple. Talk is cheap. We need to deliver.
I can say that I once was a naive optimist turned into a jaded skeptic turned back into a grounded (still skeptical) optimist. But in as much of a “I promise this isn’t just blind hopium” post, I legitimately can see how the pieces can come together for us, and we will do a better job at sharing this vision with you.
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as a producer, its always nerve-wrecking to release a piece - Ep.2 is no diff.
it has a distinctive vibe compared to Ep.1: introspective, moody, artsy..
some might like it, some might not
& that's ok, bc this is where an anthology shines best at
3 directors,
3 visions,
3 ways to express Azuki,
3 ways to hit u from a diff angle
...
see u at watch party ⛩️
You’re invited! 🍿
Join us for the premiere watch party of Enter The Garden: Fractured Reflections.
February 27, 6pm PT. Exclusively on Anime.com!
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At Azuki, storytelling is to the core of our DNA.
And we could’t be more proud to tell a small bit of the Azuki story with the Elemental short with the LINE.
It all started from a simple idea:
⛩️One Garden
🌊Four Domains
🐰A white Rabbit.
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gm garden artists
some early BTS materials to help with your #MizukiArtContest submissions 🎨
good luck 🌊
Mizuki Month 🌊
Be a part of Mizuki’s story by participating in the Mizuki art contest, sponsored by @ThankArbitrum. Let’s celebrate creativity together with the @arbitrum community. Details below 👇
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absolutely overwhelmed by the talents & passion from #MizukiArtContest 🤯
so many dope works, community favorites, and new faces!
how am I supposed to even choose? 😵💫
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once again
I have so much to say.
yet, I have no idea where to start.
for now, I will just say:
Thank you for watching 'Fractured Reflections'.
We keeps moving.
Yours, Feb
Enter The Garden: Fractured Reflections ⚔️
Watch now on YouTube: piped.video/watch?v=G5PyWYAr…
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Ain't no way we doing dub bruh
The biggest question is if the @Azuki Anime will be in Japanese, should we have it:
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join our Garden Stage w/ @steamboy33 & myself in 30 min, chatting about anime 🫡
doing it for Daniel.
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Annd, that's a wrap for Mizuki's mini shorts, for now.
It has been a blast 🌊 to show some bits of Mizuki's life with director Gensho.
Like the anthology series, we will be working with diff teams, for diff characters, in diff styles on the mini shorts series.
Stay tuned for the next batch..
Who could it be? 🤔
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“对于科技，我们往往高估1～2年的影响，而低估5～10年的潜力“
熊市是残酷的。但是在红豆，我们相信的不是短期的市场沉浮。
是社区与团队共建的无限可能；
是web3独特的技术与创意潜力；
是下一代商业与IP的星辰大海；
团队资源状况良好
Time to build, More to come...
IKZ 🏮
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In its final form, each shard of the compass not only represents an element, but also the domain's location relative to Hilumia.
And with that, we made an animation to tie it all back together.
To us, branding is storytelling.
IKZ.
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BTA - The Waiting Man, Anatomy of the story
Here is a BTS break down for ideas/refs that inspired the script & story of The Waiting Man.
Let's dive in, No more waiting⬇️🧵
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Welcome Mark & Jess! 🫡
Azuki is blessed by passion & love,
from the communities, artists & creative masterminds across the world.
It has been my great honor to work with legends like Taniguchi-san, the LINE, Yasuda Gensho, alongside so many more.
And I can't wait to have Mark & Jess joining us on the long journey to bring the Azuki IP to masses.
I have no doubt that Azuki will become a household name. Today, we lay down yet another step.
Azuki, in all directions. IKZ.
Azuki is thrilled to welcome Hollywood powerhouses Mark Goffman and Jessica Turner!
Mark and Jessica will be supporting @febtea in Azuki's entertainment division and crafting a multi-year roadmap to bring Azuki to the masses.
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one of my fav Bobu proposals so far
the drunk farmer's life is a lot deeper than what meets the eye
This green tea cleanse has made my head so clear! I can finally remember what was on my picture wall in the kitchen. Man, there were some good times with my friends in the garden... and some of my more questionable moments - maybe I should try to forget those ones.
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what some of the YT comments don't get, is a simple fact:
it is BECAUSE we are an NFT project, that we are able to, are obliged to, are determined to push the best animation, proudly.
watch us.
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Strongly rec a read 🫡
cbr.com/enter-the-garden-gor…
Deeply appreciate Taniguchi-san, Yamamoto-san & CBR for this insightful interview 🙏
We say 'anime 2.0', 'NFT + content', 'Azuki onboard anime to web3'.
But sometimes, the messages are best delivered from an outside perspective.
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🧵1/2
EN digest: What we really love when we love Azuki?
- The phenomenal art with a distinctive style
- The consistent, high-production branding on all fronts
- The well-thought, fair distribution mechanics for WL spots
- The creative, welcoming & egalitarian community
写了一篇关于 @AzukiZen 的分析长文：mirror.xyz/0xD7F21c536048f92…
and，mirror的排版不太好用，操作错误重排了两次
(∩ᄑ_ᄑ)⊃
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big fan to see @doodles pushing web3 native IP further 🫡
increasingly clear to me that NFTs are moving to the next meta.
next wave of fans won't come from X or Discord.
they will come from anime fans, music fans, movie fans.. from Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok...
NFT is not dying, we just need to give it a bigger pot.
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A Mini-Sized glimpse of anime 2.0
'Anime' is changing.
While serialized weekly shows & movies are the kings & queens of anime, the formats optimized for TV + movie theaters could use more spice in a social first age. Esp for Azuki, an IP built for anime 2.0.
The future of the anime will be
🎨multi-format,
✍️multi-story,
📢multi-channel.
Mini shorts are exactly this
🎨flexible storytelling,
✍️character focused,
📢social first.
Starting with Mizuki, we expand our footprint into a new horizon.
🌊Azuki
Meet Mizuki 🌊
Our first mini shorts introduce Mizuki (Elemental #9195), a carefree member of the Water Domain. This short-form, social-first content builds on the Azuki universe and will reach new audiences with moments from Azuki characters’ stories.
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almost impossible to pick only 15 from the hundreds of submissions for Shao! ⛩️
a few special shoutouts to my personal favs:
@YQNFT Absolutely loved the composition & subtle accent colors from this piece! The flying birds also add a ton. Well done ❤️
@ajira_sa very well done lighting & mood to the sisters. the symmetry between the sister is awesome. Can def feel the emotions in it. 💔
@_muuu_0 did I see a wlop influence in this? The mood is so on point for Shao's remorse over Raizan. The subtitle as well, almost like a scene from a movie. 🙏
@CALVS100804 is that a Star Wars Vision poster ref? Very stylish & powerful composition, Raizan looking dope ⚡️
The Shao Art Contest results are in 🏆
Congratulations @joshuayapable grand prize winner!
2-5th place:
@hima478
@seekgoliath
@pockilya
@mitchellmarrker
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speechless.
to my childhood hero, my first sensei in manga, my guide into the anime universe.
thank you.
to your legacy, to the dreams, adventures, courage, friendship & love you crafted with your pen.
may you find the all the dragon balls in heaven.
Akira Toriyama.
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一点想法，
web3，不是存量市场，而是黎明前的巨大增量市场。
我们需要说服的，不是友商社区，而是遍布全球上亿的潜在用户。
我们真正的敌人，也不是彼此，而是中心化既有秩序的守门人。
持续建设，只做最酷。
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Kinu-san is not only a legend, but also one who crossed-path & inspired our very 🐑, steamboy years ago.
not an exaggeration to say that without her, we might not have Azuki as we know today.
an absolute honor to work with her to bring Azuki characters to life 🫡
read more ⬇️
Azuki is on a mission to bring web3 IP to the world through working with the top talent in the anime industry.
We’re thrilled to announce Kinu Nishimura as the character designer for Episode 1 of the Azuki Anthology Series. Read more about the character design process here: azuki.com/blog/kinu-nishimur…
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a week ago, Disney worked with @gensho_yasuda - director behind Mizuki mini shorts - for a marketing short for Moana 2 🌊
this fills my heart with joy:
🏅 stoked to see Azuki's partners reaching new heights
🎬 big IP players rushing into anime
👀 anime & shorts becoming a new social engine
we are just getting started
anime everywhere
ディズニー・アニメーション・スタジオ公認💫
新進気鋭の大人気アニメ作家🎞️
＜#安田現象＞さん監督
特別𝟯𝗗ショートアニメ解禁✨
「ビヨンド ～越えてゆこう～」編🎵
⌇ 乗り越えろ ⌇
安田現象さんコメントも💬
▶️disney.co.jp/movie/moana2/ne…
『#モアナと伝説の海２』大ヒット上映中
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- Nintendo started from selling paper playing cards
- Pixar started from making CG computer software
- MiHoYo started from dorm room 2D mini games
…
U tell me, why the next billion dollar IP company won’t come from jpegs on the blockchain?
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- 3 days
- 100k+ views on YT. New eyeballs from anime viewers
- 1000+ mints on Zora. All proceeding go back to creative team.
a small start for Enter the Garden.⛩️
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Studio Azuki is one of the most systematic bets of Azuki.
straight from one of the earliest web3 IPs thesis:
The traditional media production model is stale, let’s try something new.
what does Studio Azuki mean?
more anime, better anime,
unique anime, premium anime,
social anime, unexpected anime
…
let that sink in.
Studio Azuki is our own anime studio, paving the way for web3 anime production.
Backed by elite Japanese industry partners, this studio gives Azuki end-to-end anime production capability.
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also, this is NOT official but
hey, thanks for the nod @McDonalds ⛩️🍟
step 1: put arms behind u.
step 2: race to wcdonald’s!!!!!!
short 1 of 4: piped.video/-6APZr00v0s
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BTA (Behind The Anime) #1
Attack on Titan - one of the biggest manga of 2000s - almost never happened. The reason? Bad art...
AoT’s bumpy rise to a masterpiece is not only a tale on creative perseverance, but also an example of how editing works in manga. Let's dive in ⬇️🧵
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🤫
The @Azuki wallet JUST revealed the 4 main characters from the Elementals trailer.
4 Elements.
⚡️🔥🪨🌊
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I have a hope.
in a few years, we would look back at this moment,
and realize that we are witnessing the first step towards a better future for anime production,
the first water drop that will grow into a new wave for the future of IPs & communities.
then we will smile to ourselves & those who didn't get it,
and we say IKZ.
Goro Taniguchi has directed many famous anime titles, from One Piece Film Red to Code Geass.
Now working as creative producer of Enter The Garden, Taniguchi gives his thoughts on web3 anime.
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phone kept buzzing.
had to check multiple times.
1.6M views in CN.
pinch myself.
still buzzing.
Congrats The Waiting Man for #1 anime trending on Weibo. @stephenfungfdl 👑 episode post has >1.6M views.
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P.S.
To the 10M+ of you on TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, etc.
Thank you.
We are glad the trailer was able to bring you glimpse of wonder in Azuki.
We hope you will join us in the Garden one day.
IKZ.
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1/14 🧵 Extra Long Thread
Why Figures Will Become a Luxury Category.
Cred. [Flower.] @PRISMAWING
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why wouldn't Azuki anime have 10M+ audience?
why wouldn't Shao become a household name?
why wouldn't Azuki become a $1Bn IP?
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wen Ep.2?
wen we feel proud to show it to the world
or
wen Ep.1 reaches 10M+ views on YT
whichever comes first
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It is name of the mask, but also refers to a very specific group in the Azuki universe.
The group believes that ■■■■■■■■■■■. They seek to ■■■■■■■■■■■ the Alley & the Garden.
- Azuki World Bible. Page ■■, Section ■■
WHO IS HANNYA 🤯🤯🤯
We all thought it was Raizan.
Maybe it's Raizan's darker alter ego.
Is it Yuki gone rogue?
Hannya who are you?!
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