Key Character Design Discussion

[therationalpi]

Very cool stuff! I really like Kotori’s design, I think it’s my favorite in Rewrite, but then again I’m a sucker for wavy hair.

One thing that strikes me about her design (and pretty much all of the girls in Rewrite for that matter) is just how much horizontal space her sprite takes up! So much hair! My theory is that it’s because Rewrite was really made for a widescreen aspect ratio, where games like Kanon, Clannad, and even Little Busters were aimed at 4:3. So the wider sprites with the fanned out hair is really just a way to fill the screen, and manage all of that negative space.

Compare Little Busters to Rewrite:

Notice how Komari’s sprite is much more horizontally compact? Her ribbons almost go straight down while Kotori’s hair fans out all around her? Also, the camera is zoomed out further in Little Busters, starting at the hips as opposed to the waist, which also helps to ensure that the character takes up the right amount of the screen. Rewrite’s sprites are so wide, in fact, that if you put more than one on screen, they overlap!

Also, this face:

It really feels so…contemporary? That way of doing a shocked expression just feels like it became popular in the last few years.

[HeliosAlpha]

The width of characters is an interesting point. I went and made an album of pictures showing different sprites, actually I got very into it, so I have a shitton of these. The green lines divide the screen in thirds, and it’s very consistent that they keep within the middle third.
Looking at Kotori, I think what makes her hair feel so massive isn’t how wide her braids go but instead how her middle third is filled to the brim with a single mass of hair. If we compare Kotori to Yui, the hair goes above their shoulders for both of them, but on eye level, Yui’s hair goes along the edge of her face while Kotori’s takes up a huge area, and that’s all within the same area of the screen.

[BlackHayate02]

There’s something I quite noticed about Kagari’s design by Itaru Hinoue. (Post-Common Route spoilers?) Female characters that have a mystic aura around them would usually have long, flowing hair, but Kagari is the only heroine in Rewrite who has short hair, which is strange. But it may be more about how short hair makes a girl’s face look younger, and in this case, it keeps her appearance more in line with the Key having an innocent look in canon (just look at those round eyes and flowy dress). Not to mention her white hair is already telling enough of how mystical her existence is. I did once try sketching her with long hair, but it just didn’t feel Kagari at all.

(Terra spoilers) Though there is this one scene where hair hair is drawn longer and more tree-like, and other than it makes sense since the Song of Destruction was sung at that moment, it gives her a motherly aura that the story was going for at that moment.

Her anime design (by Masayuki Nonaka) looks so absolutely adorable, but I’m slightly worried as to how Kana Hanazawa will voice her. Nonaka’s design looks even more child-like than Hinoue’s, and with how she’s voiced in the VN, her voice might not go well with her anime looks at all.

I’m a little bit worried about Akane’s look in the forthcoming Rewrite anime. Looks too “loli” and too cute, and we know her… So it seems out of character in my opinion.

That was my first impression as well, but the more I looked into it, the more she seems closer to her original design. Surprisingly, I’m not as worried as I should be, since one of the sketches is this:

I think her “bewitching” look is given away more by her body language and her eyes narrowing occasionally, so let’s wish that the anime portrays her body language right.

[Totoro_Futaki]

I love the New Ayu modern Design that Hinoue did. It showcases more of a CLANNAD-Like CG if we’re talking about the eyes, but keeps the hair’s light reflection the same.

It also gives out a glare on her skin and backpack, which makes it look beautiful, and more modern.

I’m also loving the new Kanna design that Hinoue did. Kanna is like a pre-Yuiko in my mind. It actually does showcase a lot of things like Kurugaya, such as the hair, and the ribbon ornaments.

Rei’s character design is also something that I found to be satisfying. The facial structure is more mature compared to other Hinoue characters like Kotarou and Tomoya. I also love the hair. The green-hair is perfectly fit, that the background actually seems to compliment the hair.

I also love the hair cause it reminds me of other people’s hair from Key, such as Tomoyo’s hair (CLANNAD & Tomoyo After), and Shizuru (Rewrite & Rewrite Harvest Festa). It has the overlapping bang’s on the top Right (in the perspective) of his eyes.

I’m also a sucker for Harmonia’s moe.

Last but not least, would have to be the Little Busters! CG, that is actually used for the cover of the VN if I’m not mistaken.

This has to be one of the most gorgeous CG’s ever in Key-History. The way the sunset’s light, gives out that light that feels nostalgic and feels calming. The way Rin’s hair and Komari’s ribbons are flowing. And especially the facial designs. Komari smiling, and Rin with a straight face, which is true to their personalities.

[Pepe]

I’m also loving the new Kanna design that Hinoue did. Kanna is like a pre-Yuiko in my mind. It actually does showcase a lot of things like Kurugaya, such as the hair, and the ribbon ornaments.

Ohhh yeah, that new Kanna is just absolutely gorgeous. It’s pretty nice especially since there really isn’t much representation of Kanna. If you notice, this specific piece of art shows Kanna’s much gentler side, whereas her sprites in the game seem to show her all bratty-like. I guess one explanation to that is because we only interact with her through the eyes of Ryuuya, whereas this illustration seems like it’d be how Kanna would be when absolutely nobody is around.

So it feels like were glancing more at her true nature than anything.

[therationalpi]

As to Kagari’s white hair, I think it’s interesting that the other heroines have natural colors like brown, blond, dirty blond, black, and red. Compare that to other games where we have bright blues (Mio, Nayuki, Kano) and lavender (Fujibayashi twins)…though you could argue that blue hair is a proxy for natural black.

[Aspirety]

This is an amazing topic guys, hats off to you! Admittedly I never studied art theory in school so I feel like I don’t have much to offer myself, but just reading what you guys have to say is really opening my eyes. Seriously, loving this topic.

[HeliosAlpha]

Admittedly I never studied art theory in school so I feel like I don’t have much to offer myself,

It’s not like I’ve studied this stuff. The most I’ve done is watch video essays on cinematography which is not as fancy as it sounds

[Yerian]

Ah that reminds me of a questions Ive been meaning to ask.

So, Shizuru ties her hair up in twin tails. But it appears that she does so with her own hair. How can you tie your hair up with your own hair!? Is that actually possible?

While we’re on the subject, Im guessing her twin tails are part of making her look younger, which of course (Rewrite post-common) creates contrast with what we learn about her fighting ability. All the same, (Shizuru route) her young, innocent image is at the same time preserved in the themes of pacifism that are presented in her route.

[therationalpi]

How can you tie your hair up with your own hair!? Is that actually possible?

It’s called tying a knot, but that has to be a bitch to undo at night. Admittedly, I stared at her hair for a long time before realizing that.

As for her character design, I think most of Shizuru’s design is meant to set up false expectations. She looks short and innocent but she’s actually a huge combat badass. The bandage makes it seem like she’s frail and injured but her powers allow her to shrug off pretty much any wound. Hell, you don’t even expect that behind her eye patch her eye is a different color.

One thing I like about Shizuru’s design is how her twintails allow her to take up a good amount of the frame while still seeming petite. Chihaya, Akane, and Kotori all have these near-solid masses of hair behind them, causing them to dominate the frame, but the gap between Shizuru’s tails and her body makes her seem smaller.

Here’s that overlap image again from earlier. Shizuru is only a little shorter than Chihaya, and her sprite width and shoulder width are about the same. Yet, Shizuru looks so much smaller because of all that background we see through her hair.

[Yerian]

Huh, I guess youre right. Maybe its just the way her knots look so loose that was mystifying me…

[bionic]

How can you tie your hair up with your own hair!? Is that actually possible?

There’s a technique where you where you wrap a section of hair around a hair tie to cover it, so there might be a hair tie hidden under there.

[BlackHayate02]

I’d like to talk about Chihaya Ohtori’s design (by Itaru Hinoue)

I was wondering about her winged hairclip and what it signifies to her, since it’s not really much alluded in the story. I did came up with an interpretation that seems convincing to me. It’s like her design is saying that she’s (Chihaya Route spoilers) like a lonely young bird perched on a tree (guess who the tree is), as if depending on the tree so much because up until the common route, she didn’t really have any friends, not to mention the fact that she’s still young.

It might actually be a foreshadowing to her character development, as (post-Common Route spoilers) she used to be quite indecisive, joining Gaia simply because she was told to do so. But when she grew up and made more friends, she became a more assertive ala “willing to soar high,” as she was willing to quit Gaia if it meant not having to hurt her friends. There are moments in her own route that has shown how much she has become assertive too.

That’s just an interpretation I came up with recently, so what do you think?

[HeliosAlpha]

I’m not sure what to say about all that, but there’s an easier parallel to draw between Chihaya’s flaming red hair, the wing shaped accessories and her family name. Ohtori, written as 鳳, refers to a mythological bird that’s kinda like a phoenix called fenghuang. It’s also what the pokemon Ho-oh is based on.

This is the root to the Ohtori Kotori joke because Kotori translates to small bird. Of course, that could be totally off since the design were made before the names were decided upon, and the color scheme wasn’t always this either.

[Kanon]

I think it’s there because it looks cute and Hinoni likes to make cute girls.

[BlackHayate02]

I’m not sure what to say about all that, but there’s an easier parallel to draw between Chihaya’s flaming red hair, the wing shaped accessories and her family name. Ohtori, written as 鳳, refers to a mythological bird that’s kinda like a phoenix called fenghuang. It’s also what the pokemon Ho-oh is based on.

This is the root to the Ohtori Kotori joke because Kotori translates to small bird. Of course, that could be totally off since the design were made before the names were decided upon, and the color scheme wasn’t always this either.

Ooohh, that’s an interesting point. Now that I’ve looked into it, it might be that the “Ohtori” came from her color scheme (since the Fenghuang is associated with fire)… and the hairclip as well. That or Hinoue might have designed Chihaya with the Fenghuang in mind, and gave the “Ohtori” as a naming suggestion. XD

(I ended up noticing something about her name, which I’ll put in her discussion topic instead)

[Totoro_Futaki]

I did came up with an interpretation that seems convincing to me. It’s like her design is saying that she’s (Chihaya Route spoilers) like a lonely young bird perched on a tree (guess who the tree is), as if depending on the tree so much because up until the common route, she didn’t really have any friends, not to mention the fact that she’s still young.

Interesting. I always thought the wings was an interpretation or, allusion, of that poem that Mio (Little Busters!/Mio Route) always loved to read, cause it was always talking about her loneliness as a person, and related to her dilemma with having no shadow.

[spoiler]

The seagull / wonder if she is sad / left alone without being touched / by the blue of the sky / or the blue of the sea." [/spoiler]

I always loved that poem because it truely expressed how Mio felt when she thought about people like Midori

Speaking of Little Busters!, is there a reason as to why Kengo, Masato, and Komari don’t wear normal school uniforms ? I’m an anime-only so it was never expressed.
I love Komari’s ribbons

[Pepe]

Speaking of Little Busters!, is there a reason as to why Kengo, Masato, and Komari don’t wear normal school uniforms ?

Kengo is busy with Kendo (though he has some sprites of him wearing the uniform in the VN). Masato is a punk (more like he simply doesn’t button his shirt) and Komari just… likes sweaters? Kanata did point it out to her, despite it not being against school regulations

[Totoro_Futaki]

Does Key artist do the art for new characters that are drawn in anime’s ? For example, when some Key characters don’t have sprites in the original VN, but that visual novel gets an adaption, does Hinoue/Na-Ga (depending on the Key work) draw a concept of what the character should look like, or does the animation studio decide what they should look like ?

Cause I mean, Rewrite has like 10 characters with no sprites that are beneficial to the story.
Same with LB, a little less, but same concept.
Speaking of the art too, did Na-Ga/Hinoue draw Suginami’s concept design for the anime, or did J.C. Staff do it themselves ?

And for the manga’s, if I’m not mistaken, there’s a Nagai (Rewrite) character design, which isn’t much, but was Hinoue in charge of drawing that ? Or was it someone else ? Doesn’t look Hinoue-like to me. I always imagined Nagai as a fiercer version of Courage-Chan, having the same looks and such. Would that also mean that in the anime, Nagai will look like the manga illustration of Nagai, or will she have a new design ?

[Pepe]

That’s a bit complicated; for series like Angel Beats and Charlotte, I imagine Na-Ga would design most, if not all characters… But for the rest, well, that’s unclear. Like, who designed Rie and Nishina in CLANNAD? And as you said, Suginami in Little Busters? I guess it depends on the studio.