Hello everyone! Today I have a special behind-the-scenes interview with hana from planning and sculptor Mitsuru Hoya on the making of our latest ani statue, Ai Hinatsuru from The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done!

 

Choosing the Character

Hana: I try to keep up with the most popular light novels as much as I can. The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! was all over the stores in the latter half of 2016, so I decided to give it a shot. The story was interesting, and eventually I became one of the fans that buys the newest volumes on the release date!

I had worked with Yuta Todoroki before at a previous job, so when I heard that he would be producing the anime adaptation, I knew it was going to be good! There are a lot of great characters in the series, but the one I wanted to make the most was Ai Hinatsuru. She’s great at cooking, cleaning, and of course a genius when it comes to shogi, but she also has an adorable childish side.

 

Deciding the Posing

Hana: This was a project I was especially invested in, so it was important to me that I could work closely with the sculptor to decide the posing.

I had worked with Mitsuru Hoya before on Sinon -Phantom Bullet- , Hestia, and Rory Mercury before, so I decided to have him handle the sculpt for this project. (Planner-sculptor compatibility is very important!)

After we talked about the series, he went out and bought the novels, and had caught up on the entire series by our next meeting! From the two poses below, we went with the one on the right because of the balance of the props.

Designing the Face

Mitsuru Hoya: It’s no exaggeration to say that pretty much every expression Ai-chan makes is adorable, so choosing the expression was one of the hardest parts. I took extra care with the curve of her ahoge and her front teeth.

Designing the Hands and Feet

Hoya: Using the character sheet and concept art as a base, I tried to create the sculpt while keeping in mind what a nine year old looks like. At 1/7 scale she was even smaller than I thought she would be, but she was easy to handle which made the sculpting process a lot of fun.

Designing the Base/Props

Hoya: I took great pains to figure out how to create a balance with some of the bulkier props such as the shogi board and the backpack. I tried to choose items that were memorable from the series, so I hope I’ve succeeded in recreating the world.

Final Message for the Fans

Hoya: Ai-chan is the best! If you’ve never read the novels or watched the anime, I highly recommend it if you get the chance. It’s an awesome series!

 

©Shirow Shiratori・SB Creative Corp./ryuo no oshigoto Project