The flying fishe returns
TL note: If you want to learn more about the lore of the P.U.N.K. theme, you can check out our VBEX2 article.
Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin
Full art:
TL note: We have a previously translated some of the notes for Ze Amin from a Twitter post. Here are the new ones:
Clouds: “Gold cloud effects”
Purple things: “Apparently, these are popular”
Hayashi robo: “Should they look like they are performing, or maybe they should only have the sound playing from their foreheads?”
Noh-P.U.N.K. Deer Note & Ukiyoe-P.U.N.K. Sharakusai
TL note: We have previously translated some of the notes on Deer Note in our VBEX2 article. Below are the new ones and the rest.
Ze Amin and Deer Note:
“Ze – De
Fraternal twin monsters
Oh…so they were twins?”
Sharakusai colors:
“Fluorescent colors on a black base”
Brush:
“The back side is a 3D projector, the front is a flying unit”
Closed brush:
[This is what it looks like] “when carried around”
Brush weight:
“Because it floats, it’s lighter than it looks like”
Procedure:
“Releases a special mist around his body
Using the features of the 3D projector, he projects on the mist
making the 3D images visible in the air”
3D pen:
“The pen tip paints 3D images”
Substitute pens:
“Substitute pens for details”
Glove:
“Glove used to operate the pen”
Make-up:
“Make-up designed after kabuki”
Personality:
Sharakusai: “Just leave it to me!”
Description: “A fashionista edokko”
Illustrator’s comment:
“I like petite girls wearing thick platform shoes. Apparently, all of the P.U.N.K. are part of an artist unit, but I wonder what their meetings are like. I think Sharakusai would devise a plan as the brains of the team, Wa Gon and Spider would be taking concrete notes, and meanwhile Ze Amin and Deer Note would be watching TV while munching senbei (with crazy colors) or something like that.”
Ukiyoe P.U.N.K. Amazing Dragon
Full art:
TL note: We have previously translated the notes for Amazing Dragon from a Twitter post.
P.U.N.K. JAM Dragon Drive
Full art:
F.U.D.E PEN mark 2:
Left: “One size larger than the mark 1”
Right: “<- Closed"
TL note: Fude (筆) means brush
Floating:
Top: “Because the brush itself has the ability to float, Sharakusai doesn’t mind”
Sharakusai: “Not heavy at all”
Open:
Top left: “Eight wings”
Bottom left: “Glows in the same way as the brush tip”
Bottom: “Transforms into a [parasol/umbrella]”
Bottom right: “By rotating, it creates an effect of fluttering flowers”
Open #2:
“The 8 parts of the [umbrella/parasol] parts float individually, performing a live painting of a 3D image that has been previously programmed”
Creating the Dragon Drive:
Title: “While flattering each other, they refer to each other as ‘master'”
Sharakusai: “Done n’ done! Just leave it to me!”
Note under Sharakusai: “Piece of cake”
Note on brush: “*Lightweight noises*”
Deer Note: “Nice work, master! Please add some bells to it!”
Ze Amin: “That dragon…is not enough…needs to be bigger…”
Base clothes:
Top: “Both of them have taken off the gadgets on their heads from their previous illustrations”
Bottom: “This is their usual look, wearing their respective haori“
Dragon Drive clothes:
“For this illustration, they are wearing a dragon headgear painted by Sharakusai in 3D art, as well as their haori. Soft and fluffy outfits”
TL note: The “MOFU MOFU” in the lower part is the same “soft and fluffy” mofu mofu (もふもふ) written in the larger font above, but in the Latin alphabet.
Outfit notes:
“The [kimono] pattern moves as if flowing through the haori”
Headgear notes:
“Because these are 3D illustrations without a physical presence, the parts of one’s body that get in their way poke through”
More outfit notes:
“The physics of the sleeves, whiskers, etc. are calculated to match the movements of the wearer of the model so that their movements feel natural!
Furthermore, the tail wiggles on its own”
Deer Note:
Ze Amin:
Dragon Drive!
Thanks to our anonymous contributors for the scans.
14 Comments
“Petite girls” well that’s that, Ze and Deer are girls. Not femboys. At least there’s astolfo for that.
Hmm…I’m not entirely convinced. The note only states that the artist “likes petite girls wearing thick platform shoes”, and doesn’t necessarily mean that Ze Amin and Deer Note themselves are girls.
Them being male would make sense thematically since in ancient Noh tradition, men would take on female roles, due to women being forbidden from the art. Furthermore, Ze Amin’s namesake is one of the creators of Noh, Zeami Motokiyo, who was a male actor and playwright.
Of course, this isn’t conclusive proof either, but I just think these notes don’t clear up things that much.
Deer Note has boobs though. Ze Amin might be a dude though since they were described as fraternal
My theory is that Ze Amin is a boy and Deer Note is a girl, due to the plus and minus signs on their earrings (I believe they might be a subtle reference to Yin-Yang, which among many other things also represents the duality of masculinity and feminility)
They don’t actually directly state they are girls. They say they like petite girls, but that isn’t used to directly reference the twins. They are still referred to as, well, they.
Nothing gets anime enthusiasts going like good ole gender discourse
Am I the only one that thinks that the P.U.N.K. should have lore opposition to the S-Force? It just feels like it fits.
How can we encourage Konami to give us more diverse cultural inspiration and not just “Asian but different”?
Oh god. Are you racist or something? Why not tell konami to change its name to “Western company” too?
They are referred to as they because they were referring to both of them when they used it.
…Damn, I didn’t expect Sharakusai to exude such chill, gentle vibes, especially on that close-up shot of his face. I just love the shape of his eyes through his visor. Made me fall in love with him all over again if I hadn’t already. That detail about the Dragon Drive costumes being soft and fluffy almost melted my heart too.
Thank you for sharing this! I had been feeling kind of sad that there was no concept art for Sharakusai and this absolutely made my day.
i’m now a fan of Sharakusai after this. still waiting for Ninjas but i feel like there’s not going to be too much said about them since they revealed a ton of their art in the past.
Look at the way they stand. Ze Amin is clearly male and Deer Note is clearly a female.
How the hell have you contorted your vision to see either of them as anything other than clearly a girl in every sense?