Dishonored research

Dishonored
A Bethesda Game
http://www.dishonored.com/

Dishonored is a first person RPG game made by Bethesda and released in 2013. It features a steam punk themed world, with the main character a magical assassin, with unique powers. ‘You are the once-trusted bodyguard of the Empress. Framed for her murder and driven by revenge, you must become an infamous assassin, known only by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card. As you navigate a world torn apart by plague and oppressed by a government armed with strange new technologies, the truth behind your betrayal is as murky as the waters surrounding the city. The choices you make will determine the fate of the world, but no matter what happens your old life is gone forever.’ (http://www.dishonored.com/#/media) The use of steam punk environments and technology in Dishonored are the key influence in my work, with similar aspects to my own idea. The dark city where the game is based is also inspirational, as it is Victorian styled, in the industrial revolution era.

Character Design
The character design in Dishonored is very steam punk influenced, with a strong resemblance to Victorian Era costumes. The characters I decided to study closely are Emily, the young princess as well as the generic male characters costumes in the game. First of all, Emilys character is a similar age to our own main character, with her design being influential to our characters design. She is also a princess, like our character, so her clothing will match her status and convey this well. Looking at her outfit, we can instantly tell that she is wealthy. This is because of the use of clean, frilled clothes, with the use of the colour white also being used to connote innocence and purity. The use of frills and bows is very Victorian influenced, with her short hair and trousers conveying a tomboyish streak to the girl. The male characters in the game all bare a similar look to those in the Fable games, with the poorer males wearing dirty shirts and trousers, and the upper class men wearing smart, clean suits, with canes. The design of the male characters is quite Victorian looking, with the use of plain, long sleeved shirts and boots for the poor, but the use of top hats, usually used to portray wealth, creates a steam punk fantasy feel to their design. The wealthy are always portrayed wearing long posh suit jackets and collared shirts, with long trousers tucked in long boots. Their appearance is always smart, with hair styled smartly, and always cleanly shaven. This is used to create a strong contrast between the wealthy and the poor in Dishonored. This contrast is something we will need to explore, with our game idea also focusing on a royalty with the poor living in dark cities.

Environment Design

In Dishonored the player explores different environments focused around one city. Therefore, all of the environments follow the same Victorian look. There is a strong contrast in the environments, with the wealthy having large, posh houses, and the poorer sections of the city having run down homes. Studying the image above, there is strong influence from Victorian housing in the structure and design of the building, with the large doorway and windows, and tall chimneys. The house is also made completely of concrete and stone, the more expensive building materials at this time. Looking at the poorer areas of the city the buildings are rusted, and surrounded by sewage. They are also extremely tall, conveying many families living in cramped conditions together. The design of the poorer houses also features a Victorian look, with stone also being used, with some also having wooden beams to support them. The design of the slums is very influential to my work as the poorer section of our world will also be conveyed in a similar way, with the use of darkness and sewage to create an image of disgusting living conditions. 

The Fable Series research

The Fable Series
A Series of Lionhead games
http://www.lionhead.com/

The series of Fable games is made up of six games. Beginning from the first ever game, purely named 'Fable' the series begun to tell the story of Albions heroes. 'Create your life story from childhood to death, grow from an inexperienced adolescent into the most powerful being in the world. Choose the path of righteousness or dedicate your life to evil. Muscles expand with each feat of strength; force of will increases with each work of wit. Obesity follows gluttony, skin tans with exposure to sunlight and bleaches bone-white by moonlight. Earn scars in battle and lines of experience with age. Each person you aid, each flower you crush, each creature you slay, will change this world forever.'(http://www.lionhead.com/games/fable/) Each game follows the same structured narrative, as you begin your journey as young and inexperienced, and work to become a hero. Each game has its own unique traits, with Fable II introducing a canine companion who aids you on your quest, and Fable III giving the player the opportunity to rule a kingdom. It is the unusual and medieval look to the games where I draw my influence, as well as its comedic nature and narrative. 

Gameplay

The gameplay of each Fable game is a mixture of a variety of different aspects, all following one key structure. Each game contains one main goal, which consists of many quests. However, it is the other parts of the gameplay that make Fable unique. You can also communicate with villagers, making them love you or hate you, you can marry, have children, and purchase houses. Fable III also creates a point in the game where you must rule a kingdom and make judgements to better the kingdom or to not. Fable gives the player the opportunity to create their heroes life, give them a family, a reputation and customise their look. The combat system is also unique, as it consists of three different parts, Will, Skill, and Strength. Will is the magic used in the game, which ranges from fire balls to summoning goblins. Skill is your long range weapon, pistol or rifle. Strength is your sword and hand to hand combat skills. Each part of every Fable game is unique and innovative. The aspects of the Fable series which are key inspirations are the use of quests and a main goal, but also the use of interactions with others and the choices that make you either good or evil. 

Character Design

The character design in the Fable games has always been an inspiration to my work, each characters design is completely unique and gives them personality and presence. The designs in the Fable games are very unique, however they have taken strong influence from Medieval England. The female characters in the game bare resemblance to women of this era, with long dresses and skirts, and corsets. The puffed sleeves and unusual colours create unique clothes for the characters, fitting into the setting of the games nicely. The male characters are dressed in large boots, shirts and trousers with large belt buckles. They also wear large hats and top hats, depending on their status in the kingdom. As the main character is customisable, the player can choose their own outfit and look for their own character. Therefore, for my character study I decided to look at some of the main NPC’s in the game. First of all, I looked at the players sister, Rose, in Fable II. Being a peasant, and also a young girl, I can draw inspiration from her design.  Rose’s design of clothing is very simple and ragged, with a waistcoat and long sleeved top and a long skirt with boots. All the clothes are old and dirty, conveying she is poor and living in the slums. Her hair is messy and unkempt, with a dirty hair band over it. Her design is strongly contrasted to the character of Reaver in Fable III, whose design reinforces his status and wealth. Dressed in a white suit, with a fur trim and a tall black hat and goggles, Reavers design has a steam punk feel to it. His status is conveyed through his clean and smart clothes, with a cane also having connotations of wealth. The final character I looked closely at is the players canine companion. The use of a dog began in Fable II, with a generic brown dog for every player, however in Fable III, the player began with a collie, but could change the breed of their dog to suit their tastes. The use of real breeds of dogs gives a realistic and personal touch to the game, with players knowing these dogs and relating to them. 

Environment Design

The environments in the Fable series are extremely inspirational in my work, as they feature a fantasy world, but with strong influences from medieval England. In my study of the environments, I closely looked at Bowerstone, the capital city in Fable III. The bricked bridges and tall brick clock tower create a strong medieval look, with the structures themselves having a fantasy theme. The main part of the environments in Fable I am interested in is the houses. The houses are small throughout the world of Albion, with each house containing one main room, with a small upstairs, sometimes accessible by stairs on the outside of the house. It is however, the design of the exterior of the house that is most influential to my designs, as it features strong resemblances to medieval and Victorian houses. The use of a flat coloured house containing wooden beams, and a tiled roof is a design used in the era we are looking at, with the fantasy element to the Fable houses creating a unique, skewed look to the structure. The large wooden door, and tall pointed roofs are a key inspiration in my designs, with the extra details such as lanterns and decorations also having an influence on my work. 

Ni No Kuni research

Ni No Kuni
A Level- 5 and Studio Ghibli Game
http://uk.ign.com/games/ni-no-kuni/ps3-14284017

Ni No Kuni is a game developed by Level-5, featuring the artwork and idea of Studio Ghibli. The games story follows the life of a young boy, who is transported into a fantasy world. 'Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an epic tale of a young boy, Oliver, who embarks on a journey to become a master magician and bring back his dead mother from the parallel world of Ni no Kuni. Along the way he encounters some extraordinary characters, many of whom become helpful allies. They guide Oliver as he explores the vast world and learns the magical skills that will make him strong enough to face his most deadly foes, and ultimately survive an encounter with the White Witch herself. The world of Ni no Kuni actually runs parallel to the real world. Players will be able to travel between the two. Characters who appear in one world appear in the other as well, but with different roles in this unique RPG experience.'(http://uk.ign.com/games/ni-no-kuni/ps3-14284017) The narrative and characters in Ni No Kuni are a key inspiration in my work, due to their similarities to my initial idea. The use of a child main character and a companion mirrors that of my own main character, influencing my designs. Looking at Ni No Kuni, the use of a cell shaded art style is one I want to recreate, and the mixture of 3D graphics and 2D animated cut scenes creates a narrative driven game with heaps of character.

Narrative
The narrative of Ni No Kuni is deep and beautiful, like all Studio Ghibli films. Conveying similar aspects and characters to our own narrative idea, Ni No Kuni portrays the unusual life of a young boy. As a single parent mother, Allie does her best to look after Oliver on her own. However, being a young, adventurous boy, Oliver gets into trouble and his mother saves him from drowning. This causes her to have a heart attack, and unfortunately doesn't survive. Through the power of Oliver tears for his mother, he brings to life a doll she made for him, who claims to be the Lord High Lord of the Fairies. He is transported to another world, where an evil wizard is taking control and has captured the other world version of Oliver's mother. The two worlds are linked, and Oliver has to use magic and his team to survive and save the world.

The roots of the narrative of  Ni No Kuni are Oliver's mothers death, as without this the other chain of events would not have been put into motion. The use of dark themes and adult emotions gives a mature feel to the story, and this is a theme which we want to explore in our games narrative. Having a young boy as the main character puts the player in a child's shoes, having to experience the world as they do. This is another inspiration for our own idea, using a young girl as our own main character.

Art Style

The art style of Ni No Kuni is cell shaded, with an Anime style. It has been created with the art style of Studio Ghibli films, with the characters as bold colours and shadows, and the backgrounds detailed and beautiful. The use of a water coloured look to the backgrounds creates a vast and beautiful scene, with its realism and detail creating depth in this new world. Colour is also an important aspect to the style, as the use of colour changes in each world. In the real world, the colours are very bright, man-made colours such as pinks and reds etc. This contrasts with the all natural colours of the fantasy world, conveying it has been untouched by civilisation and remains pure. The scale and levels of the backgrounds also creates a strong contrast between the two worlds, as the fantasy world contains high rocks with expanses of water and trees. Whereas the real world is a flat level, where everything is to a normal, everyday scale such as the shops (below). This is the art style we want to accomplish in our own game, with the use of cell shaded characters, and natural water colour backgrounds and environments. Using scale and levels will be important in the creation of a unique and unusual world that is unlike our own, to create a fantastical and magical environment. 

 Gameplay
The gameplay of Ni No Kuni is stereotypically combat based, a trait found in the majority of Japanese games. The player uses magic to defend and defeat enemies, and can also control their teams moves. This combat is also mixed with open world roaming, where the player must explore worlds, both real and fantasy to complete quests and achieve goals. In comparison to our own idea, the structure of Ni No Kuni's gameplay is similar to our own. Creating quests for the player, and having set goals and areas to explore is an aspect we are keen to explore in our own gameplay idea. The use of magic is also an aspect we are influenced by, however combat has been overused in games such as this, so we are exploring ways to make our idea unique and non-combat based.

Beauty and the Beast research

Beauty and the Beast
A Walt Disney Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/

Beauty and the Beast is a Walt Disney Classic animated film created in 1991. The film follows the story of Belle, a small town girl who loves to read stories of Princes and love. 'This "tale as old as time" follows the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself imprisoned in the castle of a mysterious beast. With the assistance of the castle's enchanted staff, a delightful and tender romance develops between these two unlikely friends and Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all — that true beauty comes from within.' (http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/beauty/story.html) The story features enchanting characters, from Belle's crazy inventor father to her beautiful horse Phillipe, as well as the beautiful Belle and the dangerous Beast. The design of Beauty and the Beast has influences of Medieval England, as well as Victorian which is prevalent in the environment designs. The characters are stereotypically Disney, with their designs being simple yet beautiful and unique. Beauty and the Beast is a similar influence to my work as Tangled is, as they feature similar styles in their character and environment designs. I will be looking closely at the design of Belle's house, as well as the town which are themed in a style similar to my own idea.

Character Design
The two characters I want to study closely for their design are Belle and her horse Phillipe. For my own main character I want a simple design, with a Victorian theme. Belle's dress is a good example as it is very simple in its design, but also has a unique look with a bright colour which separates her from the other characters. It also has similarities to Victorian dresses, as it is long and has an undergarment. It also has an apron over the skirt, which also connotes housework and maids. Another inspiration from Belle's character is her strength, as many female characters are portrayed as weak and defenceless. Belle stands up for herself and is has confidence and strength, which is a trait I want to incorporate in my own female character.

For reference for my mount/spirit guardian I decided to look at Belle's horse, Phillipe. Phillipe is Belle's companion and transport, and has a character and personality of his own. Being a stereotypical horse, Phillipe has a nervous character, however he is powerful and strong and tries to protect Belle. His design is that of a Shire horse, with thick feathered legs which gives him a strong presence in the film and gives him a powerful, brave look.  I am particularly influenced by Phillipe's personality, as he is protective and loyal to Belle which is a trait I want to incorporate into the companion for my own main character.

Environment Design
Similar to Tangled, the environments in Beauty and the Beast are magical and has strong influences from Medieval England. Belle's house (above) is a perfect example of how I want to design the main house in our game. Structurally, it is very medieval, however it is the added extras on the building which give it a magical, fantasy look. The cogs on the roof and the slanted chimney both help to give a unique feel to this house. The use of structure is strongly inspirational to my design, with the high sloped roof and wooden beams being aspects I want to include in my design. I also want to  create a slanted look to my house as Belle's house visualises.

The other environment influential in my designs is the town where Belle lives. The town is bright and colourful and the architecture resembles medieval England as much as her home does. Along with the medieval styled houses and towers, with slanted designs, the use of the market stalls is also an aspect I would like to explore in my designs. It is also the colours in the shop signs and market stalls which create a fantasy look to the town, and influence my own ideas and designs.

Tangled Research

Tangled
A Walt Disney Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/

Tangled is a film by the Walt Disney animation Studios to celebrate the 50th animated classic created by the Studio. The film features a twist on the story of Rapunzel, with a young princess having magical hair stolen from her family by a witch. She is found by a fugitive man named Flynn Rider, who agrees to take her to see the lights at the castle. Accompanied by a palace horse, Maximus, Tangled features a story of love and magic. ‘When the kingdom’s most infamous - and charismatic - outlaw, Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi), takes refuge in a secret tower hidden deep in the forest, he's taken captive by Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore), a striking and spirited teen blessed with 70 feet of enchanted, golden blonde hair. Having been looking for an escape route from the tower where she's been grounded her whole life, Rapunzel makes a pact with the handsome thief and the improbable duo soon find themselves tangled up in a spectacular action-packed escapade, complete with a super-sleuth horse, a chameleon side-kick and a rowdy gang of pub thugs.’ (http://www.disney.co.uk/tangled/about.jsp) Along with many other Disney films, Tangled features beautiful animation and unique characters. As an inspiration to my work, the bright open environments and Victorian styled characters in Tangled are perfect for my research and references.

Character Design
Along with many other Disney films, the creation and design of the Characters in Tangled have a particular look. With characteristically large eyes and beautiful, vibrant clothing, the characters I am influenced by are Young Rapunzel and Maximus.

At a similar age to our main character, the design of young Rapunzel is very inspirational to the design of our main character. With large cute eyes and long hair, this character gives an air of innocence and beauty as well as being frail and small which supports how we want our main character to come across. He costume design is also influential as it is a simple long dress, with the use of bare feet connoting naïvety. Her personality also conveys her as a strong, independent character who isn't afraid to break the rules, but is also afraid of the world outside her door.

The next character I studied is Maximus the horse. Brimming with personality and character, Maximus's design is simple, with his tack extremely detailed. Looking for influence on the characters mount or spirit guardian. He is a pure white horse, connoting beauty and purity, with his presence on the screen maximised by his size and character. Maximus is influential to my design as he has a medieval England design, and as well as being large and powerful, is gentle and protective.

Environment Design

The environments in Tangled are both beautiful and vibrant, and the architecture used in the designs of both the capital and the tower show influences from Medieval England, and Victorian styles with its own fantasy twist. The reason why I chose to study the environments of Tangled is clear through the similarities of the environment to my own idea. Looking at the town (left), The use of colour and scale is important to giving the town a fantasy look. The levels in the image portray the whole town, also supporting the fantasy theme throughout. The key themes and influences from the town are purely Medieval England and this is a theme that I will take inspiration from For the design of my town and main house. 

The second environment/structure that I was inspired by is the tower where Rapunzel is kept . The design is very fantasy themed, with the pointed roof and wooden bearings creating a magical style to the design. The Medieval design shines through in the design of the tower as well, through the use of the wooden and plaster look given to the main structure at the top of the tower. The colour and foliage used on the tower gives a beautiful look and the use of height connotes power as well as imprisonment.  

Rest of Essay, First Draft

Chapter One - Osamu Tezuka: An Artist from Childhood

Osamu Tezuka was born in 1928 in Toyonaka, Japan. At the age of 5, his family moved to Takarazuka in Japan, where he was raised. Tezuka had a privileged childhood in comparison to many at the time, being able to watch ‘8-millimeter prints of Disney and other American and European films in his own home’ (Kelts, (R) 2007, pg. 41), which was very rare for families at this time. His father was an avid reader of comics, both Japanese and American, giving Tezuka the opportunity to experience comics and take influence from them at an early age. His father also had a hobby of trying to replicate comics, drawing his own copies of them. This hobby was taken up by Tezuka, sparking his passion for drawing his own comic panels. His mother was also a key influence on Tezuka as she would regularly take him to attend shows at their local theatre, the Takarazuka theatre. This theatre however was run by women, so all of their shows contained actresses. The piece of work by Tezuka where the theatre was a clear influence is his first shojo manga, Princess Sapphire. ‘His famous heroine, Princess Sapphire, complete with those characteristic shining stars in her huge eyes, resembles those of the Takarazuka Theater as much as she does Disney animation.’ (Koyama- Richard, (B) 2007, pg. 152). The theatre gave Tezuka a feel for drama and instilled a sense of cinematic wonder. This went on to grow with the introduction of cinema in Tezuka’s life, especially animations by Walt Disney. Tezuka spent much of his childhood in the cinema, watching Disney movies and even taking a sketchbook and drawing some of the images. ‘He loved movies in general. And he loved the natural world.’ ‘He loved Bambi so much that he claimed to have seen it eighty times, memorizing the film from start to finish.’ (Kelts, (R) 2007, pg. 42) It is greatly noticeable throughout Tezuka’s work the influence Walt Disney animation had on his art style. Tezuka even claimed himself that ‘ he was unconsciously influenced by Mickey Mouse. Astro Boy resembles him. Mickey has two ears. Astro always has two horns. In fact they are not ‘horns’ at all, but licks of hair’ he claims that their similarities is where ‘the magic of animation resides.’ (Koyama- Richard, (B) 2007, pg. 150). He also went on to say that along with the two horns, Astro is always bare chested, such as Mickey Mouse was in the early animations where all he wore were shorts and shoes. Both also wear oversized shoes, and there is also a hole in Astros glove following Mickeys early design. Other western cinema which influenced Tezuka greatly, include Max Fleischer who was the creator of the widely known Betty Boop and Superman cartoons.

Along with cinema, another major influence on Tezuka’s art was his hobby of collecting and studying insects. Many other Japanese artists are known to also have been influenced by this as well. ‘Much of Japanese anime design emanates from this insect obsession. Think of Ultraman’s praying-mantis eyes, the beetlelike space ships in Battle of the Planets, and just about any Japanese sci-fi robot or monster, which often feature enlarged insect appendages that appear to have been magnified- or irradiated.’ (Kelts, (R) 2007, pg. 41) It is from studying insects throughout his childhood that influenced many of his character designs, however it was cinema, above all the other influences during his childhood, where Tezuka gained most of his influence. It was through amateur filmmaking with his father that he began to look at comics in a different way, and tried to create movement using flipbooks. From watching so many films in his lifetime, Tezuka asked himself, ‘how can I draw comics that make people laugh, cry and be moved, like that movie?’ (Gravett, (P) 2004, pg. 26)

Tezuka’s childhood of attending the cinema on a daily basis was short lived, with the beginning of WWII. During the war, Tezuka was forced to stop drawing comics, however he drew over 3,000 pages in private during this time. He claims ‘his witnessing of Japan’s war-machine propaganda and the death and destruction of World War II’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 24) influenced him in his work as well, having first hand experience of the aftermath of an air raid on Osaka. ‘This fired his conviction to teach peace and respect for all life through animation and the less costly comics.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 24) He believed he could create manga that was acknowledged as a valid part of culture in Japan.

Following the war, Tezuka studied Medicine, and became a licensed physician. Alongside this, he continued to create manga, and even had several books published. It was from these publications that his work grew immensely in popularity, and the modern manga was born. Tezuka’s style was completely new, as he created his Manga in a style of a movie, creating a unique page layout with a ‘clever use of sound effects, and a lavish spread of frames to depict a single action’. (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 62) It was this unique style of drawing comics which enticed readers to want to see more from the artist, thus beginning an era of manga and animation which transformed both mediums.

Chapter Two - After WWII: Changing the face of Manga

After the war, Tezuka began to experiment with the limits of manga. He strongly felt that ‘existing comics were limiting… Most were drawn as if seated in an audience viewing a stage, where the actors emerge from the wings and interact.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 63) He sought to create something new and engaging, and wanted readers to experience ‘tears, grief, anger and hate and I created stories where the ending was not always ‘happy’.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 63) It was after the war and with the import of Western comics and cinema into Japan, that Tezuka began to take influence from Western media. ‘The strongest influence on him in so many ways seems to have been the narrative dramas, of which American movies were the great exemplars. Above all it was the motion and emotion of Hollywood that he sought to inject into his comics.’ (Gravett, (P) 2004, pg. 28) Tezuka’s new way of creating comics grew immensely in popularity, through his first manga book ‘Shintakarajima’ (New Treasure Island), and it is estimated that this book sold between 400,000 and 800,000 copies with no publicity. (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 62)

Chapter Three - His Work, and its Influence on Modern Manga

Through comics in childrens magazines and manga books, Tezuka developed his style and modern manga. He soon became a household name in Japan, but it was in 1950 that Tezuka’s work transformed with the release of ‘Kimba the White Lion (also known as The Jungle Emperor), with its touching animal character, brought him an international reputation.’ (Koyama- Richard, (B) 2007, pg. 150) It was, however, Astro (Testuwan Atomu) or Astro Boy which has been his most famous manga. It was this comic, along with the masses of others Tezuka released, that influenced the next generation of artists and gave birth to gekiga. This style of creating manga is defined as drawing realistic panels and stories, featuring violence and gore. This movement began in the Kansai region in the 1950s, and their mangas contain dramatic images, ‘bereft of humor, their stories offer a bleak reflection of everyday life and social problems.’ (Koyama- Richard, (B) 2007, pg. 154) With the expansion of his popularity, Tezuka began experimenting with ‘his new style in a spate of productivity, creating science fiction, detective stories, historical works, and romances for girls.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 64) It is in this experimentation, Tezuka created ‘new cinematic techniques’ which ‘allowed a level of character and plot development that had been previously unimaginable.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 64)

Chapter Four - Leaving his Mark on Modern Manga and Animation

Tezuka’s life work led him to be known as ‘The God of Manga’, with his place in history being regarded as equivalent to ‘that of D.W. Griffith in the history of cinema.’ (Gravett, (P) 2004, pg. 24) He is regarded as a remarkable 20th century figure, and even has his own museum in his home town of Takarazuka to celebrate his long career in manga and animation. Tezuka’s passion for animation led him to create many short animated films and television shows of his manga stories. It can also be said that Tezuka was a strong influence on Walt Disney, with ‘Kimba the White Lion’ having striking similarities to Disney’s ‘The Lion King’. A close friend of Tezuka claims that if he were alive when ‘The Lion King’ was released, ‘“and if he knew about even the rumor that Disney might have copied elements of his work, he would have been proud.”’(Kelts, (R) 2007, pg. 45) This is not where his influence on America ends. Tezuka was privileged with several awards for comic creation at the San Diego Comic Convention, with cosplayers in America portraying his characters and often ‘put their Japanese counterparts to shame.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 155)

Conclusion

Osamu Tezuka is internationally known for his work and transformation of manga and animation. ‘Tezuka is where today’s anime style starts.’ (Kelts, (R) 2007, pg. 41) He was the beginning of ‘ interrelations between Japanese and American artists-a cross-pollination of influences that traverses the realms of computer-generated images (CGI), limited or two-dimensional animation, and live action.’ (Kelts, (R) 2007, pg 42) His passion for comics was greatly admired, and Tezuka claims ‘What I tried to express in my works can be summed up in the following message: “Love all creatures! Love every living thing!”’ (Gravett, (P) 2004, pg. 30) Tezuka’s passion for manga stemmed from his attempt at crossing national boundaries, claiming that ‘comics are a bridge between all cultures.’ (Gravett, (P) 2004, pg. 30) It was this passion that led the artist through an extensive career in manga and animation. He explains how he has seen ‘ all the twists and turns that mark the extraordinary growth of Japanese comics over the last nearly forty years.’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 11) His life's work was to ‘further peace and goodwill among nations’ (Schodt, (F.L) 1986, pg. 11) through comics and animation. He was successful in his goal, with manga and Japanese animation (Anime) being a large part of culture in both Japan and across the world. This was because of Tezuka’s hard work and dedication that this was all possible. Most nights, only sleeping for a few hours, Tezuka created his work, fueled by his passion for comics. Although he died young, he had produced 150,000 pages for 600 manga titles as well as 60 animated titles, as well as lectures, essays and film reviews, enough to last lifetimes as well as influence generations to come.

Kikis delivery service research

Kiki's Delivery Service
A Studio Ghibli Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/ 

Kiki's Delivery service is a tale about a young witch leaving home. 'Kiki is a 13-year old witch. When a witch turns 13, it is traditional for her to move away from home to spend a year in another city or town where there is no witch already living, so that she can learn to be independent and practice her trade. This is Kiki's story of the beginning of her year away from home. She and her black cat Jiji run into a little trouble at first, but they soon make friends in their new city by the sea.' (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/kiki/)  The reasoning for looking closely at this film in particular is because the story and characters are similar to our initial idea. With our main character being a young girl who is taught magic, Kiki is a strong influence to study, with her cat Jiji also being an inspiration for the 'spirit guardians' in our game.

Narrative
The story of Kiki's Delivery Service starts with a young girl living with her magical family. As she turns 13, she must travel on her own to a town which hasn't got a witch living there. Kiki has to make a living and earn money by using her magic, and with the help of some nice people, she begins a delivery service, using her broom to deliver packages to people around the town. With the help of her talking cat, the delivery service is a success, however Kiki starts to lose her powers, and can no longer fly or talk to Jiji. After some help, Kiki regains her powers, and her delivery service ends up being a success. The story behind this film is very simple, however it has a strong impact on the viewer as they have empathy for Kiki. The use of characters is key in this film, as the audience gains a connection with the characters and wants them to succeed. With the mixture of magic and real-life, and a young girls quest to make it on her own, this narrative shows similarities to my narrative idea. The narrative in Kiki's Delivery Service is a key influence and inspiration for the narrative in our game.

Character Design
The characters in Kiki's Delivery service are unique and very influential on my designs. First of all, the main character, Kiki, is a 13 year old girl. This is around the age group we are designed our main character, also being female. Kiki's design is very simple, she wears plain dresses, with short hair and a red bow. The black dress she wears for the majority of the film, connotes a witch, emphasizing her role in the story. The simple design of Kiki is effective as it also gives her character, with the use of red.

The other character who inspired me in this film is Kiki's cat. Jiji. This cat is full of personality, and his design portrays him as cute and loveable. In terms of influence, I am looking closely at Jiji in terms of companionship. Looking for influences on our 'spirit guardians', Jiji is a small, but characteristic animal who plays a large role in this film. With his large ears, and big eyes, Jiji is a strong influence for my designs.