Korea & Animation

SICAF 2008 - The 12th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival

2008-05-23T11:16:00.002+09:00

Quick Update: If you have time this weekend, check out the 12th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF 2008).

Here are some useful links:

It's located at SETEC, a convention center a short walking distance from Hangnyeoul station, on Seoul subway line #3.

I plan to attend on Saturday, and this post will turn to a recap of the festival (with pictures). Stay tuned!

The Realistic Human Look

2008-04-20T22:09:00.011+09:00

It's time for the humans.
Collections of pigs, rats, sea creatures, and other trade characters have been featured on Korea & Animation. Now, it's the humans' turn. Specifically, realistic human characters.

There's an aesthetic in Korean advertising and trade character design that calls for realistic looking human characters. This "realistic human look" features humans who aren't very cartoon-like, but aren't completely photo realistic either. That dermatologist/urologist above must be based on a real doctor, right? He seems too imperfect to be fabricated.

Here's another doctor. The realistic human look is employed often with doctors. Maybe because it's important to display authority. Authority would be lost if the character design was goofy looking or overly cute.

Using these characters presents a friendly face and the realistic human look establishes that this face belongs to a real person.

Of course, that real person has blemishes and imperfections that are glossed over by this aesthetic. The face of a real doctor on an advertisement could be a little jarring and make the message less appealing.

This pizza place trade character is more realistic than the doctors. Maybe too realistic. Kim Sung Rae must be a real person who this pizza place is named after.

Here's a trade character featured at a popular kimbab restaurant. She seems friendly and familiar, like the kind of woman you'd meet working at any given kimbab place.

Here's another restaurant's realistic trade character. Of course, he's giving the thumbs up, which is a ubiquitous gesture for trade characters regardless of species.

Don't you feel like you know this guy? He seems awfully familiar. A little like your wild co-worker isn't he?

Since he's the trade character for a chicken and hof place, his face needs to communicate the fun you'll have after a long week at work.

A fun part of the realistic human look is that the body doesn't need to follow the rules of the head. Whereas the head is mostly realistic, the body can be unrealistically scrunched up so that it fits into the overall design.

Here's where this aesthetic gets really fun. Realistic humans can be paired up with unrealistic animals. Even if a little strange, that's really squeezing the best out of all aspects of character design. Imagine how more strange it would be if that octopus was designed to look realistic!

Rat in Hanbok

2008-04-10T21:51:00.008+09:00

Here's a rat wearing hanbok.
Happy, rosey cheeked, and not a care in the world!

Here's a rat NOT wearing hanbok. Oh my! What a difference!

Which of these rats do you think got the better advertising gig? Rats are in hot demand this year, being that it's Year of the Rat.

The rat wearing hanbok must have a better agent. He gets to wear hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, usually only worn on special occasions. He gets to wear it out in the nice open air.

This poor rat is forced into a dimly lit subway station with nothing to wear at all! He really should talk to his agent.

Thirsty Thirsty Hippos

2008-04-09T22:29:00.014+09:00

Hippos make great trade characters!

Oxy, a maker of household products in Korea, has a "Hippo" line of products to help you manage funky smells, humidity, and even moths in your household.

What a perfect decision to use happy hippos for this brand of products! The image of hippos as fat aquatic animals with endless appetites carries over well to this line of products. The above hippo image is used on the odor eating products. But, do you think this hippo seems to be sucking up odors or has ice breath?

The above product's name means "Odor Eating Hippo". The squishy bubbly beads of this product pair up naturally with the hippo. Don't you find this product quite appealing?

The hippos can be easily changed to match the "flavor" of the odor eaters.

In this Hamaroid product, the hippo is dressed as a scientific academic. Who better to guard your precious clothes from moths than a hippo who has done its research!

Here the hippo has put all pretense behind and is downright ready to fight off those pesky moths!

This is The Thirsty Hippo product. It sucks water right out of your room! Look closely at how it sucks the water right into its own legs.

Cuteness also makes hippos great trade characters for products. These air fresheners use the hippo characters to brand themselves. Oxy's hippos really stand out and are a lot of fun.

Here's a comparison. These Air Wick products use a woman's face rather than cartoon hippos. Don't you think this brings a whole different meaning to the product?

Best of March

2008-04-04T01:21:00.004+09:00

March was a dry month on this blog. Sorry, loyal readers, for not entertaining you better. These two posts are the best of March. Click an image or link below to go to the post.

Learn what you can and cannot do while on the subways of Seoul. These advertising campaigns approach subway etiquette with funny cartoons.

Korean Teletubbies? Hutos: The Flying House is a new show for preschoolers that shares a lot in common with the Teletubbies. But does it share too much? And is that a bad thing? Check it out and then weigh in your opinion.

Goal for April: complete 15 posts. Thanks to all you readers and an extra thanks to those of you who leave comments and email interesting questions. More will come soon!

Friendly Graffiti

2008-03-18T23:37:00.002+09:00

Graffiti in Korea is rare. The graffiti that does exist is quite friendly.Hello. My nostrils are handles!!!!
I think these two green ones above must be by the same person.

What a motley crew! From left to right: bunny rabbit, Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th (?), Marge Simpson, Homer Simpson, and a happy tree stump (?).

Good morning, pedestrian!

Since graffiti is not a common part of Korean culture, not even in Seoul, there are not many examples to share. Hope you enjoyed these friendly ones.

Hutos - The Flying House

2008-03-11T23:10:00.012+09:00

What do you think?Hutos - The Flying House is a new show made for preschoolers. It is made here in Korea and broadcast on KBS. This subway advertisement showcases the main characters. Do these characters strike you as very similar to another international hit show for preschoolers?Here's an abstraction of the main characters into basic shapes and colors. Don't they seem awfully familiar to you? Tell me what you think in the comments sections. I'll add more about Hutos to this post later.

UPDATE (March 15th, 2008): The similarities between Hutos and Teletubbies are not coincidental. Hutos is intended as the 'Korean Teletubbies'.The first obvious similarity is the character design. The characters are very similar colors as well as other design elements. The second similarity is in the structure of the show. It is undeniably like the Teletubbies. It is set in a beautiful nature reserve and they live in similar eco-friendly structures. The previews for this show even feature the characters posing in the same ways as Teletubbies and speaking baby talk as Teletubbies do. Although, in the actual show, a major difference is that the characters speak full sentences in Korean. And a further difference is that the show features music videos and animated segments (not beaming from their bellies).

Do you think that modeling Hutos so closely off of Teletubbies is a good idea? Here are some possible pros and cons:

Pros:

Teletubbies is a proven international success, so Hutos need not reinvent the wheel.
The similarities between the two shows helps audiences (parents) and global investors know exactly what to expect from this property.
Teletubbies rip-off or not, at least a Korean television program is gaining international interest. And anyways, nothing is ever completely original and it's not EXACTLY like Teletubbies.

Cons:

People may criticize Hutos as a blatant rip-off.
Is there a need for a Korean Teletubbies? There already is Teletubbies, so why bother with Hutos?
With all the financial backing for Hutos, the lack of originality is a missed opportunity for Korean talent to truly shine.

Hutos is a cute show that will likely have success on its own merits. The show looks beautiful. And, the heavy marketing can't hurt it either. However, will the Teletubbies similarities hurt or harm it? And what does Hutos reveal about the state of the Korean animation industry? Please share your thoughts.

Here are some links I found useful while researching this that you may too:

What's On Your Desk? Park Min Sun UPGRADE!

2008-03-10T23:27:00.022+09:00

It's time for another 'What's On Your Desk?'!

This time we revisit Park Min Sun.

Min Sun's upgraded his desk toys since our last visit with him. Apparently, his Disney and Keroro figures have been wiped out by Captain Harlock and his fleet of space ships.

Captain Harlock is the debonair star of a Japanese animation of the same name. The space ships from this anime are intricately designed.

Here's ship 1:

Here's ship 2:

Here's ship 3:

Lastly, here's a crazy bird:

Min Sun is currently the technical director on an animation that deals with the open seas. So his Captain Harlock models make perfect reference materials. Hmmm . . . I wonder what happened to his other desk toys?

Links:

New Links: Useful Korean Animation Stuff +More!

2008-03-05T23:30:00.007+09:00

I was walking through a snowy mountain when . . .Squirrel: Psssssst! Aren't you Midodok?
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Midodok: Yeah.
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Squirrel: I've been visiting your blog. It's okay. But I wanna see more stuff done by Korean animators. Whaddya say?
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Midodok: Sure, how about I put up some links to friends and co-workers of mine? You can visit the artist Skitsch's sketch blog. She's got a lot to say and drawings to share. Or you can visit Park Min's Naver blog. He posts his animation work sometimes and does it with a lot of style. Or how about Studio Moziri? They create cute and funny animations for you to watch online. Check it out!
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Squirrel: Wohoo! Thanks a lot!

Woodpecker: Tk tk tk tk tkkk. It's not enough! It's not enough!

Midodok: Huh?.

Woodpecker: You don't post enough on this blog! I want more, more , MORE!! Tk tk tk tkkkk.

Midodok: Sorry. I do my best!

Woodpecker: It's not enough! Tk tk tk tk tk.

Midodok: Well, there is this website hosted by the Korean Culture and Content Agency (KOCCA). They've got a wealth of information about Korean animation, comics, characters, video games, edutainment and more! I think it could be of great use to people interested in Korean creative content. I should visit that website more often myself.

Woodpecker: Thanks, I guess. Tk tk.

Bees: Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz. Bah! Who cares about Korean animation!? We want to read about Korean movies. And sometimes music. Not animation!
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Midodok: Sheesh! You mountain animals are asking for so much today!
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Bees: Bzzzzzzzz.
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Midodok: Okay, there is this blog called Korea Pop Wars by Mark Russell. He covers Korean movies and music in a professional manner. You bees would dig it.
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Bees: Why thank you!

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All the new links discussed here have been permanently posted on the right side of this blog. I hope they are useful to you. Check them out!

You Can't Do That On The Subway!

2008-03-03T00:38:00.000+09:00

Seoul has a magnificent public transportation system: the subway. With so many people riding the subway daily, simple rules need to be set to assure the comfort of all passengers.

What better way to communicate these rules than through cartoons? Cartoons can lay down the law of the subway without coming across as being overly harsh. They also aren't boring.

The following images come from four campaigns using cartoons to teach subway passengers common courtesy.

Campaign 1:

These images are taken from various public service announcements placed on the subway.

This guy looks like he enjoys causing others discomfort. How rude!

I feel sorry for this poor big guy. Maybe it's not his fault he's bow-legged and has to sit like that.

Yikes! I hope this image doesn't plant any bad ideas in anyone's head.

This campaign proudly brought to you by KORAIL.

Campaign 2:

This public service announcement was placed on the wall of the subway station.

Here's a closer look.

This simple message brought to you by Seoul Metro.

Campaign 3:
This poster was displayed on a subway station wall. Here are closer views of what's on them:

The subway station man in the last three images seems to really dislike confrontation.

This campaign humbly brought to you by Seoul Metro.

Campaign 4:
This large illuminated display was also placed within the subway station.

Check out the zigzag line being used to represent yakking.

This last campaign brought to you by Seoul Metro. Peace out!

Which of the four campaigns do you like best?

I pick Campaign 1. Why? First of all, the cartoon characters effectively convey the intended message. Unlike Campaign 4, they aren't drawn so loosely that they lose their believability as living characters. And unlike Campaign 3, they aren't drawn so rigidly that they are trapped in a limited range of emotions. When I see these characters, I know exactly what they are feeling and what I'm not supposed to be doing on the subway. Second of all, the layout of the images are really good. The images read easily from a distance. The layout in Campaign 2 seems cluttered and a bit confusing. I think the artist behind Campaign 1 is excellent!

What do you think?

Best of February

2008-03-01T00:02:00.001+09:00

February was short and sweet. I'm really proud of some of this month's posts. I really appreciate all of you who've already given them a look. And all of those of you haven't, go check them out now! (Just click a pic.) Here they are:

Take a peak at some rare souvenir buttons from the North Korean city of Kaesong.

Learn about Studio Moziri. Read an interview with the small yet creative team behind some cute animations. You can watch their Valentine's Day animation, too.

Take a stroll through a collection of the sugary cereal box covers of Korea.

Guest Post! Read the first guest post to be featured on this blog. It's by Alex Powell, an expert on Korean animation, who ranks the top 5 most wanted Korean toys for us. Definitely worth a read!

Thanks again to all you readers out there. If you have any suggestions for things you'd like to see posted here, please let me know. And those of you who have already given suggestions, please stay posted, I haven't forgotten and I'm still working on those.

Skitsch Started a Sketch Blog!

2008-02-27T21:01:00.005+09:00

Check out this great drawing by Skitsch:Skitsch drew this specifically to share with you on her new sketch blog.

Who is Skitsch you ask? You can learn a little about her by reading this Korea & Animation interview where she discusses her life as an inbetweener in the Korean animation industry. Or you can learn even more about her by checking out the drawn self introduction she posted over at her own blog.

Skitsch is digging up old drawings as well as creating new ones to share with the world. Sometimes she even shows her drawing process with us. Who knows what the future of her blog may hold? I say we all encourage her by leaving lots of comments!

Visit her now at: http://skitschbook.blogspot.com

GUEST POST: Top 5 Most Wanted Korean Toys

2008-02-25T22:33:00.002+09:00

In the world of Korean toy collecting, there is a hierarchy or a most desired list. What’s that you say? "I didn’t even know there were Korean toy collectors let alone desirable Korean toys!" Well, desirability does depend entirely on personal taste, but rest assured, South Korean manufacturers have made some really bright and fantastical plastic eye-candy over the years.

Yeah, that’s right. We’re talking plastic. Macho robo-plastic. Many hardcore toy collectors can only get excited over die cast stuff, and that usually means the Japanese made toys, but I think the plastic stuff that came out of South Korea during the ‘pali-pali’ (rush-rush or hurry-hurry) development period from the 70’s to the early 90’s tells far more stories and is infinitely more revealing.

Archaeologists love finding toys from bygone civilizations because the toys can reveal much. The more advanced and technological the toy, the more advanced the society and culture. When it comes to toys from the 'pali-pali era', we’re looking at an old culture embracing the new by leaping into the industrial era. You’re also glimpsing South Korea’s first efforts at embracing the technological. Heck, might sound like bunk to read this, but you gotta remember that Samsung is now the worlds biggest electronic consumer goods maker after knocking Sony from that spot in 2006. South Korea’s economic miracle is mirrored in its animation industry and the history of Korean animation is mirrored in its toys. Okay, don’t wanna bore you too much.

For now, let’s focus on some of the most desirable toys ever made in South Korea. Feel free to disagree and argue the merits of one over another if you want.

TOP 5 MOST WANTED KOREAN TOYS:

5. Superman Knock-Off. Coming in at number 5 on the list, I place the great knock-off of Superman made by the Hyundai Tongsan Company. Now, Hyundai Tongsan were great in that they made the most lavish and oversized boxes for what were often, somewhat larger than normal toys--these guys here come in at around 45cm in height. Hyundai Tongsan, with their stolen image of either Duey or Luey (the green hatted one), made bootlegs of just about anything South Korean kids were watching which really adds to their desirability. Heck, I’d rather have a badboy bootleg than some sterile approved toy merchandise any day.

Superman and Atom

There were three characters in this series (Atom, Ultraman and Superman) and the Ultraman is still to be found on the shelves of some Moombangoo (toy store/stationary stores) in the outer provinces. The thing that makes them so desirable is that they were the same body mould with different heads/color scheme applied to each figure. This meant that things didn’t fit--so Atom (or Astroboy if you wish) has feet, a huge round melon head and a bulging groin! The superman is arguably the rarest because for some reason the plastic quality on the Supermen was very poor and they crumble to bits in the box.

4. Taekwon V 90: jumbo sized with all the extras. This toy is really quite desirable and has lured a few collectors of Japanese toys over just because of the many parts that it came with. I sold a few of these a few years back for around U.S. $300 each but I’d bet they would fetch quite a bit more now as I recently parted with this smaller version pictured here for the same price.

Robot Taekwon V 90

Taekwon V is arguably the most important Korean cartoon character ever created and while this robot is a latter version from around 1990, anything to do with the Taekwon V series of films is incredibly collectable and desirable within South Korea.

King of the Kings

3. King of the Kings. One of only 4 Jumbo Machinders known to have ever been made in South Korea (yes, there is a variant of this guy and then there’s the Go Lion). What makes this guy desirable is that he has Taekwon V styled horns/helmet slapped onto a Japanese styled God Sigma robot character toy. Current estimates value him at around $600 U.S. – that’s about $10 per centimeter in height.2. Super Taekwon V (pink box). Whew, hold your breath here, because you won’t believe what the last one of these was listed at on Korean ebay--a staggering 5 million Won --approximately 5K U.S.! Yep, granted the toy collecting community screamed that the seller was ‘pabo’ (fool), and other colorful phrases denoting he was living in a dreamland, but these have definitely sold before for around the 2 million won mark. Why? Once again it goes back to being a Taekwon V toy. Anything Taekwon V or Wooroemae in South Korea is collectable and with this, you’re looking at one of the first official toys of Taekwon V ever made. Taekwon V mania was absolutely huge in the late 70’s in South Korea and the mania continues to this day.Unfortunately, I’ve lost the picture of the pink box Super Taekwon V toy. This Super Taekwon V toy is from the same era and approaching the same price now. This picture is from recent gallery display in London/New York hosted by the Korea Society.

1. Korean made Jumbo Machinder circa 1975-76. The great lost treasure--heck, it’s so rare I wouldn’t dare even suggest a price. Nobody has seen one of these since the 1970’s.It stands at 65cm tall and is really a knock off Grandizer character, but heck, only one hardcore Taekwon V fan in Seoul claims to have owned one of these as a kid--he showed me a picture of him and his Taekwon V bicycle from when he was about 8 years old in Seoul in 76 and he then explained that he owned this jumbo toy as a child as well. I heard another Korean toy collector sigh under his breath after viewing the picture of said collector with original Taekwon V bicycle, words to the effect of ‘he was spoilt.’

Guest Post by: Alex Powell

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Midodok: I would like to thank Alex for contributing the very first guest post here on Korea & Animation. Alex is an avid collector of Korean animation memorabilia and really knows his stuff! He is also a frequent commenter here who often leaves very insightful contributions in the comments section (check them out!).

Sugary Cereal Characters Gallery

2008-02-23T23:19:00.002+09:00

Welcome, dear patron, to the Sugary Cereal Characters Gallery in Seoul. Let me guide you through our fine collection of cereal boxes.

Froot Ring

Breakfast cereal is not a major staple of Korean breakfasts. The breakfast cereals movement has its roots in the United States of America. As such, many of the pieces in our gallery borrow from the work of artists abroad. The brightly colored piece above is such an example.

Coco Pops

This piece is more conservative in its use of color than the previous. It utilizes mostly warm earthtones. This is likely to invoke a chocolately aesthetic.

Oreo O's

Notice how typography dominates this piece heavily. This is quite rare. Unlike other pieces, the words "Oreo O's" are emphasized boldly while the trade character almost goes unnoticed.

Here we have allowed you to see a close up of the cartoon character. The character is likely meant to represent the white substance in Oreo cookies. It is a wonder that the artist chose to de-emphasize such a scrumptious substance.

Corn Frost: Light Sugar

Here we see a reinterpretation of the original Corn Frost piece. The bland white background and subtle pose of the trade character align with the conservative restrictions of the Light Sugar aesthetic. Why don't we take a look at the original Corn Frost design?

Corn Frost

POW! Unrestricted by the confines of the Light Sugar aesthetic, this box design is really allowed to pop! Through a bright blue background and Tony the Tiger in the pose he was truly born for, the viewer can only be convinced that this original is superior. However, if you look closely at the bowls of cereal in both pieces, you'll notice that they are identical.

Corn Flate

We now move on past the American breakfast cereal boxes and into our local collection. These pieces build upon the work of American cereal box artists.

We have created this East vs. West comparison for you. The similarities are striking. Are the Korean artists truly building upon what the American artists have created? Or is their work merely derivative? In either case, the American influence is evident. Look closely and you will notice that the American tiger has his name "Tony" written in Korean hangeul on his bandana. The Korean lion "Flion" has his name written in a cursive English variant of Latin on his soccer jersey. We take this as evidence that both artists must have respected each other's work and cultures.

Corn Flate: Sugar Light

Notice how Korean artists resist the blandness of the Sugar Light aesthetic in the piece above. Rather than blandness, they utilize symbols of the upper atmosphere to represent lightness.

Choco Flakes

Here's a Korean example of a chocolatey aesthetic.

Starberry

Our Starberry piece is an exquisite example of a brightly colored cereal box. It reveals the society it was created in. This robot-like trade character reflects the fascination with robots in Korea. It shows the hopes for robots to make life faster, easier, and even more tasty.

Choco Ball

Alas, the world of cereal box art is not free of commerce in Korea. Here we see the beloved animated character, Dooly, being used to generate profit. In the piece above, he is donning wizarding garb and attempting to make Choco Ball appear healthier than it actually may be. However, does this Dooly commercial tie-in automatically prevent the piece from being considered art? I personally do not believe so.

If you pay very close attention to the Choco Ball piece, you'll notice the little girl hanging off the side of the bowl. Her expression merits great attention. Notice the artist's choice to give her only three teeth. This choice, in combination with the rest of her expression, makes her look somewhat crazed. She looks as if she is mesmerized by Choco Ball and must eat the cereal now. I believe the "three tooth design" should become the standard symbol for representing a character's voracious and urgent appetite. Commercial or not, this "three tooth design" is truly a contribution to the breakfast cereal art world.

Chex Choco Crunch

The late development of breakfast cereals in Korea allowed them to arise within a highly advanced technological infrastructure. This allowed for the possibility of new kinds of trade characters. Trade characters not restricted by their two dimensional counterparts. Above you will see two computer generated trade characters created for Chex Choco Crunch. These CG trade characters can easily be reused within the Chex Choco brand.

Chex Choco 1

Some could argue that the use of 3-Dimensional trade characters is a sign of the dying of an artform--that a little part of the soul in these characters is lost. Others argue that a medium is just a medium--2D or 3D. I personally agree with the latter. After all, the above piece illustrates that trade characters are still being used in the traditional ways they always have been: smiling, giving a thumbs up, and pushing their product. The method of doing this irrelevant.

Chex Choco 2

Here, however, we see that CG characters are being used in new ways. Ways not attempted previously. Perhaps the artist intended this character to look excited. Yet, one reading could be that it is actually quite scared, perhaps putting its arms up for the police siren. It is easy to imagine it reacting to a small explosion.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Choco Chex character. The character on the right is traditional and conservative--giving the ubiquitous thumbs up. The character on the left looks either very excited, very scared, or both. It is a new expression in this artform. The character on the left represents a break from tradition. Perhaps even a new direction for cereal box art. Time will only tell what the future of cereal box art in Korea will hold. Hopefully, the future holds more unique and clever pieces to take the artform to new places.

Thanks for visiting the Sugary Cereal Characters gallery in Seoul. Please visit a gallery (i.e. super market) near you!

Interview at Studio Moziri

2008-02-21T00:02:00.010+09:00

Interview at Studio Moziri
Studio Moziri is grand.

In reality, it's quite small. Studio Moziri consist of only a few people. Their office is located on the first floor of a humble street near Namguro Station in Seoul. They have a couple computers, a bunch of books, a light box, and a small plant. Still, Studio Moziri is grand.

During the day, Kim Yong Chan works as a director at a major animation studio in Seoul. During the night, your likely to find him at the studio he started in October 2006. You may also run into Yun Ga Ram there. She's both Director Kim's apprentice and creative partner.

Director Kim is a tall, kind man who some say looks like actor Nicholas Cage. I was interested in learning more about Studio Moziri. So, one night, he let me join him at the studio for an interview.

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Midodok: Why did you decide to start Studio Moziri.

Director Kim: The number one reason is that I want to play. My brain needs to play. So this is my free place to play. The company that I work at during the day is not free because I must make their story. But, this space is free. Ga Ram is free. Our emotions are free. Our plans are free. Anytime, anyday. We might chat about story ideas or eat or watch movies. It is not a job, just art playing.

Take a look at the new PipMan & PipGirl Valentine's Day cartoon created by Studio Moziri.

Director Kim: But we do need some resulting object and that is our digital stories. We can change the world through digital stories. Or people's minds. Why digital stories? We use a digital medium but the story is perfect analog.

Midodok: Huh? I don't get it. Can you explain better?

Director Kim: For example, PipMan & PipGirl is an 18-byte story. So many people have cell phones, but some emotion is lost in this form of communication. People will make up for that lost emotion. What is the source? Text. If I send a text message, it doesn't indicate that you are smiling. But if you send a text smile, it lets me know that you are smiling. 8 byte emotion.

Midodok: Oh, I get it. So although your medium is digital, the emotions you create are real (analog).

Director Kim: Yes. Digital can be handy, simple or easy. The speed is fast. Good. But it has lost too much emotion. We find that emotion and put it into digital.

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At this point in the interview, Yun Ga Ram arrived at Studio Moziri after a long day of work. Director Kim had told me about Ga Ram's hopes to eventually study at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, the same university he attended. I was interested in learning more about Ga Ram's role at Studio Moziri and her own dreams. So, I briefly interrupted my interview with Director Kim to interview her.

Midodok: How did you get involved with Studio Moziri?

Ga Ram: I followed Director Kim Yong Chan, ha ha! Here I just get to do what I like to do. I'm not working here, but studying.

Midodok: What do you hope for Studio Moziri?

Ga Ram: I'm not thinking about that.

Midodok: What is your personal dream?

Ga Ram: I want to be a director!

Midodok: What will you study in Japan?

Ga Ram: Visual arts.

Midodok: What is your favorite animation?

Ga Ram: Bonobono.

Midodok: What kinds of animation would you like to produce?

Ga Ram: Fun stuff!

Midodok: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Ga Ram: I love PipMan & PipGirl, ha ha ha!

Midodok: Hmmmm, is there anything else I should ask?

Director Kim: How about what was difficult about directing the editing of PipMan & PipGirl?

Ga Ram: The first thing that was difficult was making their movements seem natural, even though they are just text. The second thing was the timing of the action. The third thing was deciding what PipMan & PipGirl's personality and emotions would be.

Midodok: What kinds of stuff do you do here at Studio Moziri besides PipMan & PipGirl?

Ga Ram: Drawing. I designed some characters. And some story writing and planning.

Midodok: Thank You!

Ga Ram then brought out some tangerines, took some pictures of me interviewing Director Kim, and then went to her computer to work. Later in the night, her gal pal joined her and the two of them started creating a mashup video of a girl dancing to funny music.

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Now, back to the interview with Director Kim:

Midodok: What's your hope for Studio Moziri?

Director Kim: It's too difficult. We shouldn't be thinking about that yet. I just want our freedom and our creativity to continue so we'll make art. I just want to continue. Continue making film or taking pictures. I don't want to be trapped by a position or title. I just want to have a method of expression.

Director Kim: I also want to encourage Ga Ram to become an artist and be creative. Her creation is important. There are so many people in Korea that are just drawing like engineers, but I want Ga Ram to be a creator. Me, too. Then, Moziri will have some stories and continue creating.

Midodok: By the way, what does the name Moziri mean?

Director Kim: It means "a fool" in Korean. We are not perfect. But together we are perfect. That is the meaning.

Midodok: Do you plan to create more PipMan & PipGirl animations?

Director Kim: Yes, sure.

Midodok: What else do you do here at Studio Moziri?

Director Kim: We have created short stories, dramas, short films, and movies. We plan cartoons, books . . .

Midodok: So you guys just create and create. How do choose decide what to create?

Director Kim: I can find ideas by just talking with other people. Like right now, we are talking about PipMan & PipGirl and I might get an idea from this conversation. Human life makes too many stories, but maybe everybody doesn't know how to make this into stories. I know how to use media to make an expression of these stories. It's too easy, just listen and look. Sometimes I tell Ga Ram, you can just walk in the street and you must find a creative kind of new story there.

Midodok: It seems so easy and natural.

Director Kim: Yeah. I think we have so many stories. There are so many people that have so many ideas, but they don't know how to explain the idea. What we do is plan how to explain that image.

Midodok: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Director Kim: One thing I'd like to add is that many people don't want to create animation because it seems too difficult. But actually, it's too simple! Some people have this big view of animation, that you need key artists, storyboarders, etc. But actually, animation is just movement. That is so simple!

Midodok: Great, thank you for your time and sharing Studio Moziri with Korea & Animation!

Director Kim: Sure!

++++++++++++++++++

Director Kim has created a place where creativity rules. Where learning and experimentation are more important than worrying about financial profit. Where, unlike many service animation studios in Korea, creation occurs rather than production. Director Kim has found a way to express himself, entertain us with cute animations, continue learning and help others along the way. That is truly grand!

Check out the Studio Moziri website or the Studio Moziri channel at YouTube!

Boom Chiki Boom! in China

2008-02-17T23:43:00.001+09:00

Whoa! Déjà vu!Are they recording the voices for Boom Chiki Boom! again? That was already posted before on this blog, wasn't it?

Oh. Wait a second! They are speaking Mandarin, not English!

Aha! This is the recording session for the Chinese version of Boom Chiki Boom!. These young woman are recent graduates of acting school. And skill definitely shows! Their voice acting is excellent!

Adapting the Korean songs into Chinese can be really tough, but a little coaching can help with that.

Wow! This Beijing recording studio is much more spacious and fancy than the one in Seoul.

After a long day of recording, they get to review their work (that's the best character, A-do, on the monitor above).

Boom Chiki Boom! is a perfect example of OSMU, One Source Multiple Use. It's a CG animated show. A live-action costume television show. A stage show. And it is easily exportable into multiple languages. This Chinese Boom Chiki Boom! recording session shows how Korean content can reach a market larger than the Korean Peninsula alone.

Sitting in on this recording session also demonstrates how amazingly identical an experience can be, even if it occurs in two different countries. The exact same challenges faced both sets of recording sessions, such as the lyrics being too long for the music or confusion about certain animated parts in the script. Even the Chinese staff members had similar personalities and habits as their Korean counterparts!

Déjà vu is right!

North Korea Souvenir Buttons

2008-02-16T00:40:00.000+09:00

These are souvenir buttons from the North Korean city of Kaesong.
I thought you might appreciate seeing some North Korean design in practice.

I'm particularly fond of the color choice in this one above.

The central theme of these buttons is the reunification of North Korea and South Korea.

Although these buttons were purchased in Kaesong, their packaging indicates that they were originally from Pyongyang. Pyongyang and Kaesong are amongst the few North Korean cities open to foreign tourists, including South Koreans.

If you'd like to learn more about this recently started Kaesong tour, Dr. Edward Reed of the Asia Foundation has written an insightful write-up about it.

What are your thoughts?

ShinHan Touch Twin Markers

2008-02-12T23:13:00.000+09:00

Listen up, marker fiends!ShinHan Touch Twin Markers are the cheapest professional markers you can find here in Korea. Most likely because they are made here.

They come in a vast assortment of colors. You can buy various sized pre-arranged packs of colors. But everyone knows that the real fun is in picking out your own colors. If you don't know much about different colors, it's fun to just pick ones with names that you can easily learn. For example, pick food related colors: potato brown, lemon yellow, mint green, ice blue, fruit pink, chocolate.

They have two sides: one fine and the other broad.

These markers can often be spotted on the desks of Korean animation people. Storyboarder, Park Min uses bold colors in his storyboard work. He also uses them in his personal sketchbook. Here is a wonderful example borrowed from his blog.

You can easily find these markers in art supply or stationery stores in Korea. You can also find them at the Shinhan Art website.

Have you ever tried this marker out? What do you think?

By the way, there is actually a cheaper brand. Alpha Plus Twin Markers (pictured above) are an even older and cheaper Korean brand of markers you can find straggling around art stores sometimes. Unfortunately, their poorly designed caps can easily damage the marker tips. Too bad!

More About Podori

2008-02-11T22:35:00.000+09:00

Here's more about Podori, the New Police for the New Millenium!

Podori is the mascot for the Korean National Police Agency. He has been presented on Korea & Animation before. Here is what has been learned about him since then.

This sticker was placed by the Seoul Police Department inside of a subway station. Look very closely at the lower right-hand corner and you'll see the signature of Lee Hyeon Se. Lee, often upheld as the most famous comic book artist in Korea, apparently designed Podori.

Here are some close-ups, insights, and translations from that sticker:

It appears Podori can patrol Seoul apartments by flying around with a Doraemon-like helicopter cap. Here he is observing how careless Seoul citizens are.

Podori: Wow, they don't even bother identifying their guests before opening the door!

Podori: Milk and newspapers are stacked up outside. They must have been gone for a long time.

Podori: They don't turn off the light while out at night!

Podori is a very respondent police officer.

Podori: Freeze!

Crook: Oh! That was so fast!

Woman: Oh my! It's only 3 minutes after I reported this!

Podori isn't afraid to put troublemakers in their place.

Angry Wife: Beat him! Spank him harder! Because he's an alcoholic!

Upset Daughter: I hate my dad!

Sound Effects: Spank! Spank!

Watch out criminals, because Podori is watching you even more closely!

Podori: Big ears to better hear citizens.

Podori: Big eyes to better catch thieves with.

Crook: Argh! It's Podori!

And here's a treat. The other police mascot! Although, she isn't seen around as much as Podori. I wonder what her story is?

Chinese New Year of the Rat Characters

2008-02-04T16:33:00.000+09:00

The Lunar New Year is not only big in China, it's also big in Kore. . . .BZZZZZZZ........WHHHHHHIIIIRRRRR. ... . .. .

. . . .BZZZZZZ. . . . WHRRR.. . .

GRIMACE: Hiya! Grimace here from McDonald's in Beijing, China! Sorry to interupt your regularly scheduled Korea & Animation blog, but I wanted to wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year! I also wanted to show you how China's celebrating the Year of the Rat.

GRIMACE: Last year was a tough one. FRIES: Yeah, tell me about it!!!

GRIMACE: To welcome the New Year, we are decorating McDonald's with rat images.

GRIMACE: See how we decorated this mirror!

RONALD: Grimace!!! Don't forget to mention our promotional items!!!

GRIMACE: Oh yeah! Don't forget to pick up some of our special rat goods if you can. Maybe it's good luck?

GRIMACE: But we here at McDonald's aren't the only ones celebrating the Year of the Rat. All of China is! Here's a bunch of images of rat characters from China.

GRIMACE: The rat on the left is ready for the Summer Olympics!

GRIMACE: Hey, isn't that Minnie Mouse?

GRIMACE: Awwww, these are too cute!

GRIMACE: Welp, thanks for listening! Happy Chinese New Year of the Rat! This is Grimace from McDonald's in Beijing signing off!

Cute Short Animation by Studio Moziri

2008-02-01T22:15:00.000+09:00

Here's a little homegrown Korean animation for you:

Director Yong Chan Kim is really sad that his animation has barely any views on YouTube. So, he wanted to share it with all of you readers of this blog. He created this with the help of Technical Director, Park Min Sun.

You can learn more about his emoticon characters, Pip Man & Pip Girl, over at Director Kim's own blog, Moziri.com. Or you can view more of his animations over at YouTube.

The characters in this animation will be familiar to Korean handphone users. Emoticons are pushed wildly to their limits in text messages here. In fact, Director Kim's own niece may be the emoticon champion!

Enjoy! \(^ _ ^)/

Oh, by the way, Director Kim has promised us an interview so we can learn more about his work in a big animation studio (not his personal hobby, Studio Moziri). Feel free to send in your questions for this upcoming interview!

"SEND 'EM IN!" L(` 0 ` )

Best of January

2008-02-01T00:00:00.001+09:00

February is here! Here is some of the best Korea & Animation stuff from January:

Yup, that's poop. And in Korea, it's cute. Click here only if you dare to see more poop in cute form.

The Year of the Rat is near! February marks the Chinese New Year, which is a big holiday in Korea. Click here to see some rat cake advertisements which borrow heavily from animation. There is more about the Year of the Rat to come in February.

Boom Chiki Boom! is a good example of OSMU. Click here to learn more about OSMU and the Boom Chiki Boom! stage show. I will be writing about the Chinese expansion of Boom Chiki Boom! this month.

Thanks for reading and expect plenty more this month!

Matthew Forsythe Sketches You Might Dig

2008-01-30T23:40:00.000+09:00

Matt Forsythe, author of Ojingogo, has posted some traditional Korean related sketches you just might dig. Click on an image to visit his website and learn more about it.
Sheesh! Just look at that lazy bird hitching a ride on that overloaded A-frame! At Matt's blog, you can look at the process he took to ink this detailed drawing.

This more quick and simple one is his Hanbok sketch. It's a warm up sketch for his upcoming Ojingogo book posted about previously on this blog.

Pots of kimchi, hanbok, the artist's signature in hangul--and that's just in these couple of drawings! If you like these Korean inspired sketches, maybe you'll enjoy a visit to Matthew Forsythe's website. You can just dig around there for a long time and find all sorts of fun stuff (sometimes delightfully Korea related).

Subway Station Pixelation

2008-01-29T22:58:00.001+09:00

Here's some subway station pixelation for you!

Seoul has amazing public transportation. The vast subway system alone is a marvel. If you spend enough time in Seoul, you'll learn that each subway station is unique. Many subway stations are enriched with art. Sometimes, the ever present tiles used in Korean subways are arranged to make pixelated imagery.

Here's a close up look at the first image. See how this cartoon tiger is made up of small colored square tiles? This results in a very 8-bit look, doesn't it? I think that's what makes it so appealing.

These images of Hodori, the 1988 Olympic Mascot for Seoul (I'll write more about him later), are taken from the Dongdaemun Stadium station.

This next series of images is from the Yeouido subway station:
These horses and sheep create a mural that beautifully decorate a wall.

The mural is so wide that I had to break it down into slices. The very next image is the farthest slice to the left. As you scroll down, imagine you are looking from left to right at this mural.

I can't seem to remember which subway station the next series of images are from. These ones show historical Korean scenes.This is a close up of the lantern in the above picture with the women.

And this is a close up of the candle.

There is tons more stuff like this in Seoul subways. I've even seen abstract patterns using rectangular tiles. Of course, these are much better looking in person. So, if you ever get the chance, you should check these out.

Leaf On Head Disease: Cured!

2008-01-28T16:05:00.000+09:00

She has the cure!Kim Soo Youn, animator do-it-all at DNA Production Co., has the answer to this previously posted question: what does the leaf on a character's head represent? It turns out that a leaf on the head isn't a disease. Soo Youn confirms that it is a sign that the creature is magical.

She points out that the Japanese character Totoro (pictured above in Beijing) has this leaf on his head. Also, these magical characters can often shape shift. That makes perfect sense! The leaf works as a marker of their magical abilities as well as help the viewer keep track of the character as they shape shift. And it looks cool, too.

Question answered!

Are there any other symbols in animation like this that confuse you, too?

Be Back on the 28th! +Sneak Peek

2008-01-19T12:03:00.000+09:00

I'll be back to post more the 28th of this month. I hope you come back! In the meantime, here is a special sneak peek:
This bad little granny is one of my favorite characters from an upcoming project I'm working on. I wanted to share her with you. I will reveal more about this project later.

For all of you newcomers to this blog, here is the best of this blog so far:

Best of Korea & Animation

By the way, some of you have emailed interesting questions you have about Korean animation that I'll try to answer on here. Feel free to continue sending those questions in!

Thanks, and see you on the 28th!

Cover Your Sleeves and More!

2008-01-17T01:30:00.000+09:00

What's that you've got on your arms, Jeong Eun?
Aha! You are covering your nice long sleeve shirt. I guess your job as key animator can get pretty messy. Those sleeve covers sure must come in handy!

I bought a pair of those on the street. I guess I've been using them wrong.

I guess they are not fashionable leg warmers.

Or milk jug cosies either.

They sure worked well as tangerine dispensers.

And they really did spruce up that battery-powered dancing toy that got kind of boring.

I guess you can use them however you want. I wonder how people in other parts of the world use them?

Quick Skitsch Sketch

2008-01-15T00:02:00.001+09:00

From the hand of Skitsch. . .comes a sketch. . .

of a fish with underarm hair! Or should it be called underfin hair?

Skitsch is trying to hide behind her sketchbook, but you can easily see her face in a past interview with her about her inbetweening work.

Poop is Cute (in Korea)

2008-01-11T22:50:00.000+09:00

Warning: You may find this gross!
Did you know that poop is cute in Korea? It's true. Poop is typically represented in a cute way, like this giant one pictured above. This poop was part of a poop booth in front of Seoul City Hall. The booth even had poop costumes little kids could put on.

The cuteness of poop in Korean culture just goes to show the power of representation. Poop is typically drawn like the swirl above, sort of like the chocolate ice cream on a cone. However, it's not always this chocolate brown color.

Gold is a very common poop color. And speckles aren't unheard of either. Poop can be represented in all sorts of fashions.

Poop has even made its way into consumer culture. These products feature a character with a copper poop on his head. His name is Dongchimee (click if you are brave) from the Dalki product line. And he's just one of many poop-related products. There are books about poop, foam poop on a stick, poop stamps, poop banks and so on and so on. I'll collect more images and do a future post about this.

Perhaps it's the combination of grossness and cuteness that give poop its appeal. I think it stems from the early cutified illustrations. What is poop in your culture: cute, funny, gross?

Year of the Rat Cake

2008-01-10T22:22:00.000+09:00

Animation matters. Animation shapes our lives and culture. Apparently, it influences our Chinese New Year cakes, too.2008 is the Year of the Rat on the Chinese calendar. Crown Bakery, a bakery franchise in Korea, has created the "Crown Mickey" to celebrate the New Year. There is Disney influence all over this cake.

Firstly, the name "Crown Mickey" directly refers to the worlds most famous mouse. Secondly, the design of the rat on the cake must be inspired by the Pixar film Ratatouille. Don't you agree?
Here is the the neatest Disney influence. The cake advertisement features a young woman done up as Minnie Mouse.

The Crown Mickey cake and it's advertisement draw heavily on Disney animation for inspiration. It proves that animation influences how we live, even if only in a small way. In this case, the cake we eat for the Chinese New Year.

Update (January 15th, 2007): Whoa! Here is a very similar advertisement from Paris Baguette, a chief rival of Crown Bakery. I wonder which advertisement came first?

Boom Chiki Boom! on Stage

2008-01-09T20:58:00.000+09:00

Boom Chiki Boom!!!!Are you familiar with OSMU? It's an acronym for One Source Multi Use which is currently a buzzword in Korean business. Boom Chiki Boom! is a good example of OSMU.

Boom Chiki Boom! is a preschool program that encourages kids to dance and interact with the characters on screen. It promotes activity and health. Boom Chiki Boom! is used in many ways. It is a computer generated program as seen in the poster above.

It is also a live-action show featuring actors in costumes. It is also a stage show performed for a live audience as seen above. Boom Chiki Boom! translates quite easily from screen to stage. The same costumes and performers can be used, after all.

The sets and props are recycled for the stage show as well.

For example, this pig speaker from the original set is used for this stage show. In fact, it can also be found rendered in the computer generated show.

This gold pig couch seemed irresistible and kids kept defiantly trying to sit in it without permission. One kid succeeded. And I think an adult tried, too!

The stage show reuses the script and audio from the live-action costume show. The only major difference is these two hosts above. They exist solely in the stage show. They help make the performance more interactive and also to give the costumed performers some breaks inbetween "episodes".

The hosts had lots of energy and made the audience really feel involved.

In a segment about balls, they bounced a big red ball around the audience. They also passed out small plastic balls to everybody.

In a segment about paper, they spread giant sheets of paper over the audience. Then everybody was encouraged to shred it to pieces. They didn't have to tell the kids twice!

All that interactivity sure can leave a mess!

The only element that doesn't translate well from the screen to stage is A-Do. A-Do is a mischevious puppet who is puppeteered by someone hidden behind the pig couch. Unlike the television show, the audience can't see A-Do closely via camera zooms. This takes away some of his edge and charm. It's a shame, too, since he's my favorite character.

Boom Chiki Boom! is a good example of creating a property and applying it many different ways. It's a young property, so I'm interested to see how it develops. I'm rooting for it since it is an original Korean property.

You can take a behind-the-scenes look at the English voice acting for Boom Chiki Boom! that I posted about previously.

Screaming Tomato!!!

2008-01-08T00:00:00.000+09:00

Do you see what I see? I noticed something in the background of yesterday's picture of these caps.
See it now?I can't help but see a screaming tomato when I look at this sign. Do you think that is an intentional design decision? I think the white part is supposed to represent glossiness, but it sure reminds me of a face.

What do you think?

Creature and Character Caps

2008-01-07T00:24:00.000+09:00

It is cold in Korea! It's a good thing these character and creature caps are a popular fashion trend brightening up the winter.These caps are most popular with kids who wear them while out and about. Every once in a while you can spot them on an adult, too.

The sheer variety of styles is impressive. It seems you can find a cap of almost any animal. Above I see: a koala, cats, tigers, a panda, bears, and a husky. Not pictured are countless other animals. I've even seen an insectoid cap!

And there are lots of cartoon character caps, too. Above are some Sanrio, Warner Bros. and Disney characters. I've seen a funny Santa Clause character cap as well.

I wonder if the use of these characters is even legal? I don't know, but isn't this off-model Mickey Mouse something?

It's nice for a fashion trend to enliven the winter. Is this fashion popular in your part of the world, too?

Best of December

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year!

December was much too slow a month here on Korea & Animation. That's okay, January is full of possibility. There is still lots of good stuff to come, including some stuff promised from the Best of November. Thank you very much for reading this blog! Feel free to give me your input!

Here is some of the best from December:

Learn about Pororo. Pororo the Little Penguin is currently one of the most successful Korean animations. I think it's because people just love penguins.

Toys R Us is in Korea. The first Toys R Us in Korea opened last month in Seoul. It is the biggest toy store in all of Korea, ever! A lot can be learned about children's media and culture by looking at the toys available to them. This post may seem cynical, which it kind of is, but don't get me wrong, Toys R Us is a lot of fun!

Bee different! Whoever designed this bee is thinking outside the box! We should be too!

Here's a guide to Korean names. Korean animation is made by Korean people. People are important. Learn how you can get their names right.

Thanks and enjoy!

The Striking Colors of Ellery Queen

2007-12-21T01:46:00.000+09:00

Who is that mysterious man of mystery?Or more importantly, who drew and colored him?

This mysterious book has been on my desk for over a year now. I'm not sure where it came from. What really interests me is the bold use of color.

Check out the book cover above. Nobody in real life comes in those colors. Nobody's eyebrows match their skin color. Yet the character makes perfect sense and doesn't seem wacky. The background also has colors that seem to fight each other. I find this cover incredibly striking, which is a good thing for a book cover to be.

By the way, I learned that the hero of this book is named Ellery Queen, a popular detective.

Here is another image of Ellery from inside the book. Here he is colored almost the same as before. In this rendition, his gold colored skin has been replaced by a peach color. I like the light blue and dark blue background colors.

Here he seems quite pale and his hair turned an orange color. His yellow eyebrows now match his shirt rather than his face. His eyes have become colorless and lost their luster. This coloring of Ellery seems to make him less forceful and more like just an ordinary guy.

This peached out drawing of Ellery isn't as refined as the rest. He seems weak and messy.

Here is black and white Ellery. This is how he looks throughout most of the book. Only parts of this book have drawings or short comics. The images serve to add action to the text. It's a cool format for a mystery novel that I wish was more common.

I did some research on this book. It was published in 1993. It was written by Ellery Queen, who is actually a fictional author and the story's hero created by these two cousins from Brooklyn, New York. However, I cannot figure out who drew the images for this Korean publication of this story. Was it a Korean artist? Japanese artist? U.S. artist? It's a mystery!

In any case, the book has stunning colors that make me want to learn more about this character I never knew about before. Do you find the colors exciting like me or are they just too crazy?

You can learn more about Ellery Queen here like I did:

Ellery Queen Wikipedia Article

Cartoon Character for President

2007-12-19T00:20:00.000+09:00

UPDATE (20 December 2007): Lee Myung Bak, Number 2, has been voted in as the next president of South Korea.

Today is the BIG day! Presidential election day in Korea!Banners like these are all over Seoul. Each presidential candidate has a unique identifying number 1 through 12. The general consensus is that Number 2, Lee Myung Bak, is almost certain to become the next president of Korea. Sorry number 8! But, will he best for the Korean animation industry? I don't think so.

I think Number 1, Chung Dong Young, will be better for the animation industry in Korea. Number 1 made a publicity visit to our animation studio last Friday. I guess this means he supports animation and the arts. All it personally meant to me was that I had to tidy up my desk for the cameras. . .

But watch out! Putting Number 1 to shame is Number 4, Lee In Je. Look at him zipping high in the sky as Number 1 cowers below.

What better for the Korean animation industry than having a cartoon character for president! Imagine how many jobs that will generate! His inauguration alone would require tons of background designers, layout artists, color specialists, story boarders, and so on. So, I say all animation people should vote for the one and only cartoon candidate. Just look how healthy and diligent he is.

Okay, I don't want to fool you. He's not really a cartoon character. Here is a real life picture of him. However, I think it is really cool that he used a cartoon representation of himself for his campaign. May the best man win!

2nd Dream of Winter at Gallery Artside

2007-12-17T21:23:00.000+09:00

The things I put myself through in the name of art!

This poor bear is stuffed in the front window of Gallery Artside in Insadong. It's part of the 2nd Dream of Winter exhibit running from December 12th through the 28th. If you happen to be near the Insadong area, it's worth a short visit.

The exhibit is small. It consists of pieces inspired by the dreams of childhood. My guess is if you like cartoons that you'll like this exhibit. It's sweet, simple, and free.

It features the following artists: Back Seung Woo, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Lim Taek, Noh Jun, and Yoon Byung Woon. Here is the gallery's introductory message to the exhibit:

With the coming of Christmas, this exhibition was planned to cherish
hopeful and happy dreams in childhood. To have a dream and to have an
ambition in childhood itself has significant meanings to it and we get
encouraged from parents or acquaintances. However, circumstances turn
around when we become an adult. We are not asked of our dreams
anymore when we become an adult. It is considered immature for an
adult to have a dream and we take cautions ourselves considering it as vain 'day
dream'. Especially, modern people are worn and tore in fierce
competition and are not allowed to have a dream anymore. With the coming
of Christmas, time when we spend time with the beloved families, we have
set opportunities for not only children but also adults to speak out their
dreams freely in the name of a '2nd day dream'. You,
standing here. What dreams do you have now?

If you go to this exhibit and find my recommendation was a sour one, I do not apologize for this. Why? Because next door to this exhibit is a small permanent robot museum and across the street is a nostalgia shop full of cartoon characters. Just check those out. Insadong is also full of other galleries, although they aren't as animated as this one.

Cartoon Couture

2007-12-14T01:18:00.000+09:00

Wow, Jerry! You look great!Cartoon characters and clothing often go hand in hand in Korea. Here are a couple sparkling examples:

Jerry Mouse

The Pink Panther

Our favorite cartoon characters can be found on all articles of clothing. They are made for women, like the two examples above, and they are made for men. I've even seen a sequined old-style Batman shirt once. They can appear on inexpensive items like socks. Or they can be quite expensive. I saw a luxury Snoopy sweater with an over 600,000 KRW price tag. If I see that again, I'll make sure to share it with you.

Does fashion in your part of the world feature cartoon heroes?

Fifteen Little Piggies

2007-12-13T00:10:00.000+09:00

Pork is a big part of the Korean diet. Many restaurants display pig characters to let you know what you can eat inside. There are all sorts of ways to represent pigs. This is a sample of around 15.

It's unlikely to see pigs represented as real-life pigs like these:

These boar designs are quite traditional.

This pig is a little cartoon like, but it's still more like a pig than a human.

You are much more likely to see pigs as cartoon characters. They stand on two legs, wear human clothes and even have their own personalities:

Many wear aprons or chef hats to underscore that they are delicious.

This one seems euphoric in its getup.

This one is lazy and cares nothing of formality. It skipped right passed getting dressed to impress and is wearing the pot it will be served in as a hat! And to top it off, it's sticking its tongue out at us!

Some dress in ways that suggest they will offer you excellent service. Especially if you are made of bamboo.

Pigs can be proudly patriotic.

This pigs seems humble and friendly in overalls. It's like the pig next door.

Sometimes pigs are paired with other food on the restaurant menu:

Pork and beef are an unbeatable team.

Even abstract pigs can team up with abstract cows.

They seem utterly bewildered by why the abstract humans are so happy.

This pig seems in total harmony with its fish friend. That is until . . . . . .
.

Oh no!

Pororo the Popular Little Penguin

2007-12-12T01:01:00.000+09:00

Theory: Penguins are irresistible.
Korea is a small country. That means a very limited audience. Therefore, a marker of success for an animated property is its ability to sell internationally. Pororo the Little Penguin is one such success story.Korean made characters are in a minority group in the local character goods market place. You are much more likely to see characters from the United States or Japan featured on both television and on products. The Korean characters that do exist are rarely ever anybody's favorites. However, Pororo is everywhere. He's on wristwatches, is a stuffed animal, even multiple bootleg DVD's are easy to find. There are over 400 Pororo based character goods. He's successful locally and he is exported to over 82 countries.

What has made Pororo stand out? One important thing is that people genuinely like him in the first place. But what is it about Pororo that stands out? Perhaps it's just his cute design. Or perhaps it is his adventures. Choi Jong Il, the CEO of the company that makes Pororo explains, "The secret of Pororo's long-running popularity may well be its empathy with today's children." (taken from the KOCCA website) Nothing seems super exceptional about the story to me. I do find the character designs appealing and the animation to look quite good (by the way, I learned at the Animation Museum that Pororo was co-produced in North Korea).

There is nothing distinctly Korean about the look of Pororo. Even the name given to the little penguin seems to blend in with other international hits--think Keroro (Japan) or Pocoyo (Spain). His culturally odorless design must be intentional. And this has proven quite successful. Pororo was a big hit in France and also found success in Italy, Japan, China, and Latin America.

Have you seen Pororo in your part of the world? What do you think the secret to his success is? I'll stick to my theory that penguins are just irresistible.

Here are some links where I learned more about this and so can you:

Toys R Us in Korea

2007-12-11T00:00:00.000+09:00

Giraffe: Come in! Come on in, children! Come on into the first Toys R Us in Korea! The biggest toy store ever in ALL of Korea!

Jae Woo: Hey, what's wrong Mi Ra?

Mi Ra: I don't know about this new Toys R Us.

Jae Woo: What do you mean?

Mi Ra: Well, I wonder if it really is the world's greatest toy store.

Jae Woo: Of course it is! It's huge!

Mi Ra: I know. I know. But I think it's kind of weird that it's almost completely full of stuff from Japan and the United States.

Jae Woo: What's weird about that?

Mi Ra: We live in Korea, remember?

Jae Woo: Oh come on! They they have tons of Pororo stuff. Everybody loves Pororo!

Mi Ra: I know. They have a ton of Pororo stuff. But other than that little penguin, everything else is from other countries it seems like. Don't you worry about our culture, Jae Woo?

Jae Woo: Worry about our culture? Ha! No way!
Mi Ra: Well, don't you wish we had more of our own toys? And our own cartoons?
Jae Woo: I don't know. If you want your own cartoons so much, why don't you just tell your uncle to make them. He's an animator, isn't he?
Mi Ra: Tell my uncle! Are you crazy? He spends six days a week animating for other countries. Actually, he makes the animation that they base all these toys off of and then sell back to us at high prices. He doesn't have the time or money to worry about creating his own thing!
Jae Woo: Oh, lighten up! If it's so bad in animation, he should just go work in real estate then.

Mi Ra: Okay, okay. I won't complain about our lack of original content. Still, doesn't something seem awfully suspicious about that giraffe mascot?

Mi Ra & Jae Woo: Definitely!

Giraffe: Hey everybody! We've been open since December 8th and like to stay open for a loooooong time! So don't go to those small little toy stores everywhere else, come to Toys R Us located in Lotte Mart! It's conveniently located next to the Guil subway station in Seoul.

Useful Link: Toys "R" Us opening first store in South Korea

The Magic Crayons

2007-12-08T02:06:00.000+09:00

Hey, Jeong Eun! What's in that box you are holding?

Kablam!

Wow!!! Those look magic! What are they?

Cool! They look like mechanical crayons that you can twist to draw with. I bet they never run out! And I bet they are great when you need a unique drawing tool.

Can you draw me something using them, please? Please?
Hey, that's too cool! Is that the dog from some anime or something? That girl reminds me of you! Great drawing!

Now that I think about it, I think it's not the crayons that are magic. I think it's you!

Bee Different!

2007-12-07T01:37:00.000+09:00

Bzzzzzzzzzz. . . Bzzzzzzzzzzz. . . I'm not a human! I'm a bee! Bzzzzzzzzzz. . . .

Why do we make animal cartoon characters human? We always tend to anthropomorphize them; give them human qualities. However, why don't we borrow from other animals instead?

All I know about this bee is that it is the mascot for 1001 Angyeong Contact, an eyeglasses shop.

Isn't its design intriguing? It has a mouth and nose which appear to be from an otter. Most bee cartoon characters I've seen borrow human faces--human noses, mouths, maybe even teeth or a head of hair. Maybe I'm mistaken and this is just an otter in a bee costume.
Take a look at this extreme close-up of a real female beetle. See how her mouth is more like the muzzle of an otter than the mouth of a human? The button eyes more closely resemble an otter's than a human's, as well. So I think this bee design is quite brilliant!

I know nothing about the background of this bee's design, however, it encourages me to think outside the stereotypes of cartooning. There are all sorts of possible ways to represent a bee. We just have to see different and bee different!

Guide to Korean Names

2007-12-05T00:08:00.000+09:00

This is a quick guide to getting Korean names right.

Do you ever read Korean comics or the credits of Korean films and wonder, "Why do so many parents name their kids 'Kim' in Korea?" Actually, Kim is just a very common last name. After reading this quick guide you can write your favorite Korean artists fan letters and know that you addressed them correctly.Name Order:
In Korea, family names are placed before given names. So Park Min Sun was born into a family of Parks. And the name his parents gave him is Min Sun. You could call him Mr. Park if you want to be professional. Or you could call him Min Sun if you are his friend. Park is a very common family name, along with Kim and Lee.

Name Length:
Nearly all Korean names consist of a one syllable family name followed by a two syllable given name. Examples: Park Min Sun, Hwang Young Sang, Kim Jeong Eun, Wea Hyung Soo.

Very rarely will somebody have less syllables in their given name, such as Park Min (not to be confused with Park Min Sun).

Just as rare is having more syllables, such as Hong Jemina.

Name Formats:
Sometimes names are written without a space: Park MinSun

Sometimes names are written with a hyphen in the first name: Park Min-Sun

Sometimes people just use their initials to be cool: PMS or MSP

This blog uses this format: Park Min Sun

Names Abroad:
Sometimes overseas, names are presented in reverse order. For example, Park Min Sun may be noted as Min Sun Park in another country. However, this isn't always the case. Yes, this can be confusing!

English Names:
A common practice is to choose a nonKorean name for using when interacting with English speakers. Example: Christine Yu.

Artist Names:
Of course, there are people who create an artist name for themselves. Example: Skitsch.

Red Names:

Lastly, never write names in red. It is considered bad luck.

You may already know this, but I thought those who didn't might find it useful. Please let me know if you have any questions.

What's On Your Desk? Wea Hyung Soo

2007-12-04T00:52:00.000+09:00

Prepare yourself for another What's On Your Desk?. This week we feature Wea Hyung Soo.Hyung Soo is a prop designer. He's also a toy hobbyist. There are tons of toys all over his desk. He's also got tons of magazines about toys. There are so many that the following is just part of his collection. #1: Gundam Collection - MS-05B Zaku I
#2: Gundam Collection - MSN-02 Perfect Zeong
#3: Gundam Collection - FA-78-1 Gundam Full Armor Type
#4: Gundam Collection - G-Fighter
#5: Gundam Collection - MS-06J Zaku II #6: Evangelion
#7: Gundam - Dom
#8: Gigantor villain (?)
#9: a Gundam (?)#10: Dunbine
#11: Combattler V
#12: Gundam Collection - Zaku II (in color)
#13: Dragon Chronicle series dragon
#14: Dragon Chronicle series dragon
#15: Dragon Chronicle series dragon
#16: Trolley Car from a chocolate egg #17: Oh My Goddess!
#18: Urusei Yatsura character (?)
#19: a cat
#20: Pinky Street series
Phew! That's a lot of toys for one desk! Hyung Soo wasn't certain of all their names, so fill us in if you can. Check out this funny prop that Hyung Soo created and let me share with you:

The Cat Sword!

Hyung Soo can also design characters very well. Especially the ones that integrate weaponry and armor.

Hyung Soo is great at his craft and always has the best animation playing on his computer. Drop him a note in the comments section.

Best of November

2007-12-01T03:05:00.000+09:00

It's December, a new month. The following are the best topics of last month. If you are a new reader, I recommend checking some of these out. Just click on a picture to go to the post.

If you are a loyal reader, I thank you! Thanks especially to those of you who have left comments and asked questions. I really value your input a lot. It helps me decide what to look into. I feel I am achieving my goal of learning more about Korean animation.

I have plenty more topics planned for you this month. These include interviews with people doing jobs in animation you might normally overlook. Bringing some Korean cartoons to your attention. Reporting more on the state of the Korean animation industry. And, of course, there will be more silly stuff. Thanks for reading!

Here are some of the best topics of November:

Meet Skitch. In this interview, Skitch shares some of her frustations with being an inbetweener in the Korean animation industy. Skitch has promised to create something special to share with you readers in the future. I wonder what it'll be!

Park Min is a cool dude. So cool that he took the time to tell us about his career in the animation industry. He's even got some advice for beginners. Park Min has an important message that he will share with us this upcoming month. Stay tuned to see what it is!

Have you ever wondered what life as an inbetweener was like? Take a look here. These woman are an indispensible part of animation not only in Korea, but in the United States, Canada, Japan, France and beyond. Hooray for inbetweeners!

Comic books in convenience stores?! What will they think of next!? Read up on a fairly new distribution model for comics in Korea.

Cosplayers turn themselves into real life versions of our favorite animated heroes. Give your eyes a treat and check out these cosplayers in their amazing costumes. Oh, did I mention that they are at Everland amusement park?

This is a showcase of seafood. A collection of our favorite aquatic friends trying to persuade you into their restuarant. Learn their persuasion tactics so that they won't work on you!

Enjoy!

Stealing is Wrong

2007-11-30T00:02:00.000+09:00

Ojingogo

2007-11-29T02:34:00.000+09:00

BONK!

This is a rough drawing from the book Ojingogo. See that word over the girl's head? This book plays with Hangul (the Korean alphabet) and it does so very well.

OH!

However, this book isn't drawn by a Korean. It's drawn by Matthew Forsythe of Canada. Matt was a kindergarten English teacher in Korea for a year. It's in that year that he started drawing the webcomic Ojingogo. After returning to Canada, Matt finished up the first story and published Ojingogo in book form. Ojingogo was a success! It gained lots of positive attention and praise, even being nominated for the Eisner Awards, the "Oscars" of comics.

What a great use of one's experience in Asia! It's good to know that there are such fascinating foreigners who've lived in Korea and are producing work containing a little Korean spirit.

The story is about a girl and her squid. It's wacky and fun. You can read the comic online. The story doesn't rely on any language, but I think you're rewarded a little for being able to read Korean.

Matt is currently finishing up the second Ojingogo book. He draws very well and misses the food kimbab.

Leaf On Head Disease

2007-11-28T00:57:00.001+09:00

Wow, a mole has visited this blog. Welcome, mole! HOLY MOLE-Y!!!!! You've got a leaf growing out of your head!!

Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that was a sensitive spot.

I've seen this leaf on head thing before. I've seen it in characters from Korea and Japan. I don't know what to make of it and neither does anyone I ask. You see, mole, I worry about you. This just doesn't occur in nature.

See, this bear doesn't have a leaf on its head.

Neither does this white rabbit.

This squirrel is a lot like you, but it lacks that leaf.

I don't know what to make of that leaf on your head. Does it mean you are wild? That you are magical? That you are minty fresh? I just don't know. Maybe readers of this blog can let me know what the leaf on head symbolizes.

For now I'll classify your disorder as 'Leaf On Head Disease'.

See! Now those are symbols I recognize! Clearly you are angry at me. Ooops. Sorry!

Update (January 28th, 2008): Wow! It turns out that leaf on your head means your magical! Read more by clicking here.

Foreign Voices

2007-11-27T00:03:00.000+09:00

Korea is well known for being a country where animation is outsourced from overseas. Did you know that Korea creates a lot of its own content which also relies on the work of foreigners?Meet Mina and Valerie. Mina (on the left) is from the United States. Valerie (on the right) hails from Canada. Both young women are English teachers in Korea, a common job for foreigners here. They are performers at heart and have found a way to put their skills to work.They are coached by their agent (on the left) who recruited them. The recording is directed by former teen pop singer TJ (in the middle) and assisted by MJ (way in the back).
Their job is no easy task. These young woman have to sing songs originally written in Korean that were translated into English. Reworking these Korean songs into natural sounding English versions required lots of tweaking. For instance, the songs made use of onomatopoeia devices found in the Korean language that simply do not exist in English. Gegul is the sound of rolling in Korean, but in English that sound doesn't exist. So they have to just sing rolling, rolling, rolling instead. They had to repeat songs over and over until they got it just right.Besides singing their hearts out, they also get to lend their voices to a cute baby boy (Mina) and a young sweet girl (Valerie).

Boom Chiki Boom! is the preschool program they work on. It's a program full of dancing and exercize. A unique feature of the show is that there is both a live-action puppet version and a 3D computer generated version. If you look closely on the monitor, you can see my favorite character from the puppet version.
Here's a blurry close up of that mischievous green thing. Through voice acting, Mina and Valerie are allowing Boom Chiki Boom! to possibly gain a wider audience than it would in Korean alone. And there are more such foreign voice actors as well. The world of animation and entertainment is full of work between people of many different nationalities. This day in the recording studio is just a very small slice of that.

Don't Worry Too Much

2007-11-26T00:08:00.000+09:00

Don't worry too much.
Worrying can stop us from creating, be it drawings, stories or anything else. Don't worry too much. This pizza place name isn't anything fancy or cutting edge, but it works.

I wouldn't say the Pizza School mascot is the best drawing around or even the most memorable. But for some reason it really makes me laugh. It's a school that makes pizza! It's almost radical. I think worrying too much would have prevented this character from being created.

So don't worry too much. You don't have to be perfect in order to create something that will make people happy. Just stop worrying and create!

Prize Time!

2007-11-24T00:48:00.000+09:00

IT'S PRIZE TIME!!!Chaek bachims are so cool that while at the Animation Museum in Chuncheon, I picked up some to give away as prizes. They feature Hobani, the Chuncheon city mascot who is reflective of the city's abundant bodies of water.Hobani can be found all over the city, such as in these really cool nonprizes above.
You can also spot him in these temporary tattoos that I'll throw in as well. I have 5 prizes to give to the first 5 people to post in the comments section. If you have a blog, it would be really cool if you offered this same sort of prize giveaway on yours.

Good luck!

The Art Book Man

2007-11-23T13:40:00.000+09:00

Art book man

Selling books from

The States and Japan

---

Wanders in

Quite Dapper

Some of his books

Still in their wrapper

---

I have heard

Not best deals

For this mobile

Small bookstore on wheels

---

Can you please

Lend a hand?

Does he visit

Your far away land?

An Interview with Park Min

2007-11-22T02:14:00.000+09:00

Do you like Batman? Batman was Park Min's favorite production to work on. Having over 18 years in the animation industry, Park Min has helped bring Batman and many other characters to life for audiences around the world.

In his earliest days, he worked as a final checking assistant. Since this start, he's moved through almost all the jobs within an animation studio. Working hard as an inbetweener so he could work even harder as an inbetweening director. Doing key animation and then moving up to key animation direction. At some point, he was a layout artist as well multiple other positions. He has just recently began work as a storyboard artist.

Park Min is an experienced animator who was willing to offer us some insights into life in the Korean animation industry.Midodok: What do you think about your life in the animation industry?
.
Park Min: I think that the Korean animation industry and the animation industry in other countries, like Japan and America, are really different. These days, the animator's situation is getting worse and also disappearing. Yes, it's a really bad situation.
.
Midodok: How so?
.
Park Min: Many animators quit their animation work because they can't make a lot of money and we are all not paid regularly, right? We are not on a regular payment and we have to work long hours to keep the schedule. The schedule is really tight. Many animators have to spend a hard time. You know, my career is 18 years long, but these days, most directors are from my same generation so we are the last remaining animators and there is not many newcomers.
.
Park Min: The Korean animation industry is really hard and if they choose to work for the Korean animation industry they have to work hard and study animation. I think many beginners don't want to become an inbetweener and key animator, they always want to become directors without doing all the stuff in between (inbetweening, key animating, final checking, etc.). But they don't like that cost, right?
.
Midodok: So how have you lasted in the animation industry if it's so difficult?
.
Park Min: If somebody wants to become something, they have to have patience and keep trying until they become something, right? But, the situation these days is really hard. It will take a long time to become a director. I think it is not important to become a director, but to improve themselves and their drawings and their ideas.
.
Midodok: What do you think about the Korean animation industry?
.
Park Min: We need more creative people in stories and ideas, but up until now, Korean animators have only concentrated on a small part--drawing or making films. But, first of all, we need to improve ourselves as a Korean animation industry, and then have a more adventurous mind. Money is always an issue too, right? And I hope more people get interested in Korean animation, too. But if we make a good animation then we won't have to worry about that.
.
Park Min: I think that we need a shock. A shock that looks like a Sputnik from the Korean animation industry. I know these days it is a hard time, but we should force ourselves through it. We can do it!
.
Midodok: How can somebody prepare for a career in animation?
.
Park Min: I think all kinds of animation are the same even if they have unique styles (Korean, Japanese, American). I think if you wanna become an animator, you should prepare by improving you drawing skills and your understanding of story, right? And you should know about high technology like computer editing and graphics tools. And one more: language. Chinese, English, Korean, Japanese, whatever.
.
Midodok: Why should they learn another language?
.
Park Min: Up until now, we made animation for a few people. For only that country. But these days, we can show our animation to the whole world. So someday, we can work together to make a good animation. Nationality doesn't matter, but communication is a really important thing. If we work together with foreigners, we should find a solution through conversation if we have a problem. It's very important.
.
Park Min: Everybody has the same feelings: happiness, sadness, loneliness. Emotion is the same, even if we have different color skin, language, culture and place. It doesn't matter to making good animation. That's all.
.
Midodok: Thank you very much for the interview and your time.Park Min let me look through his current sketchbook and take a couple pictures.His sketchbook had lots of good stuff in it, but I thought you might like these two best. He's got lots more cool stuff posted over at his cool blog.

Park Min likes meeting new people. Feel free to email him or leave questions and comments here.

I especially like Park Min's analogy of Sputnik, and how a lot of hard work can really leave the world in awe of Korean animation. What do you think?

What's On Your Desk? Hwang Young Sang

2007-11-21T00:02:00.000+09:00

It's time for another 'What's On Your Desk?'. This week we feature Hwang Young Sang.
Young Sang is a character designer. He keeps busy churning out all sorts of different characters. Pirates, monsters, townspeople, heroes, villains, goats; he does it all. On his desk he's got a few figures to help him along.#1: The Front of Armament figure
#2: an anatomical view of a hand
#3: Hurricane Joe
#4: Chibi Gallery husky
#5: Chibi Gallery molesYoung Sang drives an autobike and is even cooler than his toys. He spent a year in Shanghai working in animation. You can ask him questions and say 'hi' here or on his personal blog.

The Coolest Restaurant Name

2007-11-20T00:19:00.000+09:00

Wow! Is that placed called Sketchbook? It is! And they serve drinks and food there?! This deserves closer inspection.
This truck parked outside must be a sign of the wonderful animation related stuff inside!
It has the Peanuts gang painted on it.
And is that Felix the Cat painted on the other side? It is! He's got the right idea; let's hurry into this Sketchbook place where we'll meet all sorts of artists and cartoon-related stuff.
Oh. It looks like just a regular eating place.

Wait a second! This chair looks happy and cartoony! No, no, no. . . I'm just looking too hard for animation stuff.Well, at least there is a nice view of the Animation Museum just across the street. And this place is quite spacious and inspiring. I don't find that too often in Seoul.The food is quite good and plentiful, too. I guess I can pull out my sketchbook while I eat and help this place live up to its name, which happens to be really, really cool!

Animation Museum Art Pieces

2007-11-19T00:21:00.000+09:00

Blaaaaaaaaaargh!

I made another trip to the Animation Museum in Chuncheon today. Since museums frown on taking pictures inside, I thought I'd share some of the outdoor art pieces with you.

There are a lot of these robotic statues. What makes most interesting is that they are made out of a mix of stuff that must be recycled junk.This insect is made from autobike parts.There are a handful of these pieces made out of old tires and other parts.It's amazing how the artist was able to use junk and bring life to it. This frog looks like it's curious as to why I'm taking its picture.This King Kong inspired piece looks like he knows exactly why I'm taking his picture and is posing for a dramatic effect.I found this dragon particularly impressive. It's much more impressive in real life. It feels like it's going to soar right into the heavens above the lake just behind it. This is one of two art pieces that welcomes you to the Animation Museum. It's called Vision and it captures what we should strive for in animation:
Fantastic journies into the unknown . . .. . .adventures that need gallant heroes. . .
. . . and the spirit of flight and freedom.

I think Vision serves as a good inspiration to animators.Then there's these two goofballs that are the other featured statue. They remind us that animation should be fun, too. And to enjoy the wonderful city of Chuncheon as well!

Convenience Store Comics

2007-11-16T00:55:00.000+09:00

I noticed a new comic book distribution model today in Korea: selling them in convenience stores. This is actually a very new approach that began in October of this year.2030 Comics are aimed at the 2030 generation (people in their twenties and thirties). They feature a series of seven comic magazines. Apparently, they are selling quite well. I could only manage to find a couple first volume comics left in the magazine rack.They are being sold exclusively at GS25, a convenience store chain in Korea. See, you can spot the GS25 logo on the cover.
Most Korean comics come in a bounded collection of multiple stories or in graphic novel format. Unlike most Korean comics, they are published in a Western format. I'm quite impressed that the comics are printed in full color, contain absolutely no advertisements, and still manage to cost only KRW1,500 per copy. This doesn't seem profitable, but apparently there is governmental support in this venture.

This is a unique experiment. I'm interested to see where it leads. Let's hope that the most popular stories are turned into animated projects! What do you think?

Here are some links where I learned more about this and so can you:

Seafood Showcase

2007-11-15T09:18:00.000+09:00

Many trade characters like to give the thumbs up, but there is one group of animals who are at a disadvantage in this area: sea creatures. They don't have thumbs to persuade you with fancy gestures. However, that doesn't mean they can't put their claws to good use:

The following two tentacled fellows use their eyes to get your attention rather than draw attention to their lack of thumbs:The snooty way this squid is closing its eyes suggests its restaurant must be of the ritziest caliber where only the elite are welcome.

This one's using his eyes to express complete happiness. Everybody's welcome at his place!This cuttlefish went all out in chef's gear. It's so tasty that it can't help but lick itself!

I think this eel is conflicted about its job as a trade character. It looks like it just found out exactly what its restaurant does to eels.This pollack looks happy enough.

If there is one thing that fish trade characters do well, it's jumping. That is their thumbs up.

Jumping out of water may seem a drastic measure to get your attention, but here is a reminder of the competition they are up against:

Her Name is Skitsch

2007-11-14T01:05:00.000+09:00

An interesting interview below! Keep reading. . .
Skitsch is her name. During the day she works as a professional inbetweener for Imagin, a Japanese animation studio in Korea. But outside of work she is an artist on the loose who is busy creating her own stuff. Here are some characters she's designed and put on some stickers. Along with many other young artists, she puts stuff like this on T-shirts and other goods that she sells at the Hongdae artist's market during warm seasons. She also has a blog/shop, D-Gecko, where you can see more of her stuff. And now, for the interview:

Midodok: So, what do you feel about your job and animation in Korea?

Skitsch: I might disappoint you. I don't like my job. Sometimes I even feel shame. Yes, we draw, but we don't draw for our story and people here. Especially those who have worked as an animator for a long time, they think they've done something great, but most of them just have SKILLS. Not a story, not a style, nothing. They're just workers.

One of my old co-worker was suffering. He was a talented storyteller and he had skills but he couldn't do what he really wanted because nobody was interested (I mean nobody invested). Animation in Korea? I don't know, right now, I can't see any future.

Midodok: Why do you think Korean animation has little hope?

Skitsch: We became a hand, not a head. Look at me, I've been working as an animator for 7 years but I just know a small part of animation. We're doing this to make money, we're following rules they (in my case, Japanese) made, not ours...

Skitsch: I have a dream with my drawing, but I don't have a dream as an animator.

Midodok: How so?

Skitsch: Hmm. . . Someday, I wanna have my own street brand.

Midodok: I see! Cool! Why a street brand and not animation?

Skitsch: I don't know. . . Maybe I realized I can't make an animation all by myself.

Midodok: Anything else you'd like to add?

Skitsch: Nah.

Midodok: Thank you for taking the time for this interview!

Skitsch: Okay, no, you're welcome.

I hope that creativity and uniqueness like Skitsch's can be encouraged and she can find a place to use it. It would be a shame if artists like Skitsch do indeed just "become a hand" and can't put their talent to use. By the way, I thought I'd share her unique wrist piercing. If you look closely, you can sort of see it. As always, you can leave comments for Skitsch and I'll make sure she sees them.

Chaek Bachim - The Sketchbooker's Hero

2007-11-13T14:30:00.000+09:00

Do you ever draw draw or ink something and it seeps through to the next page of your sketchbook? Or do press really hard and leave a dent in the next page?

Well fret no more! Here come the chaek bachim to save the day! Chaek bachims are a great invention for sketchbookers around the world!
Oh no! Not the chaek bachim!! Once they put themselves between these pages, we won't be able to mess up all the pages underneath!!!! Argh!

Chaek bachim (pronounced 'check pacheem') are typically made of plastic. They come in many designs and sizes. The one on the left is from the Osaka Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka, Japan. The well used one on the right features the Chuncheon city mascot and is from the Animation Museum here in Korea. Sometimes they are given to kids as part of a promotion. Students mostly use them in their notebooks since they are said to improve penmanship.

Do they use these in your part of the world?

What's on your desk? Kim Jeong Eun

2007-11-12T14:12:00.000+09:00

It's another Monday and time for another, "What's on your desk?". This week we feature Kim Jeong Eun.
Jeong Eun is a key animator. Therefore, she needs lots of space to put her work and reference materials. And, of course, she needs room for her toy companions as well. She has so much stuff at her desk that we'll just focus on the toys on that top shelf.

#1: Cinamoroll plushie and toothbrush cover

#2: Stitch in white and blue

#3: Chibi Gallery cat figures

#4: Chibi Gallery bear figures

#5: Ghost in the Shell robot

#6: The Nightmare Before Christmas

#7: The Joker

#8: A rabbit girl figure

#9: Keroro in tiny and clear form
#10: Finger skateboard
Jeong Eun is kind of shy and likes cute things a lot. Tell her 'hi' in the comments section and I'll make sure she sees it.

Subway Mascots

2007-11-09T14:14:00.000+09:00

Here are two versions of subway mascots in Seoul. Which one do you like better?

Bill Plympton's Three Rules for Making Short Films

2007-11-08T13:12:00.000+09:00

Bill Plympton presented his three rules for making successful short films during PISAF. He calls it 'Plympton's Dogma'. Maybe it can be of use to an aspiring short film maker out there.

Make the film:

Short. Anything longer than 5 minutes is difficult to sell.
Cheap. He keeps a limit of $1,000 per minute. This way it's easy to make your money back. This is also why he sticks to hand drawn animation.
Funny. Funnier films are much more fun and easier to sell than serious ones.

I don't know the cost of the student films presented at PISAF, but the shortest and funniest films seemed to get the most positive reaction out of the audience. Many films were so long and gloomy.

By the way, the image is the back of a postcard that Plympton drew his short film's dog on for all the audience members after his presentation.

Hooray for Inbetweeners!

2007-11-07T15:22:00.000+09:00

An important group of people to any animated production are the inbetweeners.They work VERY hard drawing everything inbetween keyframes. There is no room for mistakes! They must draw as closely as possible to perfect. And they must do it all according to strict schedules and deadlines.If not done perfectly, their friendly boss will make them redo it. If they don't, they'll get it back as a retake and have to do it again anyways. (She really is friendly!)
Inbetweening is usually the starting point in an animation career. It can be a thankless, busy, and long hours kind of job.But that doesn't mean there isn't some time for fun. Inbetweeners become good friends and have a great sense of community.
Hooray for inbetweeners! Various people are part of the animation process, but inbetweeners are indispensible. Thanks to them, people around the world, be it Japan, Canada, Korea, the United States or beyond, get to enjoy their favorite stories.

Send them your gratitude in the comments! I'll make sure to pass it along!

PISAF Recap

2007-11-06T14:12:00.000+09:00

The 9th Puchon International Student Animation Festival comes to an end today. I was able to make it two of the days. In case you couldn't go, here is just a small fraction of what you missed.There were hours and hours of screenings of student films and animated films from all around the world. The student films were a good way to get a sneak peak at some of the future leaders in animation. Also, it's a good way to take notes on the audience reacting to several different films.There were International special guests such as Bill Plympton, a very successful independent animated filmmaker from the United States. He screened many of his short films, shared short stories, gave the audience some useful tips and some drawing lessons. Afterwards, he gave everybody a Bill Plympton drawing of his popular pug character.
Takayuki Matsutani, President of Tezuka Productions of Japan screened the openings to Atom (Astro Boy) throughout its various revivals as well as the short film The Legend of the Forest. All animators should watch The Legend of the Forest for a visual history lesson of animation techniques. He gave a humorous drawing lesson as well.
And the PISAF mascots were also on hand to make trouble. Which mascot do you prefer? This year's simple shaped creature or another year's wacky dog?

What's on your desk? Park Min Sun

2007-11-05T12:36:00.000+09:00

A stereotype of animation people is that they have toys all over their workspace. And it's true! This is the first, "What's on your desk?" post. Today we feature Park Min Sun.

Min Sun works as a technical director, so he has two big screen computer monitors which have a few toys on them.#1: Mickey Mouse bobblehead

#2: Eeyore bobblehead

#3: Goofy bobblehead

#4: Kiroro and mobile suit

#5: Keroro and mobile suit

#6: Model robot from Japan

#7: Stitch in capsule X 2
This Eeyore deserves a close up.
Min Sun is a hard working and friendly guy. He used to have three Stitches but he gave one away. Tell him 'hi' by leaving comments!

Podori the Police Mascot

2007-11-02T15:35:00.000+09:00

I thought I'd share the mascot for the Korean National Police Agency, Podori, with you. Isn't he cute?
In case you didn't know, combining such cute characters with not so cute organizations, like the police department, softens that organizations image. Who would you rather have boss you around, a gruff looking police officer or little Podori? But don't be mistaken, Podori is the real deal. If you look closely you'll notice that his badge is not a mere drawing but a real badge!
I think there may be a problem with having Podori as a mascot. He may be too cute a character for the police department. It almost makes me want to commit a small crime just so I can see him. Then maybe I can give him a choco pie and he'll let me off the hook. Then we can go get pizza or something and we'll become close buds. Then we'll team up and become a crime fighting team!
I also noticed that Podori's design seems awfully similar to this character in Pata Pota Monta, a Japanese production. Maybe they are cousins? I prefer Podori, though. Especially in the first image. I particularly like the way his eyes are drawn.

Cosplay at Everland

2007-11-01T14:05:00.000+09:00

Do you know what cosplay is?

It is short for "costume play" and it entails dressing up in very fancy clothing, often animation related. Japanese animation, manga, and video games are the inspiration for most cosplay. It's a very social activity that friends can do together. Animation and comic book conventions around the world are common meeting places for cosplayers. And apparently, Everland is too!

Can you identify who these cosplayers are dressed as?

If you are any of these cosplayers, thanks again for letting me put your picture up! When I told some of these cosplayers about this blog (Korea & Animation), they corrected me that they were dressed as Japanese animation characters, not Korean characters. This makes me realize what a good job Japanese artists do at creating characters that we want to be just like. I think we in other parts of the world, including here in Korea, should work hard to create those kinds of characters, too. After all, look how much fun it is!

Kids' Halloween Monsters

2007-10-31T12:09:00.000+09:00

This is a brilliant idea!Everland hosted an art display in their amusement park as part of their Everland Happy Halloween celebration. Grade school children were asked to submit their ideas for Halloween monsters. Those drawings were given to art students at Hongik University, a renowned arts university in Seoul, who used the drawings as inspiration for further drawings.

There were tons of displays that looked just like this in the European themed square. Here's some close-ups of the monsters the kids and art students imagined:

An angry Korean goblin.

Cool Goggles!

In this one, the Hongkik student changed very little, but the design still came out unique and cute.

The kid who designed this must hate carrots.

A selected few drawings got the deluxe treatment and were made into displays. Here are some of those:

A D-War inspired kid drawing.

An art student's take on it.

The deluxe version.

The final display at Everland.

This pumpkin goblin by a 4 year-old is my favorite.

Character designers take note; I think this model of creating characters is brilliant and should be used more often. Don't you think kids come up with some great ideas?

Thanks Everland, Hongik students and kids for the Halloween treat!

There is one more Everland and Halloween related post coming tomorrow.

Everland Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T12:54:00.000+09:00

Happy Halloween! It's Halloween time and Everland has gotten into the spirit. Do you know what Everland is?

Everland is a top-notch amusement park in Korea.

It's located in the mountains about an hour away from Seoul.

With the coming of autumn, Everland has transformed into a Halloween celebration.

It seems pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns have taken over the entire park.

Not even the Old West section of the park is off limits to the pumpkin invasion.

Even odd looking pumpkins have made their way to Everland, if only to lounge around.

It seems they are getting help from ghosts.

Some of which are helping themselves to free pumpkins.

All that hard work calls for some rocking out for the occasion.

You don't have to be dead to rock. The living at the 50's themed Rocksville join in on the fun, too.

There are plenty of Halloween parades.

Watch out! An evil vampire caused trouble at the parade.

And so did a gothic girl who danced really goofy.

Luckily, the Everland mascots, Lastar and Laila, were there to restore order.

You can thank them by visiting their many gift shops and buying some souvenirs.

Or just enjoy yourself on all the thrill rides.

And spooky fun houses.

You can pay some lazy animals a visit.

And some wet animals, big and small.

Or feed some brightly colored hungry animals.

You can also get away from all the rides, animals, and jack-o-lanterns and be romantic with that special someone in the European themed area.

If you really like Everland, you can host an event there, including your wedding!

Everland is a great place to eat!

If you want to have a fun time, Everland will surely not let you down. There is more to do at Everland than you could possibly fit into one day.

If you are bummed that you'll miss the Everland Happy Halloween, don't worry, the Christmas Holiday Fantasy starts November 9th.

This is the first of three Everland related posts! Come back for more!

Star Popeye Snack

2007-10-29T01:38:00.000+09:00

Here's Popeye!

He's not sponsoring spinach, but Star Popeye Snack (Byeol Popeye) produced by Samyang Food. I found this at a stationery/toy shop. I think this is a very rich package design. On the front, Popeye is saying, "star candy included".And he wasn't lying. There is white sugary star candy mixed in with the mildly flavored noodle cookies.

I've also seen Popeye being used to sponsor a singing room (norae-bang). Tom and Jerry are classic U.S. cartoon characters that are used much more frequently in character goods in Korea.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the start of exciting Halloween posts!

9th Puchon International Student Animation Festival (PISAF 2007)

2007-10-26T11:16:00.000+09:00

The 9th Puchon International Student Animation Festival (PISAF) is just around the corner!

This looks worth checking out.
Scheduled are many screenings of animations by students and professionals from around the world. Even a screening of the original animated Transformers will be shown. I'm personally looking forward to the Tezuka Osamu Special which will show all the Atom (Astro Boy) openings and more.
In addition to the screenings, there are also workshops, sessions with industry insiders, and a book fair tailored specifically for animation people like you and me. Everybody will be there! If you are interested in learning more about animation in Korea, I think this festival will be a good chance to do just that.

Here's some more details:

When: November 2nd (Fri.) - 6th (Tue.), 2007
Where: Boksagol Cultural Center, Bucheon, Korea (Bucheon is accessible via the Seoul subway system.)
Promoter: PISAF Committee Office
Supervision: Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies
Website: www.pisaf.or.kr

Telephone: +82-32-325-2061~2

If you don't go, you may end up feeling like this cat! This cat and other images were taken from the PISAF 2007 poster which can be downloaded from the PISAF website. It is a good place to learn much more.

I'm going to leave this post up today and over the weekend. Come back Monday for a new post. I have plenty more up my sleeve!