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tomato-bird In reply to NimbusStev [2011-09-23 23:00:58 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I'm working on a colored version right now. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though Tenma does look really weird (I can never get his hair right!) and it doesn't read so well as a thumbnail Actually, isn't Tenma's nose sort of...convex??? I don't know, I need to look up ref pictures. All I remember was that throughout Monster there were some pretty dramatic profile shots of Tenma but I couldn't help thinking that his nose looked like a knife (from the side at least.) He doesn't look as Japanese as, say, Kenji and Co., but still.

I'm happy with how Johan turned out-I try to make him look subtly creepy without having to resort to giving him smoky makeup around the eyes, as I've seen some people do.

BTW, have you read Pluto?

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NimbusStev In reply to tomato-bird [2011-09-25 17:24:05 +0000 UTC]

Cool! I hope you post the colored version on here once it's done. You're right about Tenma though. That guy has a funky looking nose. The straightness is actually correct in your drawing, my mistake. I think it's the bottom of the nose that's bugging me. Maybe if you added in the side nostril part.

But you totally captured Johan's creepiness. He's got that smug look with the half open eyes. Plus his pose is great too. :3

I actually haven't started Pluto yet, though I have the first volume sitting on my desk. I literally just finished Monster about a week ago so that is next on my list of reading material.

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tomato-bird In reply to NimbusStev [2011-09-25 23:04:18 +0000 UTC]

Whoa, that's pretty recent! I finished Monster on the first Tuesday of the school year, on a school computer (I was desperate to know how it ended.) Thanks for the pic, I might edit it (my pic, not the one you sent me.)
Ahhh Johan's eyes! His eyes are actually much bigger (I mean, he pulled off being Anna), he just has them half-open all the time. It's hard to make it look half-open without making it look like he has abnormally small eyes, but I think it worked here.

Yay for Pluto! If you're planning to read it I strongly recommend reading the original Astro Boy episode, "The Greatest Robot in the World" before or after it... Of course, Pluto can be enjoyed completely without knowledge of it, but it's really interesting to compare them, especially the designs for the robots. (see my webcam)As a Tezuka fan originally, I couldn't help but cheer inwardly (and sometimes outwardly) whenever a familiar character appeared or had a cameo. Not one to give spoilers, but I'll just say that one of the characters is a Johan lookalike. With long hair and sans creepiness.

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NimbusStev In reply to tomato-bird [2011-09-26 02:27:46 +0000 UTC]

Hehe I know that feeling. There have been many nights I stayed up waaay too late, thinking "just one more chapter." I think you pulled off those half-closed eyes quite well. You've got those slight curves on the eyelids to hint that something else is there and the eyes don't just stop. Now that you mention it though, I always found the whole dressing up as Anna to be a bit odd. I mean, wouldn't his voice be a dead giveaway? He must have a very feminine voice.

I actually ended up reading the first volume of Pluto this afternoon. It's really good! Even after just a few chapters, I can already tell Urasawa is going to get into some interesting topics of robot emotions and how they interact with humans. By the time I'm done with this, I know for sure I'll have to read the original Astroboy. They had a cool interview at the end with Urasawa and Tezuka's son where they went into a lot of the details of remaking a classic. I've never read the old series, but I mean it's Astroboy so I know a lot of the characters already. As I can see in your webcam, he did a great job portraying the cast.

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tomato-bird In reply to NimbusStev [2011-09-29 02:18:43 +0000 UTC]

Ahhh..."ONE more chapter! Just ONE more!" Though usually I mean it because I just have to stop exactly at the end/beginning of a chapter; otherwise I'll lose my place. Mmmm...I think the Anna!Johan scenario is pretty plausible, given what we know about Johan. He's a fantastic liar, very feminine-looking (never got any stubble ), his mom used to make him wear a dress and a wig when he was little and a boxy overcoat and fluffy scarf can do well to hide the lack of curves. As for the voice, well, people can be good mimics. Mimicry and lying are in the same boat, I guess.

Glad you enjoyed Pluto! By the time you get this message I'm guessing you've read some more. I'm presently making my dad read us it.

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NimbusStev In reply to tomato-bird [2011-10-01 04:09:23 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I suppose I could see how someone would believe Johan is a woman. He just has that soft look to him, and I imagine his voice to be very gentle and soothing. And of course dressing in girl's clothes as a kid certainly helps. Did you understand that part? I get that the twins got mixed up when they were taken away, but was there a reason their mom put Johan in a dress? Was she just insane?

That's awesome that your dad is reading Pluto though! Just goes to show that these stories can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. :3

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tomato-bird In reply to NimbusStev [2011-10-01 17:06:53 +0000 UTC]

On the tvtropes discussion, someone said that the mom might have dressed them the same because a) she was living in an apartment where you can only have two people and by having lookalike twins (and only taking one out at a time) people can believe she only had one child. When Tenma visited the 3 Frogs and inquired about who lived there, one of the neighbors recalled that a woman lived there and had only one child, "a real pretty thing." also b) she knew that Bonaparta and Co. would probably find her sooner or later to take her kid, and knew that she would have to make the "fatal choice" of which child to give up, so she dresses them the same to blind herself to the difference so she wouldn't feel like she was actively choosing one child over the other. Of course, being their mother, she was able to tell anyway, and so did end up making the Choice.
No wonder Johan seems to enjoy telling people how unwanted they are. (Not that that would work on Tenma. He's VERY wanted.)

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NimbusStev In reply to tomato-bird [2011-10-05 02:14:31 +0000 UTC]

That's actually a really good explanation, I don't know why it didn't cross my mind. Living in a poor neighborhood like that, of course she wouldn't be able to pay rent for two children. That's the perfect way to get around that. But man, what a tough choice that would be. Choosing between your two children is seriously the hardest decision any parent could have to make. You're right, it's no wonder Johan turned out so messed up.

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tomato-bird In reply to NimbusStev [2011-10-08 19:18:53 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, and it probably shows that he really was grateful to Tenma for saving his life, since Tenma chose to save him over the mayor. Of course, he also wanted to corrupt Tenma and make him want to kill him too...

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