I think Naoki likes giving his mini figs the subversive treatment. He's done it a few times with Nougaki.
James...really?? Too bad it turned out 'awful' for you. Well, I think awful might be a strong word to describe it. As for me, I think Naoki takes advantage of the LB releases to experiment/do something different and I appreciate that in an artist. Besides, seem a very honorable and a pleasant guy to talk to (via email), Im sure you guys who have been collecting Cronics for years might know this already. I look forward to the next batches of Cronic LBs.
Hey, I was surprised I didn't like it myself. Different strokes for different folks I guess. At least he's trying new ideas, and like Andy said he'll most likely end up perfecting it over time. I also feel the same about gore for the sake of it...not my bag at all. Some folks might not agree but his figures and paint apps just flow perfectly in my opinion, and inspire the hell out of me. The new blood-drip-eyeball style doesn't do that at all. I kind of like the bandaged Ankoron - bloodied up cute little thing. Nice contrast. I'd be a hypocrite if I just said it killed. Cronic obviously has my undying support, but it's not blind, know what I'm saying? It has nothing to do with the personality behind the work, only the work itself. Nothing wrong with being objective about things you love.
Definitely, no blank checks, I gotta agree with that. I've been thinking this multi-color HP drip effect has a lot of potential, but it needs to be a bit more thought through to blend in better with the overall design. I think Naoki is just in creative explosion mode these days. He's been going non-stop since the One Up Black Parade shows and doesn't seem to have caught his breath yet. Plus, like Jay said, the LBs are a chance to experiment with new styles and create some cool one-offs (though they won't go down with everyone). Also, without WF this year, that's a major show missed. So we're seeing everything poured into the One Up shows and LBs. Maybe in the coming months when some of the standard Tokyo shows roll around, we'll see a few more....I don't know, "developed" releases that bring together a few of these new styles in a more polished package. But all in all, I think what we've seen in the last few months is the "real" Naoki - putting a strong artistic signature on one-off or two-off pieces that are more about creativity than productivity.
Were customed figures in there !? I like that Ankoron. I feel it's new style in bloody way and great. My Ankoron is far from customed and some kind of "Do it yourself" but I guess Naoki-san gives me a door to custom the figure. Yep, I'll try I uploaded some pics on my Blog. Hope you'll enjoy it. CRONIC Lucky Bag 2009
that dorome is cool, but thankfully I haven't seen anything yet that has made me too upset I didn't get one of these. I went really overboard on Cronic in 2008...it's still my favorite, but I'm a little put off by how hard the BP stuff was to get...looking forward to next normal release from Cronic (if there are anymore). personally I'm ready for a new sculpt...or some production doromes.
Nice figures Kaz. I agree that Dorome is great! I'd love to see your full collection pics some time. Looks like this year's LBs are turning out really nicely. Totally unpredictable with a huge range of figures and one-offs, new styles, and a whole lot of bang for your buck. 15,000 yen for everything people are getting? Seriously good deal!
I though it's red grapefruit colored but you can describe it as orange. Thanks! This Dorome is the compilation of CRONIC tech, I think. Color gradation is great as usual and I can't pass the point that he started to paint the body based on non colored clear vinyl. I think he succeeded in raising the transparency of clear vinyl better than normal clear colored. Thanks too! I don't have a space to display the figures a lot nor have rare or hardcore stuffs like you but I'll try to do it someday