Hunting the Elusive

komizumiko (コミズミコ) is a new artist being covered on this blog, though obviously I have been following him/her as one of my bookmarked artists for some time. Stylistically, komizumiko does very cute illustrations with big round eyes, shaded in a conventional style. I’d probably put him/her in the Tokumi Yuiko camp, if only as a convenient and lazy way of classifying this artist’s general look. For Comic Market 77, komizumiko released blue colors whic is an entire full-colour book dedicated to the character Kisaragi Chihaya from THE IDOLM@STER. You’d have to be a pretty big fan to do that. Anyway, if people are still interested in getting this book for their own collection, it’s still available. [Release][PNG]

blue colors’ page count is 20, including front and back covers. The book has true A4 size dimensions (which I have noted before are larger than the typical doujin releases). Printing quality is not pristine, but very good – it does not have the screening effect.

From the start, we get a very good idea of the style of this artist. If you have seen pictures and footage from the original game, you’ll know what Chihaya looks like. She’s not chibi-looking at all.

Blue and white are of course complementary colours, well suited for the season during which blue colors was released. komizumiko makes good use of this as well as the fact that Chihaya’s hair is blue.

That is note to say there are no summer themes in this book, but note how by using water and sky, and even a plain white bikini, komizumiko concentrates the warm colours on only Chihaya’s eyes and skin.

blue colors is pretty much a work of love, exploring the different aspects of the character, in different situations. For example, the swimming costume one was pitched as a gravure shoot.

And I think the dark atmosphere as in the above two pictures also works quite well.

In the imagined world of the Idol, she also takes on “Campaign Girl” roles for various franchises. I suspect this is just an excuse for komizumiko to draw her in cosplay, or to present a bit more variation in her appearance.

The “Come for me” image is based on the actual image song for Chihaya (though I’m not sure how much of it is official, or whether it’s a fan creation).

There is then a bit of a Christmas colour manga section, but it’s fairly short.

And it all ends romatically. The guy is probably Producer-san.

EOB.