Kaoru Munny -Part 1

This Spring we fell in love with the anime series Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope) The 9 volume manga series written by Yuki Kodama was made into a 12 episode series that aired in the beginning of April. The series takes place in 1966 Japan where we meet High School Freshman Nishimi Kaoru, who moves in with some relatives in a different town all due to his father's job situation. Because of his constant relocation, Kaoru had a tendency to keep to himself, never making any friends or participating in social events. This all changes when he meets fellow classmate and "notorious bad boy" Sentarou.

Through a series of events and as the two spend time together, Kaoru learns about Sentarou's love and passion for Jazz music and drum playing. Being classically trained in Piano, Kaoru finds himself wanting to learn more about Jazz, not only because of Sentarou's interest in it but because of Ritsuko as well. Ritsuko is the daughter of the Welcome Records shop owner where her father, Sentarou and Kaoru have frequent practice sessions. She has known Sentarou since they were children, thus giving them a brother and sister type relations, however, she is also Karou's love interest.

There's so much character and plot development, all with it's ups and downs, that it hooks you in from the very first episode. Not only are you filled with empathy towards the characters but you get enveloped in the amazingly composed music. I love this series so much that it inspired me to create a custom painted Munny of Kaoru for Maki. I have plans to create a tiny piano to accompany him and a bookbag too. This will surely be challenging since my painting skills are a bit rusty but I have not lost my confidence~!

I got these design templates via DeviantArt to help me get started with my design.

I will have to cut off the tail, sand it down, fill it with Mr. Epoxy Putty and sand it once more. Once I've done that I will prime the Munny with gray primer and begging my sketching/painting on him. Sure, I have it all planned out but lets see how many problems I encounter along the way, not to mention his glasses are going to be tricky to change. Good luck to me.

-Marice


Anime images via animevice.com