Thanks to the success of 'Violet Blooming Garden,' Uehara Etsuki rose in one leap to become one of the top and most popular key animators in the industry. She could have used this opportunity to soar to even greater heights, yet she refused countless offers from major companies and chose to remain at Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd.
Neither Kyoni Animation nor outsiders could understand her decision. No one knew why she would give up such a hard-earned, promising path. Kamiyā Yuu knew no more than the public—virtually nothing. Uehara Etsuki, who declined all interviews, never gave any particular explanation.
As for Kamiyā Yuu's impression of her, beyond being a Yamato Nadeshiko, there was perhaps one more label to add: a mysterious witch.
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In the evening after work, Kamiyā Yuu arrived at Uehara Etsuki's office right on time. As soon as he entered, he saw her delicate hands lifting a long-handled bamboo ladle, pouring cool water into a peculiar Japanese tea utensil. After noticing his arrival, she unhurriedly picked up a tea whisk and began preparing the tea in the uniquely shaped bowl.
The Japanese tea ceremony originated from China, yet over time it has evolved into a distinct cultural practice. Alongside flower arrangement, it was considered one of the two essential skills a proper Yamato Nadeshiko must master. The Japanese tea ceremony emphasized "harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility." It demanded not only strict technique and etiquette but also inner calm—without a composed mind, one would not be considered a qualified practitioner.
With a calm expression, Uehara Etsuki slightly lifted the long sleeves of her kimono. With jade-like hands, she placed the prepared tea before Kamiyā Yuu and said gently, "Please."
"Thank you, sensei." Kamiyā Yuu didn't rush. Sitting down at the desk, he held the simple Japanese tea bowl with both hands and took a small sip. The tea was slightly cool, its aroma fresh yet tinged with bitterness. Soon after touching his tongue, a lingering sweetness emerged. Tasting it carefully, he could clearly feel how different it was from the cheap tea he usually brewed.
"How is the taste?"
"Hmm… I don't really understand the tea ceremony," Kamiyā Yuu pondered before answering honestly. He shrugged and smiled. "At first, it feels similar to the bottled green tea from vending machines, but the flavor is much more complex. After a while, there's a sweetness left in the mouth that's different from ordinary tea. Maybe… I'm just not suited for this kind of tea."
"It's only tea—there's no such thing as suitability. This bowl was prepared for you to enjoy. Still, your evaluation isn't exactly pleasing to hear. I was rather hoping this tea would have a more distinctive taste," Uehara Etsuki said with a faint smile as she moved the tea utensils aside.
Kamiyā Yuu noticed that aside from the simple tea tools, the porcelain bottle used to hold the water looked exceptionally refined. Intricate and elegant dragon patterns were carved onto its surface, coiling all the way up to the slender neck.
The dragon motif in Japan was inherited from China. At a glance, there wasn't much difference, but influenced by the ukiyo-e style, Japanese dragons always carried a somewhat… indescribable peculiarity. In any case, Kamiyā Yuu had never really liked the ukiyo-e aesthetic.
The porcelain bottle contained the cool water Uehara Etsuki had just used. Judging from its antique elegance alone, he suspected the price of a single bottle might not be much lower than his monthly salary. As a second key animator, he earned just over 100,000 yen per month. With the current depreciation of the yen, which amounted to a little over 10,000 RMB, it was decent white-collar income in his previous world. But here in Tokyo, where the cost of living was equally staggering, it was only enough to ensure that he and Kamiyā Sora lived without too much hardship.
After tidying up the tea set, Uehara Etsuki took out a brown folder and placed it in front of him with a faint smile. "These are the character design drafts you entrusted to me last week. My apologies for the delay—I've been quite busy recently."
"Thank you very much. The timing is perfect. Honestly, being able to complete these within this month after accepting Mr. Yamaguchi's request is already more than enough for me," Kamiyā Yuu replied solemnly, unable to hide the anticipation rising in his heart.
When he took the folder with both hands, he felt a slight surprise. Judging by its thickness, the number of drawings inside seemed far greater than what he had originally handed over—several times more, in fact.
"Sensei, may I open it?"
"Of course."
Inside the folder, aside from the original Ruby Rose character sketches he had given her, there were three additional sets—over twenty pages of character design drawings in total.
—Three sets? No wonder it's this thick.
Kamiyā Yuu flipped through them one by one. At first glance, he felt a level of visual impact comparable to 'Violet Blooming Garden.' Unlike Uehara Etsuki's simple style in 'Mr. Onigiri Man, these designs for Ruby Rose truly showcased her full artistic prowess.
The style was delicate and refined, with intricate linework that made it hard to imagine the sheer effort required to produce even a single drawing. Despite the complexity, it didn't feel chaotic at all. Every line was precisely placed, the softness and detail perfectly capturing the ornate elegance characteristic of the Gothic style.
In Gothic-style character design, the most important element isn't the character or the background—it's the clothing. Gothic clothing. Any artist with experience in this area knows just how taxing Gothic dresses are on one's patience. In fact, this is exactly what determines whether an artist truly excels in the Gothic style. Some artists simplify clothing details, which can still give laypeople a sense of Gothic refinement, but it inevitably strips away the essence of the style.
Just how complex are Gothic garments? Countless folds, the translucency of fabrics, the intricate patterns and cutouts of lace, the control of shadows, and so on. If being able to depict metallic texture in black-and-white comics is considered the baseline for an artist, then rendering Gothic clothing is dozens of times more difficult.
The defining traits of Japanese Gothic style are meticulousness, refinement, and a suffocating sense of opulence. These Ruby Rose character designs were even more detailed than those in 'Violet Blooming Garden'—they hardly seemed like something meant for animation production.
"I've tried my best to follow your requirements while drawing these designs," Uehara Etsuki said, sitting upright as she considered her words. "The detailed style you requested is certainly achievable, but such complex linework may not be suitable for animation. Taking into account your original sketches, I prepared three versions. I hope at least one of them meets your expectations."
Kamiyā Yuu took a deep breath, placed the drawings back into the folder, then stood up and gave her a respectful bow. "No—I'm already extremely satisfied. Truly, thank you very, very much, sensei."
Repeating "very" three times was enough to reveal the excitement in his heart.
These designs might indeed be unsuitable for standard animation production. Setting aside other factors, an average animator might need a full day—or even several days—to complete just one such drawing. Yet a single episode of anime typically required 3,000 to 5,000 frames, while something like 'Violet Blooming Garden' could require 8,000 to over 10,000.
However, Kamiyā Yuu only intended to use Uehara Etsuki's designs as references, recreating them within 3D modeling software. The limitations of traditional animation weren't an issue for 3D animation—those intricate Gothic details could be carved into the model using different materials during the sculpting process.
Uehara Etsuki paused slightly, then smiled calmly. "I see. That's good."
The three sets of character designs she provided all differed slightly in costume and temperament while remaining faithful to Ruby Rose's core concept. Unlike the simpler design of Ruby Rose in the original 'RWBY,' Uehara Etsuki's versions refined the Gothic clothing further while complementing Ruby Rose's spirited and bright personality.
What Kamiyā Yuu needed to consider next was whether his own abilities were sufficient to perfectly recreate these intricate details.