Animefied!: Graphic artist reveals the next big thing in anime
With anime dominating the television scene at that time, animation student Ran uses his love for a known animation in Japan to give a new twist to popular and historical characters in the Philippines.
“I grew up watching and loving anime shows and ever since then [I was inspired] to make my own characters [and] even my own animated movie [with] that kind of style,” Ran Carmona said in an interview with The Spiral Journal.
The collection of his works, including those that gained popularity, can be found in his Facebook page, “Arts of Ran” and can be viewed on other social media sites like Twitter and Instagram.
His top artworks include: “Nature’s Greetings,” entailing man’s connection to nature; a fan art on the phenomenal love team “AlDub”; a sketch of President Duterte together with former presidents such as Benigno Aquino III, Gloria Arroyo, Joseph Estrada and Fidel Ramos; and his latest take on the historical novel of Dr. Jose Rizal, “Noli Me Tangere.”
These works established Carmona’s image as an artist and attracted online subscribers—even getting a feature on the local TV show, Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, with a chance to meet Maine Mendoza (Yaya Dub) and Alden Richards.
Mark of art
When asked why he chose “Noli Me Tangere,” the 28-year old artist cited the novel’s great impact to the nation. For him, remaking the novel, through anime, was his way to contribute in maintaining its significance.
“I really want to boost our sense of nationalism by showing how rich and beautiful our history is and [I also want] to honor our heroes [who] fought for it,” he said. “You could expect a lot more artworks from me that are inspired from our history or culture in general.”
Aside from being a freelance graphic artist, Carmona works on novels by renowned authors like John Green, Ransom Riggs and Nicholas Sparks during his free time, even baking or binge-watching series like Game of Thrones, which enhanced his interest in prosthetic make-ups.