Fanart Friday returns, live and in-person at Anime Expo 2014 in the Los Angeles Convention Center! Last week, we celebrated the many roles of favorite voice actor Tomokazu Seki, but this week--celebrating Independence Day--it's all about REVOLUTIONARIES!
Underdogs make for great heroes--it's easy to root for someone who's taking on an enemy that's bigger and stronger than they are, and revolutionaries are almost always taking on impossible odds in the name of freedom, love, or just the vague promise of making the world a better place. Let's get started!
DISCLAIMER: None of the art presented is the property of myself or Crunchyroll. All characters and series are tm and © their respective creators and corporate owners. All art is the creative property of their respective artists. Any artists who wish to have their work removed from this article may contact me, and appropriate action will be immediately taken.
by 烏鴨
It's not often that you get a revolutionary and a prominent member of the establishment in a casual setting, but, well... here we are. Formerly taking a strong militaristic stance against the Amanto, Gintama's oddball Katsura (and Elizabeth) now try to advocate more peaceful methods to bring change to their world.
by zaphylla
...wait... wrong series? No, this is definitely the members of Celestial Being from Gundam 00, but they're (rather appropriately) dressed up as the Shinsengumi, famous historical revolutionaries that you can learn a little more about by watching, oh... any one of the ridiculous amount of anime and movies and dramas made about them!
by 119
So here's my favorite part of almost every Fanart Friday, where I talk about a series that I haven't watched (because for real, there is only so much time in a day and we license like f**king everything almost), but World Conquest Zvezda Plot does run on our big monitors when you walk into the Crunchyroll office. All I know is, uh... they're trying to take over and/or change the world, and they're led by a loli? You guys fill in the blanks on this one!
by ultmte READER SUBMISSION!
Now, I have seen Guilty Crown! When you're living life under a totalitarian regime (something I have absolutely no experience with), it always seems like the only option to making life better isn't to climb up the ladder and work hard--it's to take the fight to your oppressors.
by kaya
Kinda like Mustang and company do in Fullmetal Alchemist! Mustang doesn't like the way Amestris is running things, so he tries to (legally) make changes from within, setting an example with strong and ethical leadership. When that doesn't work, the gloves come off (on, in Mustang's case?) and he and his crew rise up against King Bradley's tyrannical reign.
by めの
Not all stories about revolution have to take place with the "rebellion fighting the government" setup. In Wandering Son, society's norms are challenged by a boy who identifies as a girl, and a girl who identifies as a boy. Obviously, there's a lot of pushback and drama, because people have a hard time accepting what they don't understand. I'm not gonna lie--I don't understand it very well, but it's definitely not my place to tell someone that the way they feel inside is wrong.
by 精神暗黒街 こう
On a much lighter note, let me say just how much I appreciate seeing the thongs throngs of Kill la Kill cosplayers here at AX, especially the dude cosplaying as Light Up Nipple Man. I know he has a name, but I don't care--he will forever be Light Up Nipple Man.
by hora(原稿中)
Everybody knows that One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates, but did you know that his father, Monkey D. Dragon, is a powerful and influential revolutionary dead-set on toppling the corrupt World Government? THE PLOT THICKENS!
by celebistar READER SUBMISSION!
I didn't get to watch much of Nobunagun, but it basically involves people channelling the powers of long-dead historical figures--in this case, Geronimo, a brave Native American who put it all on the line to take on the United States government. Question for our non-American readers: how much American history gets taught to you guys? This is more a curiosity thing than anything else, and I completely understand learning your own country's history before a foreign one, so please! Sate my curiosity!
by ウヤ
Kenshin's kind of an interesting case. Before Rurouni Kenshin even started, he was a lethal assassin going by the title "Battousai," carrying out brutal, public killings for the Imperialist rebels. After the war, he starts a more personal revolution, to make sure that people solve problems without killing each other (but kicking ten shades of shit out of someone with what's basically a steel bat is okay).
by 錦(蚊取犬/かとりいぬ)
Awright, so... the American Revolution is not nearly as hilarious as Hetalia would have you believe. Lots of people died on both sides in a vicious back-and-forth fight between Britain and the newly-founded United States of America (with a huge, constantly-forgotten assist from France). XXX years later, the US is entering a surprisingly welcome Anglophile period, with lots of love for British pop culture. Thank you for the Beatles, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Harry Potter--all we have to give you is Justin Bieber.
No, for real, take him. Take him or we're just leaving him on North Korea's doorstep, which they'll probably consider another act of war.
by REI
I lovingly, jokingly refer to Gundam 00 as "Gundam W II," and I think that's a fair-enough description. These five hardasses introduced many female anime fans to their first husbando, and a lot of guys got over their whole "pretty boys are lame" mentality after they saw Zechs busting heads.
by カトキチ
Oh good god, Team Plasma! Have I mentioned how much I hate these dorks? You want to change the world and keep people from using Pokemon in battle... and you do this by using Pokemon. Just once, I'd like to fight an enemy in a Pokemon game who has, like... a suit of armor or some crazy contraption that I'll have to use all my skills and wits to defeat... just for a change of pace.
Oh, what the hell, it doesn't really need to change--I'll still buy it anyway.
by 朝乃耀
Last week, somebody requested art of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex's Individual Eleven, and god almighty it's hard to find art of these guys. So here's a member of the Individual Eleven sinking in a really good ankle-lock on Gatou!
by MadPandaKira READER SUBMISSION!
Once again going back to Gintama, leading man-child Gintoki used to be a fearless battlefield terror in the fight against the Amanto. Now, though? I won't say he's lost the will to fight--more like he only fights when he has to. They fought the war, they lost, now it's time to get on with life, no matter how much you hate the system.
by 風李たゆ
Words cannot express just how much I like Revolutionary Girl Utena. Yes, it's right there in the title, but that whole scene at the end where they turn into cars, and--oh, what, that wasn't in the manga? Or the TV series? Yes, I know, but it was so cool! So weird! Why can't I get this movie on Blu-ray yet?
by car6s
For a long time, I thought of Shakugan no Shana's Yuji Sakai as a boring, milquetoast generic hero who just happened to wield a giant broadsword every now and then. Come to find out, he has this badass extra form, and he's... hell, I didn't get that far in the series. What is the Serpent of the Festival?
by OroNoDa READER SUBMISSION!
Oh look, there's Kenshin as the fearless, ruthless Battousai the Manslayer. Actually, anyone complaining about that name needs to calm down--"hitokiri" uses the kanji for "person" and "cutting," so you could also call him... Battousai the Butcher! Nah, too alliterative.
by 祈印
Much as I love Black Lagoon, anything to do with Roberta's Blood Trail just feels kind of depressing. I mean, she's fighting for a pretty good reason... but she's kinda gone off the deep end, too. I need to finish it.
by ME! Uhh... AUTHOR SUBMISSION!
Yes, this is my art, and I apologize--I don't have a scanner at the moment, so I just went the lazy route and took a picture of it. In Fist of the North Star, Raoh has trampled what's left of the world under his boot, declaring himself Ken-Oh, the Fist King. Acting as kind of a one-man revolution, little brother Kenshiro has to put Raoh in his place... but it's not without cost.
by Shin C Z
It'd feel kinda wrong to have a Fanart Friday about revolutionaries and somehow not include Star Wars' Rebel Alliance! I keep talking about wanting a Star Wars anime... maybe two 39-episode individual series, maybe 8-10 episodes per movie with a little supplementary stuff in-between to connect them?
by c・まったり更新停滞
Yes, I know we've used this picture before, but it's so good. So we're gonna play a little game, and get you guys ready for the scavenger hunt I'm putting together for Fanart Friday's three-year anniversary: the first reader to PM me with the Fanart Friday this picture was last used in gets a month's worth of All-Access Membership. Sound good? Get those PMs to me!
by みかづき
I would say something about ending on a happy note--and this is a happy picture--but revolutions don't always have completely happy endings. Even if the heroes win, most times it's with a smaller group than when they started, and the characters (and to some extent you) are left asking if it was all worth it.
And that's everything for this week! There's no way I could have included everybody--who are your favorite scrappy underdogs, freedom fighters, and more? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Like I say every week, your work is always welcome on Fanart Friday, regardless of your skill level or experience. Just PM me a link to your work, and I'll make sure to include it in a future installment! Here are the next three themes for Fanart Friday:
-Next week, on JULY 11th, we take a break from all this celebration for some SAD and DEPRESSING, SOUL-CRUSHING and HEARTBREAKING stories! What anime and games tear your heart out and stomp on it while you watch? I swear I'll find a way to include some Nicholas Sparks fanart in here, too, and you only have CR user pinkydo77 to blame. THIS IS THE ONLY THEME I'M TAKING REQUESTS FOR THIS WEEK!
-Then, on JULY 18th, we're getting a tune-up alongside the mighty MACHINES! Whether a character's a straight-up robot, an artificial intelligence, or retains some humanity as a cyborg, they're welcome for this installment!
-On JULY 25th, it's time for another voice acting favorite with MEGUMI HAYASHIBARA! Any takers on which legendary role gets the headline image for this one?
Thanks again for coming by to check us out! If you're headed to Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, make sure you drop by the Crunchyroll booth (it's right there at the front door) and say hey--we're here all weekend! We've got goodies for existing members, a bunch of special prizes for folks who want to sign up for a Free Trial, and the chance to win a bitchin' Crunchyroll-branded PS3, along with other contests and giveaways at our stage! Give us a visit and enjoy the loudest, most fun booth at the entire con!
To those of you that won't be able to make it to the con, have a great, safe weekend with your friends and loved ones, and I hope you drop by next week!
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