Interest

Tokyo Babylon 2021 Character Designs Appear to Reference K-Pop Group, Volks Doll

The character design materials from Studio GoHands' anime adaptation of CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon manga appear to reference a promotional photo featuring Yeri from the Korean girl group Red Velvet. The photo was taken to promote the group's The ReVe Festival EPs released last year.

The outfit is worn by character Subaru's twin sister Hokuto Sumeragi and appears in key visuals. Hokuto, like many CLAMP heroines, was fashionable in her own right. She was often drawn in couture-style outfits in the original manga artwork.

Ironically, Red Velvet's management group SM Entertainment was accused of plaigerizing Paris 99 brand designer Paris Starn. The outfits worn in the teaser image (a completely different look than the one shown above) for Red Velvet's album The ReVe Festival Day 2 closely resembled Starn's work.

Hokuto's brother Subaru often appears in the manga and earlier anime adaptations in religious attire worthy of an onmyōji. In the past, his robes were white with purple or lavender accented tassels.

Studio GoHand's reinterpretation seems to be modeled after a Volks doll and outfit.

The outfit was sold as an "onmyoji" accessory online and appeared in catalogs in 2017.

Anime News Network attempted to reach Studio GoHands for comment but was unable to locate official contact information for the studio.

Tokyo Babylon 2021 is based on CLAMP's serialized manga series that ran in Shinshokan's South and Monthly Wings magazines from 1990 to 1993. Kadokawa has since published a three-volume keepsake edition. Tokyopop published the seven regular volumes in English, and then Dark Horse Comics published the manga in two omnibus volumes.

The new anime is slated to premiere in April. Makoto Furuta (Seitokai Yakuindomo, K: Seven Stories - The Idol K) is listed as the character designer with Hiroshi Okubo as the prop designer.

Thank you to Matias for the news tip.

Source: Reddit