Tal ▚▘▚▘▚▘ @DevTaloner

The lifespan of great IP in the NFT world is much longer than you'd expect. @cryptopunks has been around for 9 years. This means as a new creator today you need to have a long-term vision. Otherwise you won't achieve the steadfastness of OG bluechips.

Another Sunday night, scheming and dreaming about world domination.

One interesting observation I made is that trait rarity not always dictates price. Meaning certain traits might be more rare on paper but less valued by collectors. And other traits might be slightly more common but highly sought after because of their aesthetics. That further means, especially early on, be very careful what you buy/sell. Because the market will reprice traits according to taste, and not solely based on rarity numbers. On the other hand, if you have a good feeling for what people might value visually, you could be able to make some great buys before the prices increase.

One key aspect I pursue is variety and creative diversity amongst traits and items. I believe this is what makes collections interesting to holders and where you as the creator can showcase your passion for the project. That's why I go out of my way to avoid conventional traits that have already been (over)done by other collections (for example laser eyes, pirate hat, zombie). But the real challenge is that you can't get rid of "boring" traits per se. Because the less desirable traits are those which differentiate floor NFTs from more expensive ones. That means you kind of have to make some characters less cool or more plain. Otherwise you might dilute the value at the top. Then, yet again, you do not want floor NFTs to look bad. Otherwise the collection is not attractive to new buyers or you potentially hurt the quality of the brand. So I'm working very carefully on making floor NFTs look great, but grails phenomenal... while at the same time balancing a clear visual differentiation between rarities.

This is one of the earliest concepts for the worldbuilding of Majin. The purpose of these illustrations is to visualize ideas for the brand. It’s also a way to test the color palette, get a better feeling for the “vibe”, place items or traits within the world of Majin, and to explore how we can communicate scale through art. Again, this is just a concept so don’t get too attached to it. But a variation of the "black broken halo" will be one of the many traits in the collection.

The creator of "Squid Game" took the idea for his show from the Japanese mangas "Battle Royale", "Liar Game" and "Kaiji". He said while he was developing "Squid Game", he often read those Japanese survival-game manga and thought about applying the survival-genre elements to a Korean situation. This is how Netflix’s most-watched show and biggest series launch ever came about. Straight out of Japanese manga. When you manage to create a strong IP, it can have an impact on entire industries for decades. That's the limitless power of Japanese creativity.

"Kill Bill" is actually based on a Japanese manga from 1972. The original title was called "Lady Snowblood" (later also released as a movie). And because Tarantino is a fan of Ghost in the Shell, he hired the Japanese animation studio that produced the Ghost in the Shell movie from 1995. They then created the animated backstory of O-Ren Ishii which is literally an anime sequence within the "Kill Bill" movie. Another influence for "Kill Bill" was the manga "Lone Wolf and Cub" from 1970. And the iconic yellow tracksuit of the "Kill Bill" main character (Uma Thurman) was taken from the Hong Kong movie "Game of Death" with Bruce Lee. Japan and the East have forever inspired and fascinated the West. Either directly or indirectly.

Just like Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, and One Piece, we follow the tradition of chibi / SD (ちび・スーパーデフォルメ) content for bonus material, non-canon segments, and behind-the-scenes illustrations. From a business perspective, this is commercially valuable because chibi / SD formats naturally translate into merchandise, social media content, short animated clips etc. But it also gives Majin a clear separation between the main canon (serious, dark, beautiful, high-impact character art) vs. the chibi / SD style, which functions as a lighter, non-canon extension of the world. This is a proven approach within anime / manga culture which allows a brand to keep its main story and visual identity while creating lighter, more accessible content that new fans can enjoy. We want Majin to be authentic Japanese through and through. So we learn from the most successful franchises and empower our Japanese artists to uphold traditions and the highest standards.

This early concept visualizes the relationship of a character with her companion. These little friends are part of the collection and play a vital role in Majin. But be careful: they are not just rare and cute. They protect their owners and may at times display unexpected capabilities.

This is a quick insight into how DeGods created their character for the y00t collection. The big takeaway is that a lot of experimenting is necessary and sufficient time needs to be spent in exploring the art direction. Because collectors and holders historically have shown to appreciate originality, attention to detail, and passion. Which means: the more you put into getting the style and characters right, the greater the chances for the collection to moon.

Brands like Azuki or DeGods had massive traction because they did things differently. They gave the industry something entirely new. And they both followed very specific steps to build their collections. It’s important for us to learn from them so that we can push the space further and make NFTs exciting again.

We create the universe first, and then place our NFTs, traits, grails, etc. in it. The old recipe of launching a 10k collection into a void, and then coming up with lore and meaning after the fact won't work anymore. It's not convincing enough to compete with bluechips. That's why we have to take it further. Yes, the metaverse might not become a reality, but just like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars built their own worlds, we aim to do the same, because it's a proven way to make an IP mainstream compatible and attractive to an audience beyond web3.

Watch 'till the end to for a peak at some of the characters and demons in MAJIN.

In our pursuit of timeless aesthetics, we take inspiration from the Greek and Roman Empires.

How detailed is your art? Me: Yes.

We aim to bring a fresh look to NFTs. Something that has never been done before. A collection with unique traits, new utility, stunning artwork, original IP, and deep lore.

My ambitions for the artwork of Majin is that it excites an audience beyond the crypto and NFT space. I want to achieve mainstream virality and give the world something beautiful that's universally appreciated.

My vision for Majin’s lore is heavily influenced by anime and manga like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Berserk, Hellsing… that’s why it covers apocalyptic themes, demons, sacrifice, but will also include a good amount of dark humor and weirdness as you might know from Chainsaw Man.

@majinbrand Facts! Beautiful trait

The beauty in Azuki. How the “spirit” trait impacted CT.