Seiki Soejima was credited as the character designer for Hakushu Murasame in 'New Sakura Wars.'
| New Sakura Wars | Character design for Hakushu Murasame |
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Production and performance
Seiki Soejima was credited as the character designer for Hakushu Murasame in 'New Sakura Wars.'
Various image works in early Atlus
After graduating in 1995, Seiki Soejima joined Atlus, while the company was producing Persona. In the early days, the division of labor was not yet refined; besides drawing, he also created pixel art, and his work was not limited to character design drafts.
Drawing, coloring, and post-processing touch-up
In a 2017 interview, Soejima placed pen-based tasks like drawing lines and coloring at SAI, using Photoshop to retouch tones and create special effects. After the music for a game under development is completed, he requests data as soon as possible, listening to the soundtrack while drawing to ensure the visual atmosphere resonates with the music of the work.
Shifting from drawing power to design purposes
After joining Atlus, Soejima realized that his drawing ability was not the same as his design ability that matched his goals, and he began to re-examine design work. His boss once asked him to create designs he truly appreciated, so he analyzed his personal preferences and sought the direction for his own development.
Text is set up with images shared by the team
Soejima transformed the general image of the character in words into images, allowing the team to collectively identify the parts that words found difficult to express. Design also requires considering the actual production conditions of the 3D model, movements, and animation, as well as constraints such as sibling characters needing similar features.
Leading design to originality
When designing personas for the "Persona" series, Soejima first considered whether the audience would feel cool, surprised, or otherwise impressioned, then adjusted the materials. He will also add question-provoking details, hoping viewers will further trace the original image to the source.
Communication and document requests for the same position
In 2017, when introducing the company's operational methods, Shigeki Soejima emphasized the convenience of employees in different positions working together at ATLUS: when questions arise, they could directly talk to the relevant personnel. He also requests equipment and materials for specific tasks and uses the company's internal accumulated data.
Related entries
- Participated Works:New Sakura Wars
- Designers:Village rain in the white autumn
- Introducing internal job communication, document requests, and co-designing roles at the company (2017 interview):ATLUS
References
- SEGA: Message from the production staff
- SEGA: Hakushu Murasame
- pixivision: Interview with Seiki Soejima Studio and character design
Data compiled on: 2026-10-10.