Happy [Fourth] Anniversary for the Zeldanime Project

Happy Anniversary, Zeldanime! - 4 Years

Zeldanime started back in 2009 after I wrote to my friend and partner Monette (Crazyfreak) to revive and continue the Zeldanime series she was doing.  Back then, Zeldanime was a series of illustrations that looked like "snapshots", as if it was an actual anime series.

Link by Crazyfreak - 2007

After a few years, lots of hard work, interruptions, school, work, personal business, we finally finished Episode 1 in May 2013 with over 110 pages, side-projects and illustrations on the side.

This post is about our experience with Zeldanime.



I pitched the idea to her to make it into a comic in August, and in November, we had our script, concept artwork, and our cover artwork for the first chapter ready to go.  In February (today's date) we posted our first batch of colored pages with Princess Zelda battling different fighters in search of a worthy opponent.

Princess Zelda by Crazyfreak - 2007

I absolutely loved Monette's design for Zelda.  The short hair, dark palette, and piercing eyes really captured a different type of personality for the Princess that we haven't seen before (until maybe Twilight Princess, but even then, she's pretty gentle.) I couldn't let Monette let that character disappear.

Monette and I also had a silly fascination and liking for the old Zelda cartoon (which is what our webcomic is based off of); it was so cheesy and goofy, but done pretty well for what it was.  The music is orchestrated (I think?) and it actually had some pretty good moments despite Link's awful (and by that I mean hilarious) dialogue.

Following Monette's idea for an anime Zelda, I suggested we follow exactly what she had in mind--making the Zelda cartoon an "anime", only we had to make it a comic.  We weren't animators at the time and even then, it would take an eternity with just 2 people, especially with school and work in the way.
We would Skype and chat for hours just thinking of different possibilities for stories, how we should design the characters, how they should interact with each other and the different personalities they should have.  It was honestly one of the best experiences I've had to be able to work on something with someone else who was just as passionate (if not more) about the project as I was.

For the first year or so, we were fast and 100% dedicated to the project.  We were working on pages every day we could (sometimes when we shouldn't have been) and were releasing batches of pages every couple weeks.  It wasn't until the third chapter where things really slowed down, right before the Dodongo fight.  For fans, you might remember that there was a 5 month hiatus.  This is due to school and work-related scheduling.  Zeldanime, after all, as much as we'd like for it to be at the top of our to-do lists, was last priority.  Monette was finishing up her thesis for school, and I was entering one of the more busy semesters of my college career.  Luckily, we had the help from one of our recruited members, Jessica G (Skitamine, formerly Sylphide) to take up the painting role and help Monette color the pages for the remainder of the comic.

Side-note and some "behind the scenes" trivia: The Dodongo fight was my masterpiece--that is until I finished half-way through and realized I was more excited to draw the encounter with Ganon.  Everything I drew in the Dodongo fight was exactly how I imagined it from the very start of the comic, from Zelda taking up the bow to the soldiers helping and Link almost getting eaten, I was drawing & inking 3 pages a day for that scene (and that's pretty fast!)

After Jessica took over for coloring, things went pretty smoothly, and soon enough we were finished with Episode 1 in May!

After Episode 1 - Otakon 2013

With Otakon 2013 around the corner, I was pumped to show off our team's completed comic--in print form.  Getting it to be printed was already an ordeal and it should have alerted me that there was going to be trouble ahead...
I worked with a local printer to help me print out hundreds of copies of the comic.  It wasn't cheap, not in the slightest--It was the biggest risk I took after coming out of college, but I was excited because I knew people wanted to have it.

During Otakon 2013, I shared a table with Rachel's Rupees, where I showcased myself as an ambassador for Zeldanime and myself as an artist on the side.  First day, things started off great: We had our table set up, artwork hung, and things were off to a good start; I sold 3 copies within the first few minutes!
Things took a turn when the administrators came by and shut me down--for at least the printed comic (the poster prints were fine).
Monette and I discussed many times trying to figure out how it was possible to print and sell fan comics because it happens and without consequence, it seems.  I don't get it... Turns out that it's mainly the U.S. and Otakon that are the most uptight about licensing.  It makes sense, but to me, it also doesn't.  Like I said before, fan-comics happen all the time and for sale.
With thousands of dollars in the hole without any chance to make it up, I tried my best to continue the sale of the comic--I didn't even care about profit, I just wanted to spread and share our work, but printing is hella expensive.  At this point, nothing would work; I couldn't cover up the name of the books, I couldn't even have it on display.

After this debacle, my drive for Zeldanime and even the Legend of Zelda series has taken a mighty blow.  Zeldanime was my way of expressing what I thought the Zelda series should be or at least incorporate: more in-depth relationships between characters and more adventure.  With the knowledge that I could not publish my comic after spending so many hundreds of dollars on it, I no longer have the desire to work on Zeldanime because there's only a dead end waiting at the end.
I wish I could continue working on it, but between the heavy loss and trying to start my own career, it is hard even to just have the time to dedicate to the project.

Cheers, Zeldanime Team!

Episode 1 Cover - 2009

I haven't given up or dropped the project yet; as some may have seen, the side-stories "Link's Past" and "Dead Hand" have been in production (though "Dead Hand" has also gone into hiatus because of a lack of communication between the members of a separate team who are also trying to start their own careers working on other piorities.) I still write for the scripts and am always doing research for creature and character designs every now and then, but it doesn't do much good if we can't illustrate it the way we used to.

Where the Zeldanime Project will go now is a mystery; the team has started to focus on other things.  As much as we love the project, we just don't know what will happen.  If by some miracle we were allowed to work on it as our jobs, I would jump on board immediately and do nothing but work on Zeldanime if we could publish it. (Hey Nintendo, wink wink!)

But until then, it's up in the air.

I will say that if Zeldanime does crumble and we do end up closing up shop, my one wish is that I can actually meet the Zeldanime Team in person one day at a convention or even on vacation. (I tried to gather every for Otakon 2013, but no one could make it)

I've known Monette since I was 10-12, (who's counting?) and we used to talk about visiting each other--it still hasn't happened yet but dammit, it will!



I'm always going to be a Zelda fan and of course I'm not going to just say, "screw it" and drop Zeldanime and all the hundreds of copies that are sitting in boxes and leave them to rot.  Something's going to happen with Zeldanime and it's going to be good!