Popular Japanese illustrator redjuice, known for his character designs and collaborations like Hatsune Miku, hololiveEN’s IRyS, EGOIST, BEATLESS, and the anime Guilty Crown, held a solo art exhibition titled “REDBOX” in Tokyo on March 22, 2024! A few members of Tokyo Otaku Mode headed to the showroom floor, and we’re excited to share with you what we saw!
redjuice made his first huge impression with Hatsune Miku fans around the globe when he drew the illustration for Supercell’s song “World is Mine'' in 2008! Sixteen years later, redjuice has reimagined this influential artwork and made “World is Mine 2024” the key visual for his REDBOX exhibition!
From the wine red and black checkered floor to the scattered rose petals beside her chair, you’ll notice many of the same themes and patterns between “World is Mine 2024” and the original 2008 version. The new scenery adds a more three dimensional depth to the artwork, allowing more lighting opportunities to be shown. We think Miku was a bit more playfully seductive in the 2008 version, but she’s confidently in charge wearing her petite crown for the 2024 touch-up.
For figure enthusiasts, you can pre-order the new Nendoroid Hatsune Miku: World is Mine 2024 version from the TOM Shop, and a scale figure is also in development!!
We’re glad redjuice chose “World is Mine” for REDBOX’s key visual, and trust us when we say, it was stunning to see his artwork in person! All of the artwork featured in this exhibition was printed using a high quality printer, which created an authentic replica of the original digital art. Every character, no matter the size of the art panel, popped because of the color replication!
Across from Hatsune Miku were several panels of redjuice’s original characters from “Girls from Hell”! Beatrice is the newest member in the series and was featured again at REDBOX! “Girls from Hell” explores the concept of demon girls, from another world, in modern day. Corne, Viola, Angie, and several others in the series run the gambit of themes and styles including tech, fantasy, highschool girl fashion, and more!
Corne was the cover of redjuice’s doujinshi titled "EXHAUST" in 2018. However, he didn’t begin creating additional characters until the summer of 2020. We felt like each character’s design was refreshing, unique, and cool! They’ve quickly become an important representation of redjuice and his current art direction. We’re looking forward to seeing what kinds of characters he’ll add to “Girls from Hell” in the future!
Viola has an amazing scale figure that caught our attention a couple of years ago! We currently have the figure in stock, so don’t miss your chance to add it to your collection!
As we walked a bit farther we saw a large section dedicated to EGOIST! You may remember this musical unit from the anime Guilty Crown in 2011. EGOIST’s singer, Inori, has worn many outfits and styles over the past decade, and it was nice seeing them all side by side at REDBOX!
Even though the singer behind Inori took a break from her activities in EGOIST in late 2023, she’s still an important part of redjuice’s history! We’re huge fans of the look from her 10th anniversary EP, “BANG!!!”
Many fans, including ourselves, discovered redjuice’s art for the first time when watching Guilty Crown. He provided the design and art direction for the anime’s characters, and we remember being attracted to their futuristic style.
In fact, one thing you’ll notice throughout the entire exhibition is how bold redjuice’s art looks in person! He’s always focused on drawing characters in a sci-fi, fantasy setting with hard lines, realistic lighting, and creating backgrounds that make use of the latest digital technology. We believe the captivating backgrounds accentuate the characters while adding to their personality!
Just when you think you’ve got redjuice figured out, you’ll discover another side to his art! There’s numerous artwork on display from mobile games he’s lent his talent to like Fate/Grand Order! He provided the key visual for Ashura: Vermilion Edge, an event update within Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz, to celebrate the game’s 11th anniversary!
Of course, redjuice couldn’t leave out IRyS! You’ll find artwork of her awaiting you at the end of REDBOX. A new generation of Vtuber fans were introduced to him after he designed this hololiveEN character! She’s one of his most notable character designs in the past few years, and he’s included early rough sketches, character reference details, and a few pieces of art from his IRyS-focused doujinshi “HOLOGRAPHYSICS” throughout the exhibition.
We had a great time at the exhibition and were taken back by the amount of rare rough drafts and research notes shown. It’s a great opportunity to see what an illustrator thinks about when they’re creating a character!
Finally, there’s the merch! From “World is Mine 2024” acrylic goods to “Girls from Hell” clear files, his previous doujinshi, t-shirts, canvas art panels, killer skateboard decks, and more, there’s a little something for everyone to purchase!
The good news for you is that Tokyo Otaku Mode will be selling a selection of this merch on the TOM Shop via redjuice’s feature page! The pre-order period will run from Apr. 7th until May 8th. (PDT)
If you’re in the Tokyo area from March 22nd to April 7, 2024, take a bit of time to check out the REDBOX exhibition! It’s located on the 8th floor of the Yurakucho Marui building, and the exhibition is free to enter!
Curious to know more about redjuice?Read our exclusive interview with redjuice featuring Q&A from overseas fans!
© REDBOX