NOTE: This article is meant for those 18+. Discretion is advised.
For this year, FAKKU's guest is none other than Karasu Chan, an artist from Taiwan. Karasu Chan is well known for his distinct art style with bold lines and more importantly, monster girls. If you like monster girls, you would be hard-pressed to find an artist better than Karasu Chan.
Today, Karasu Chan is accompanied by another Taiwanese artist, Maasan. As FAKKU primarily focuses on Japanese media, that means they do not have a native Chinese speaker. Maasan does speak Japanese so as needed we had translation from English to Japanese to Chinese. Karasu Chan does have a decent grasp on the English language so he answered primarily in English. We also had Hirano from Wani Magazine, the Japanese magazine in which Karasu Chan's work is published.
Karasu Chan would draw simultaneously while also answering questions from the audience.
This is our starting point for the sketch:
Questions and answers have been modified for clarity
Q: What do you think about when you see the word "America?"
Karasu Chan: The junk food, especially the cheeseburgers. We went to In-n-Out and got a real American cheeseburger. Oh, and there was a seagull and it started shitting on the table we were sitting at. I had to eat my burger and avoid the poop, and there were seagulls staring from the roof. One seagull stared at me and my burger all the time and it was kind of creepy. I've never been scared of seagulls before now.
It means a lot to me to see all the fans in America coming to line up to see me.
Jacob: We've never finished one of these in-panel drawings before.
Karasu Chan: That sounds like a challenge.
Q: How do you confirm the accuracy of the translations, especially onomatopoeia?
Jacob: When we publish it we do it professionally and make sure it matches according to the Japanese. If it was controversial in Japanese we make sure it's the same in English. We have the Japanese publisher proofread things as well.
Q: How do you think the Taiwanese industry will advance?
Karasu Chan: Hentai and manga is not as popular in Taiwan (as it is in Japan). Right now, the industry is budding in Taiwan and it's hard to tell what's going well and what's not so I don't know how things will proceed. I hope that more people will enjoy things in Taiwan in the future.
(Request from FAKKU: Can you guys ask simpler questions like "What kind of girl do you like?")
Q: What is the favorite part of a woman you like to draw? X-rays? Ahegao? Or what?
Karasu Chan: For me, it's the mouth. You know, if you look at enough of my work, you'll figure it out. I really like to draw the blowjob parts.
Q: What animal do you draw inspiration from and how do you decide what monster you will be drawing?
Karasu Chan: Because I love monster media like Godzilla, Kamen Rider, etc, I'm not really a lewd artist at heart. I used to draw big kaiju, dinosaurs, that kind of thing. It's kind of weird to say that everytime I draw a monster I feel a weird feeling. I don't know why but they're so sexy. The scales, the tail, they make me hard.
Q: My favorite book is an older one, Suki Kirai Daisuki, where she has the second mouth in her hair. What was one of your favorites to work on?
Karasu Chan: The shoujo series. It's hard to choose just one, as I put a lot of love into them. And my very first series where it's just monster girls fighting. One of my friends said, when they're bleeding and tearing each other apart, it's kind of lewd.
[pause so Karasu Chan can draw a little] I'm pretty nervous right now.
FAKKU: When we met him at the airport he was like, "My English is bad, I'm sorry," but so far I've only been speaking English with him the whole time. It takes a lot of guts to go across the ocean and not only draw in front of all the fans but also answer questions in what is not his first language.
He doesn't actually speak Japanese so we're translating in two steps. I'm sorry if you tried to speak Japanese with him at the autograph sessions.
Q: Can you share your favorite charm points for crow girls? I need to know what a crowjob would feel like, with the feet. Like how the grip would be.
Karasu Chan: Well, it's very exciting but also dangerous. The charm point is their evil smile.
Q: Two part question. Who is your favorite vtuber, and do your taste in vtubers reflect in your work?
Karasu Chan: My favorite is Veibae, especially when she says "fuck." I don't draw a lot of vtuber fan art, but maybe I'll do some in the future. Most of my doujins are original, so maybe not.
FAKKU: Everywhere we've been going, Karasu Chan has been walking around taking photos of all the cute anime girls.
Q: I'm drunk right now. Do you like beef noodle soup?
Karasu Chan: Yes! But only the soup, not the noodle and beef. It's too intense in Taiwan, and the size is not that large, and it's expensive.
Q: The lines under the eyes (dark circles) and the shading make your girls look sleepy. Does the tired look or looking sleepy make them really hot?
Karasu Chan: Both. Because I'm always tired I also have heavy dark circles. And, [on girls] it's hot, and kind of lewd.
Q: I'm an artist. I'm having problems with proportions. How do you keep monster girl proportions realistic?
Karasu Chan: When I decide on a creature, I'm not just considering what she likes or something. I always think about the life experience of the creature. When I draw the creature is kind of like having a person in my head. I see a model in front of me and draw according to that.
Q: How do you balance sexy and monstrous in your drawings?
Karasu Chan: I don't think about that so much. Like I said, I like big kaiju scenes, and making them lewd. It just happens.
Q: What are your thoughts about credit card processors attacking hentai sites in Japan? What can we do to fight back?
Jacob: At FAKKU, we have gone through the correct processes to make sure we're in compliance so we're not in danger of being shut down. We don't like how they're targeting Japanese websites. That might not answer your question but, knock on wood, we should be fine. If it happens, please send angry emails to VISA.
Q: What fetishes appeal to you?
Karasu Chan: If I had to pick... Blowjobs, because I like to draw girls kissing the peepee. Super recovery where they can heal real quick - kissing dicks and not having a lot of downtime.
Q: How did you guys meet? How did you coordinate all of this? Who reached out to who?
FAKKU: So, Wani Magazine's previous editor was a huge fan of Karasu Chan and loved his works. On FAKKU, Karasu Chan's work has been published as part of Wani Magazine's content and it got more and more popular. We see fans being excited about him and staff said that they wanted to meet and do more with him. We published his first books and asked Wani if he was available to come to Anime Expo and they said yes. And here we are.
Q: What would be your biggest tip for artists that want to break into ero manga?
Karasu Chan: Before your start to draw manga, or ero manga, make sure you do all your preparation and understand what you're about to draw. Also, get lots of rest.
Jacob: So, Maasan and Karasu Chan met on Titanfall. We're all gamers here, so feel free to ask gamer questions too.
Q: I just found your work recently and I am a big fan of your work. Your stuff is really amazing. Have you ever wanted to attempt drawing furry or kemono characters?
Karasu Chan: Not really, sorry. I love animals but I don't like furries, cats, dogs, mofu mofu (fluffy) animals, I don't really like that.
Q: As a hentai artist, what is the most difficult position for you to get right or draw and how satisfying is it to get it how you want to?
Karasu Chan: The hardest things are group sex, like threesomes or foursomes or fivesomes. I want to kill some of the people so you get rid of them until there's just two people. I don't like drawing threesomes and foursomes. It's too much, and I'm lazy. The first thing that comes to mind is wanting to kill someone to reduce the numbers.
Q: What inspired the mushroom story?
Karasu Chan: It's a story from life experience. Not involving me with drugs, but more like wanting to find someone to play games with. Because I overwork a lot, people always think I'm too busy to play games. They don't invite me. When I have free time, I want to play with my friends, but they always play different games that I have never heard of and I can't join them. I got a job immediately so I didn't have any downtime [between school and working].
FAKKU: We have a term for this. "She's just like me, bro."
Karasu Chan: It's hard to find friends, so, SOS, I'm lonely, please come play with me.
Q: What do you think it takes to be a successful hentai artist?
Karasu Chan: When making comics, drawing is not my favorite thing; telling a story is. In my experience, you need to be really clear with your fetishes. You need to show the people who see your work so they understand what your favorite thing is. During the sex, be as consistent as much as possible. Follow your heart. People do all sorts of things. If you want to become an artist, especially making comics, and excel at it, you need to stick to your convictions. Especially the one in your pants.
[another pause for drawing]
FAKKU: Oh, so if you want an autograph and you weren't able to get one, he's happy to do so. We'll find a spot outside.
Karasu Chan: If you want me to sign your butt, that's OK too!
Q: Has there been a moment when you were drawing and you were so captivated by your own work that you just had to jerk off? Sampling the goods, so to speak.
Karasu Chan: The reason I do new stuff is because not enough artists draw the things I want to see. I needed to do it myself.
Q: What is your favorite character from a non-hentai work that you wish had hentai made of them?
Karasu Chan: It's from a really old anime. There's a teacher who defended against monsters and ghosts. He had a ghost hand. So there's a yuki onna who is his wife. That was my first waifu. I was just a child in elementary school and I saw the yuki onna, and it changed my life. I drew some art where girls kill their husband, like the yuki onna.
Q: What is the actual mushroom experience like?
FAKKU: So we asked if he wanted to try shrooms because it's legal here. He didn't want to because he had already spoken to a lot of friends when drawing so he could understand what being on drugs is like. We had a big conversation about it and he didn't need to know any more because he had already researched so well.
Q: How do you create every character? How do you transform it in your mind?
It's like the movie "The Thing." It's lots of things in one and I choose the best parts of them and make a new one. As for the story? Head empty, no thoughts, it just happens. If I think the story is funny I'll run with it.
Q: What's your favorite kaiju?
Karasu Chan: Oh, I've waited for this question all night. It's Destoroyah from the Godzilla series. He can split up a lot. I've been inspired a lot by that kaiju.
Q: (to the crowd) How many of you know the Orc Massage game? (decent number of claps from audience) (to Karasu Chan) Did you design all of the characters or just the girls?
Karasu Chan: Only the harpy and the dragon. And then there was a fairy one. I told them not to say she was made by me but there's a reason for that. I got the job from the Orc Massage staff and they asked me to make a fairy with golden hair and long ears, and I gave them something from Bloodborne with horns and a tail and a flame arm. They were like, "Hmm, that's good, but take out the horn and tail and give her human arms." I asked them not to say I made that one.
Q: What in your opinion makes a great hentai. Is it plot, sex scenes, characters, etc?
Karasu Chan: In my case, I already said, I like them kissing peepee.
Jacob: I like the story a lot. I need to feel something. If you're having a bad day, you pull down your pants, and you want something to make you feel good inside.
Maasan: When they're doing it from the back.
Hirano: When it's erotic and interesting.
Karasu Chan: Am I the only one who likes kissing peepee?
Q: How long have you been drawing? Are you satisfied with your current skill level? Do you have suggestions on how to get to that point?
Karasu Chan: Just go for what you're interested in and passionate about, and you'll learn from there. Don't just focus on your own ability.
Q: From technical to visual, what kind of things in games do you like the most? What is there not enough of in games, lewd-wise?
Karasu Chan: Bloodborne. I like lots of tentacles and the boss in kind of lewd. And Armored Core, I want to have sex in a big robot.
Q: What's your username in games?
Jacob: You don't have to answer that.
Karasu Chan: Hm, well, one of my first names was "yukionna my waifu."
And that was that. Karasu Chan did not end up finishing the art but he said he would do so later and post it onto Twitter.
That's a wrap for this year's FAKKU guest panel. It's always interesting to get to listen to and ask questions of artists, and hentai artists are no different. You also get to ask things that would normally not be acceptable due to the nature of things. Karasu Chan's subject matter being monster girls meant that we got a lot of questions going in that direction and that's something more unique, even amongst hentai artists.
Thanks again to FAKKU for hosting artists every year.
This is as far as Karasu Chan got with the drawing:
If you were wondering what the final product looked like, here it is!
Thank u for coming to the AX 2024😍😍😍
— カラスちゃん👅駭獣少女ゲーム製作中 (@Karasu_Chan1204) July 10, 2024
I have a wonderful memory in LA
It's all because of u and the junk food🍔🌭🥙
I'll keep making cool & weird monster girl stuff
Love u and see ya in the future🥺🫡 pic.twitter.com/BdjZmquS1R
And here's a clean version:
