Featured Fan Art: Segami Daisuke

4:00 PM on 01.17.2010   |   Josh Tolentino

Welcome to this week's edition of Featured Fan Art, where we profile the work of the best otaku artists we can find in this here series of tubes.

We turn the spotlight today to a an artist that truly qualifies for the title of "Fan Artist," that is to say, that nearly every picture on his website is dedicated to a single franchise. This artist is truly dedicated, a fan beyond measure.

He goes by the pseudonym "Segami Daisuke," but is also known as "Daichou24." The targets of his passion lie almost exclusively lie within the Shin Megami Tensei family, particularly on the colorful characters of Persona 3 and Persona 4. This alone automatically makes him my favorite fan artist ever. Never before has anyone's work been more relevant to my interests.

Read on to find out some more about what makes this artist the most positive example of a "fanboy" ever to exist.

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While Segami's colorful, sharp-edged illustrations seems initially incongruous to the smooth, sophisticated tone of official Persona character designs, the style infuses the panels with a sense of humor, irreverence and even love. This is especially true of his devotion to Aegis, the lovable android of Persona 3. Countless images bring out a personality that was just hinted at in the game itself.

From a childlike chibi version (that makes its way into even cross-platform art) to a HHHNNNGGG- inducing romantic shyness, it's obvious that the most special place in Segami's heart is devoted to her. Incidentally, I too adore Aegis and her doll-jointed beauty, which makes the two of us soul brothers forever.

His talent is not just limited to static illustration, though. His greatest work lies in a series of videos painstakingly coordinated to the audio of A Certain Summer Day, an audio play present in the Persona 3 Drama CD. Constructed in a sort of "picture book" style, lovingly crafted frames accompany each scene and line of dialog. In-jokes, silent text boxes and cute slapstick pictures infuse the narrative with a surprising  sense of humor, easily drawing giggles from anyone familiar with the events in the series, transcending even the language barrier. In fact, the frames truly liven up the otherwise straightforward performances in the actual CDs themselves.

Frankly speaking, Segami Daisuke is the most positive, uplifting example of a "fanboy" ever to exist. If only the majority of people to whom the term applies were more creatively devoted.

Visit his website here.

I would post the videos, but unfortunately copyright has reared its ugly head, and removed all of them from Youtube and Nico Nico Douga. This is a crime that cannot stand, and I'm working on getting that all sorted out. Don't you fret, MegaTen fans!