Part 26: Okami Artbook 1
Characters
Tea House Owner
"Owns a tea house on the road between Agata Forest and Taka Pass. He was stressed out after the Molser Gang, lead by Moley, stole his most prized possession; a teacup crafted by a master potter."
I have no clue as to why this guy is in the art book over some of the more important characters; it's a mystery.
The Molsters - Moley and Lil' Moley
"A gang gathered under the leadership of the large mole, Moley. They traversed Taka Pass, picking on innocent folks and taking their valuables, until they were caught and punished by Ammy. It seems they found life underground to be isolated and lonely, and were just crying for attention. But who has ever heard of moles that were uncomfortable underground?"
If you look at their aprons/bibs the symbols are the chinese numerals for: 3 (三), 1 (一), 4 (四) and 2 (二).
The Dreadful Mr Cutter and the Horrible Mrs Cutter
"A creepy elderly couple that lives quietly at the edge of Taka Pass. They chase any visitors they get around with their cleavers. If they catch their prey, whether it be beast or man, the elderly couple cook up a stew from the meat of the unfortunate victim."
Enemies
Blue Imp
"If you hear a voice or a strange noise when no one is around, it is most likely your imagination. But if you happen to hear a voice yelling at you from directly overhead, that would be the Blue Imps. With a kite attached to his back, he swoops through the skies, showering insults, obscenities, and even waste upon his unfortunate targets."
Chimera
"A demon that surprises its victims by disguising itself as a kettle. It is said that this demon was born from the evil within peoples' souls. After performing his evil deeds, the Chimera immediately disguises itself again, making it a difficult demon to catch sight of."
The Spider Queen
"Lurking within the Tsuta Ruins since ancient times, the Spider Queen attacks her prey with eight long limbs and absorbs the unfortunate victims into her body. It is said that spider demons often have a human form, and indeed, the Spider Queen can appear as a beautiful human woman. However, her human face has no eyes, as her wight eyes are located on the back of her head. A few survivors claim to have escaped after poking these eyes to blind them."
Location Art
Tsuta Ruins Outside
During the early stages of development, it was originally going to be an ancient rocket station, with a giant clay figure, or Dogû as the "rocket". That particular figure, because of its appearance to someone wearing a protective suit of sorts, thus ascribing to the ancient astronaut ideas.
If this sounds odd, it should be noted that some of the earliest stories to be found in Japanese literature have, or what would now be considered, science fiction elements, such as space, and/or time travel. And really, in a game where you play as the incarnation of the Sun as a dog, and talk to a French oracle dude with a lightsabre who can fly, a light sci-fi sprinkling is the least strange thing.
In the end they settled on the less strange "Mount Rushmore" style, with the heads carved out of the rock.
Inner Ruins
Artist Notes posted:
This was designed to be an indoor garden of the ancient civilization, watered by an automatic water sprinkler system.
Concept Art
Chimera
Artist Notes posted:
I designed this demon after the imps, and I wrote the word 'Chimera' on his belly. I really like designs that have this kind of attitude, but some line-intensive designers may not agree with me. At this stage, I was honestly planning on incorporating every demon's name into their design.
Artist Notes posted:
Originally, I based her design on Sadako (the girl from The Ring movies)
In "bloom".
