The limited edition Chocola 2001 DiGi Charat art collection is amazing! The set comes with the artbook and a cute little white fleese scarf and mini-bag with light blue patches that say 'Chocola 2001 BROCCOLI'. The set is presented in a plain cardboard box (the scarf and bag are in a plastic bag inside a white paper box under the artbook) with the words 'Chocola 2001 DiGi Charat Picture Collection' printed on it.


   The artbook itself is divided up into sections; Special Illust, Characters, Character Card Game, Mini Character, Monochrome, DiGi Charat Fantasy, Aquarian Age, and Princess Concerto. Aquarian Age is a card game that features non-DiGi Charat characters, the rest of the sections are on all of the DiGi Charat characters, except 'Princess Concerto' which features characters from that. Each picture includes a footnote of where the picture first appeared, such as on postcards, manga covers, cards. The very last pages of Chocola 2001 features a long interview with Koge-Donbo.

CHOCOLA 2001 KOGE-DONBO INTERVIEW

Q1: It has been four years since DiGi Charat started. During the four years did your drawings change since back then till now?
Koge-Donbo: I changed to CG (computer graphics). In the beginning I didn't know what CG was... so at first I had other people color it for me, then I started coloring. It is faster to draw with analog, I don't have to worry about pulling out materials and I can also manage the pictures easily. Also, since I started using a Mac, I know a lot about Macs. *laugh*

Q2: In this book, out of all the illustrations are there any you had trouble with?
Koge-Donbo: The Dejiko CCG (Character Card Game) I had to draw 20 all together, that's a lot...

Q3: Is there a certain color that you really like that you end up using all the time?
Koge-Donbo: I like colors that are a little smudged. So, I end up using it a lot, but the illustration itself starts to become dull. My chief always cautions me about it.

Q4: When you draw pictures what kind of software do you use? What is it that makes it easy for you to use?
Koge-Donbo: Photoshop 5.5. I was using Painter, but it doesn't work out as well, like the color becomes a little cheap...

Q5: Tablet or mouse, which do you use?
Koge-Donbo: I use a mouse. With a tablet, because of the pressure my hands get tired, but it comes in handy for drawing thick lines.

Q6: When did you learn how to do coloring?
Koge-Donbo: When I was in middle school, there was a club which was called 'Illustration Club', and that's where I learned it. There was a lot of people who drew illustrations around me, so I learned how to do it naturally.

Q7: Are there any special expectations that you have in mind with when you draw a character?
Koge-Donbo: It has to be cute the very moment you look at it. But, when I try too hard on the complicated areas, much of the time it doesn't work out. So, the second you look at the picture I make sure that the whole picture looks cute. There are a lot of strange items they put on their heads and body, that too I make sure stand out as if you're looking through a magazine. And I make sure it doesn't get over-powered by the character.

Q8: Out of all the items that you used for drawing, which is your most favorite?
Koge-Donbo: What I'm using now is Photoshop on Mac. Being able to fix mistakes is very useful. Also, effects that are hard to do by hand, like when you use light shining. But, I like color ink too. When I was in highschool, I used color ink for the first time. Before that I only used tube paint. When I first used the ink I was impressed and thought "Wow, the color flows so nice!"

(incompleted translation... to be completed at some point)

[interview translation by Natsuki exclusively for this unofficial fan site]