カズログ「ナイショのキャラ設定とオマケ」/ KAZ LOG, "SECRET CHARACTER SETTINGS with some BONUS" (Pixiv Fanbox)

と、言うことで、急遽大慌てで作った漫画「骸の瀧」のキャラクター衣装設定表です。それとオマケの下書き公開です。

しかしですね、こうやって見てみると五助と権造のふたりは結構いろいろ着込んでいます。漫画の季節は晩秋か初冬をイメージしていたのでそれは良いんですが（でも実は背景の植生がその季節に対応してない……(泣)）、襦袢を着てる……。ぐぬう、何も考えずに描いちゃったからアレなんですが、山で肉体労働しながら襦袢を着てるだなんてお金持ちぃ！って感じがしちゃう……(汗)。お金持ちハンター二人組(汗)。実は最終的に原稿を仕上げるときに……直さないといけないかなあ案件です(汗)。

それとこれは漫画に登場しないんですけどね、五助君と権造君、ふたりは純生ノンケ既婚者だけど、山で狩りをしてるときとか、ヒマなときとか、買春できないときとか、奥さんが相手してくれないときとか、ふたりでHしちゃってる系の人達（でもノンケ自認(笑)）、という設定なのでした。髭の形が一緒だったり、着物の上下の色が似てるとか、その辺で……察してください的な(笑)。

ずーっと前から昔話に登場する「兄弟」って実はカップルなんじゃね、と思ってまして。古典で「妹」「妹背」という言葉が「奥さん」を意味することがあるわけで。じゃあ、「兄弟」って「念者・念友（男同士のカップル。現代のゲイカップルとはちょっと違う）」を意味するんじゃね？って。なので昔話風に言えば、「昔々あるところに、五助と権造という『兄弟』の猟師がおった。ふたりは仲良く山で狩りをして暮らしておったとさ」、という感じになるんじゃないかなーと思ったり。

Here’s the character costume settings for the manga Mukuro no Taki ("The Cadavers' Fall"), which I hurriedly put together in a rush. Plus, I’m sharing some bonus rough sketches.

Looking at it now, though, I can’t help but notice that Gosuke and Gonzo, the two main characters, are wearing quite a lot of layers. I envisioned the manga’s setting to be late autumn or early winter, so that’s fine in terms of the season (although, to be honest, the background vegetation doesn’t quite match that season…😅). But the fact that they’re wearing juban (襦袢 a traditional Japanese undergarment, typically worn under a kimono) is… ugh! I drew it without thinking too much, but the idea of them wearing juban while doing physical labor in the mountains makes them feel like super rich guys!💦 A pair of wealthy hunters, huh?💦 Honestly, this is one of those things I might need to fix when finalizing the manga…😅😅😅.

Also, this doesn’t actually appear in the manga itself, but here’s the deal with Gosuke and Gonzo: they’re both straight, married guys, but when they’re out hunting in the mountains, or when they’re bored, or when they can’t buy company, or when their wives aren’t in the mood, they end up hooking up with each other (but still identify as STRAIGHT, lol). That’s the vibe I went with for their character setting. The fact that their beards have the same shape or that the colors of their kimono tops and bottoms are similar—it’s all meant to hint at that dynamic😉.

I’ve always had this theory that the “BROTHERS” in old folktales in Japan might actually be couples. In classical Japanese literature, the words “妹” (imo, meaning “younger SISTER” but often used to mean “wife” in ancient texts) and “妹背” (imose, a term combining imo and se [“older brother” or “husband”], often implying a romantic or marital bond) can refer to a wife or partner. So, I started thinking: what if “BROTHERS” in these stories actually means “nenja or nenyu” (念者・念供　a historical term for male-male romantic or sexual partners, distinct from modern gay couples in nuance)? In the style of a folktale, it's something like: “Once upon a time, in a certain place, there lived two ‘BROTHERS,’ Gosuke and Gonzo, who were hunters. They lived happily together, hunting in the mountains.” That’s the kind of vibe I’m going for.😉😉😉😉😉