Unit 731
THE STORY:
Unit 731 is a character design project focusing on the human experiments in Harbin China from 1936 to 1945, conducted by Unit 731, a covert biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army.
The Sino-Japanese War and Japanese colonization in East Asia is largely unaddressed and undiscussed outside of Asia; massacres remain unacknowledged, and war criminals, including many from Unit 731, remain unpunished and even gained prestigious positions in the government and other fields.
The story here is that the little girl and her sibling are victims of the human experimentation and are now spirits trying to find their missing parts. They found this modern day schoolgirl to help them with their search. Along their journey to uncover history, they are confronted by this Japanese official who tries to obscure the truth, and who controls this ghastly ghost soldier who used to be a child soldier. In my research, I read about not only innocent children who suffered from the experiments, but also young soldiers who became a Unit 731 member without knowing and having to witness the atrocities, and some of them later supported movements to reveal the crimes of Unit 731.
I decided to focus on children in my characters since they are the most vivid depiction of how there is no winning side in a war.
I wanted to be clear that the goal is not to encourage retribution or hatred, or to compete for who’s the biggest victim of WWII, but simply bring awareness to history, if only in the hope that history doesn’t repeat itself in this way ever again.
A Lawa's Tale
THE STORY:
"Regong" in Tibetan means "golden fields where dreams come true." Since ancient times, worshippers from local areas and faraway have been traveling to Regong to pay respect to the mountain gods who maintain nature's balance on the vast Tibetan plateau.
However, recently there is rumor going around that a powerful group threatens to "tame" and control the Gos for its own benefits. They need the newbie Lawa ("God and Man" in Tibetan: mage-like individuals chosen by the Gods to communicate their message and perform magic). Unfortunately, the young Lawa has a city dream and is not a fan of responsibility and traditions. How would he live up to his people's hope that he could keep the Mountain Gods' rage at bay while fighting off greedy forces?
Interactions:
The Lawa:
Appearance: messy white hair, tan & slightly sun-burnt skin, small figure
Personality: spoiled, revered, and feared by fellow villagers, some doubt his abilities because of his age; has a city dream, not a huge fan of responsibilities and traditions
Occupation: Lawa, high school junior
Location: Tibet (Siheji Village, Regong), Boston (United States)
Like: yogurt
Hate: combs
Earlier Sketches...
