2024-10-20

MONONOKE : Heirs of the Forest

Step into a mystical world, where nature’s spirits stir and a fierce young heroine, Shi, must choose between the pull of the wild and the human bonds she craves. This short illustrated book explores the deep-rooted conflict between nature and humanity, filled with rich lore, powerful emotions, and breathtaking visuals. Ready to uncover the secrets of the forest and Shi’s destiny?
"You cannot change fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose."

Princess Mononoke

Heirs of the Forest is more than just a story—it’s part of a creative journey that began with my previous UI project, Mononoke: Wrath of the Forest Spirits. Originally conceived as a Princess Mononoke‘s new vision for a Souls-like game, this world grew into something much larger, inspiring a full narrative. Through Heirs of the Forest, I explore the depth of that world, giving it rich characters, emotional landscapes, and a compelling backstory that extends beyond the UI screens I did before.

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In crafting this album, I blended rhytmic ambient vibes, rich orchestral arrangements, and introduced choir sound banks for the first time, taking listeners on a cosmic journey.

Mixing dreamy electronic layers with powerful orchestral swells, each track becomes a sonic adventure through space, and its dangers.

The orchestral choir’s voices mixed with the Jacob Collier’s audience choir added an extra dimension, lifting the music to ethereal heights and infusing each composition with a sense of wonder and exploration.

It’s a musical exploration of the universe’s vastness and my place within it, showcasing my bold creativity and evolution in sound.

A Creative Experiment

To bring Heirs of the Forest visually to life, I used Midjourney to create all the illustrations. While the narrative itself is entirely my own, it’s inspired by the Mononoke Princess movie’s universe and acts as an imagined sequel to that world. Creating the visuals was a fascinating (and time-consuming!) process, involving a lot of Photoshop work and micro-edits to refine the style. I aimed to give to the final result the feel of illustrations printed in a vintage book, adding texture and depth to the world I’ve created, and enriching the experience for readers.