made tiny references for the heigh-ref/style ref sheet i'm doing right now x3 (based on the screenshot shown here)

hmmm one thing I really like in SR, is how most of the body types we see are fairly stumpy/strong or just overall, don't feel fragile (since they're based on animals moreso than humans, I suppose that must be the influence there)

The only characters who we could even call "skinny", are Usagi himself, and then the Shogun, lord Kogane (who is short under that outfit of his). Both their body-shapes are still different (Yuichi's triangle shapes VS Kogane's bell-shape) but are also more-or-less closer to that stick-figure shape we don't see in the other characters

usagi and kogane

vs the other cast

since it's primarily a more "action anthro" or "funny animals" show, but also 3D, it's sorta nice to see this change of pace compared to other modern cartoons where the girl or women characters are always skinnier or less bulky, even if they do action, or often even male characters will be the same height/similar body type and there's not as much variety in the cast. But here they're all different animals so it's a nice excuse to add more variety according to character and inspirations heh. Now, with Chizu and and Kitsune, they might not be very bulky, but they are at least the bare minimum of "very ordinary-looking body types) and also different heights from each other. With Gen and Toshiko on the other hand, even if it's a cost-saving method to keep the budget for the heavier/costlier and more necessary scenes, I like that Toshiko is allowed to basically, be just a person but in a way that's realistic for this world, so she's still the same build as Gen and the rest of her family, with the only difference being that she wears ear-rings as a show of character.

also, like I'd said b4 in an older post, I appreciate they didn't do the "boobs on animals" design choice either (all the female cast, but especially characters like Chizu or Toshiko) cuz well, it's not a game or something hyper-realistic, but also, seems like the visdev crew was really smart and aware abt this sorta stuff. So with the exception of Lady Fuwa, the rest of the female cast do not really have detailing or design aspects that would make them seem close to cartoons or 3D games that do add more visible chests to their anthro characters (like, for whatever reason, it could be anything). just a nice change of pace.

tho I guess like, it *is* aimed at kids, so the designers were aware of some of this stuff probably and steered the designs into something easy-to-draw (I'm thinking of visdev and storyboards) as well as model and animate.

replies @elenorasweet @umhuhwellthen about this post...

Those are both really nice things!!

i also feel like the characters that SR added next to Usagi, Gen, Kitsune and Chizu, to build more on the family element of the show, were all really interesting. I'm a super slow writer myself but it would be cool to see more of that family element, and those other characters from other fans in general. I feel like this is a constant with SRTUC fans I've seen online who mention the other characters at least once haha x3

@umhuhwellthen those neko ninja designs are cool to see so I'm looking forward to the draw the squads you wanna make for them!

The Neko Ninja crew are ones I also have theories about, but I feel like people will start to write more about thme eventually, so in future fanworks, I would maybe like to just have some extra scenes at the farm, or the Neo Edo crew resting their legs a bit after a tough fight and seeing Auntie, Hana and the other kids again. almost like a vacation even :D

Something else I would also like to explore is how to write Gen and Toshiko, because I thought their sibling dynamic of "elder hypochondriac brother with abandonment issues* who became a bounty hunter" and "younger sister who ran away to the circus and other odd jobs" is interesting for me as an older sibling myself.

*lol that is just what I read into it, but the way his story is framed, with him staying with the Shiba Inu doctors after his family was run out of town, the way he felt emotional after Tetsujin and Chizu gave him a prosthetic horn, sorta makes it feel like it would fit...

I would also maybe like to see more of the Neo Edo crews? Or maybe just more of the 3 crews we see in the show, besides the neko ninja. Like the Mogura have a whole town underground and the Bat Squadron seems to have some sort of recent history with the city, with how they don't have a fleet but their leader is called an admiral... an admiral of what? That's something I'm trying to expand on in "Neo Edo Idol" x3

I'd heard in an interview that the show's crew also had other gangs designed so that seems something fun to tackle with the aesthetic the show has established and how different the three crew's shown are :3