Congratulations Great-Tengu Megumu Iizunamaru -sama for the breakthrough from the 55th to the 41st in Touhou Project popularity poll !

 

 

My illustration of Megumu Iizunamaru is posted on my pixiv page: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/134526577 

MMD model from https://bowlroll.net/file/291655
 

Touhou Project Popularity Poll 2025 & Illustration of Misumaru Tamatsukuri

 

 

 My illustration of Misumaru Tamatsukuri is posted on my pixiv page: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/133988460

 

The Touhou Project popularity poll 2025 is now open!

東方Project人気投票開幕！

https://toho-vote.info/

The 1st choice gets 3 points, the 2nd gets 2 points, and the rest 5 choices get 1 point for each. I am planning to vote in the following order:

1. Youmu Konpaku 魂魄妖夢: Myon-chan みょんちゃん! I simply love her diligent personality as well as her adorable image. Also, strong and reliable as a playable unit! Her caring personality, cooking skill, her habit especially, and so many others about her really attract me very much! Her clumsiness also makes me familiar with her.

2. Megumu Iizunamaru 飯綱丸龍: Iizunamaru-sama is a respectable as well as gorgeous lady with high intelligence and strong charisma! She resembles to one of my favourite female philosophers to a certain extend. Her honest egoism makes me familiar as well as herself kinda sexy.

3. Sanae Kochiya 東風谷早苗: Sanae-san is my favourite shrine maiden in this series. She is also adorable, amiable, and diligent! Her intelligence and ability of attracting an investment to establish a rope-way connecting Moriya shirine and a human commune in Youkai mountain! She also shares some hobby and interests with me. Her maniac personality also makes me familiar with her.

4. Youki Konpaku 魂魄妖忌: Youmu's grandpa. One of few male characters in Touhou Project. A dandy strong handsome old man with a strong Samurai spirit! His grand-daughter Myon-chan (Youmu) was brought up as such a nice as well as an excellent guard of Lady Yuyuko at Hakugyokurou because of him! Yuyu also counted on him when he was there although she found he is too inflexible.

5. Byakuren Hijiri 聖白蓮: The stunning kind hearted strict bhikkhuni. Her philosophy of uniting both humans and youkais with a universal principle in a decentralised commune convinces me. Also, she is strong and beautiful.

6. Yuyuko Saigyouji 西行寺幽々子: A stunning and intelligent lady, the chief administrator of Hakugyokurou, the ghost shrine i.e. A boss of Konpaku family. Her mysterious past and calm tolerant personality are attracting. Even though I feel sorry about her subordinate Myon-chan (Youmu) under her severe workloads, Yuyu cares about and admire Myon-chan as her excellent guard as well as maid.

7. Misumaru Tamatsukuri 玉造魅須丸: An important character explaining about the fate of the main protagonist Reimu Hakurei , her weapon Yin-Yang sphere, and Izanagi Object, the mysterious energy source. Also, what she explain links the ancient Shintoism and the Touhou Project world. "Misumaru-No-Tama" is one of the phrase in Katakamuna-utahi, the ancient Shintoist mantra, which I enchant often. I wanted to vote 2 characters in Touhou 18 ~ Unconnected Marketeers 東方虹龍洞 ～ which seems to be the significant turning point of this entire series.

 

Aya Shameimaru, the crow Tengu, and Megumu Iizunamaru, the Dai-Tengu wearing bikini suit. - Touhou Project fan-art

 

 Posted on my pixiv page: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/132483748
Illustrated Aya Shameimaru, the crow Tengu, and Megumu Iizunamaru, the Dai-Tengu wearing bikini suit. 

 

https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm45168743

An experiment in AI-generated hybrid art based on my Touhou Project fan art.

 

* AI hybrid experiment*
Asked ChatGPT to redraw some unfortunate illustration with critical mistakes. 

A set of these illustrations is a redrawn version by ChatGPT, of the following works
https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/120485457 
https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/119309631

Used in these short films: 

My feedback on AI art (both pure and hybrid):  

This is actually my first attempt at creating AI art. However, rather than instructing an AI tool to generate artwork via a command prompt—such as using Python in Stable Diffusion—I used an illustration I had already created and had the AI—ChatGPT, in this case—process it.

It is an interesting experiment to upload my already made images to an AI tool such as ChatGPT to redraw it. The AI corrects the crucial mistakes I have made while transforming to a popular art style. It can be useful for cases like 

• Reusing a piece of artwork that was compromised by a critical mistake or a lack of technique.
• Facing constraints in time and energy when producing multiple pieces—for example, when creating a film.

The drawback is losing my style of characteristics in these arts after the AI process. While observing various AI arts, the art style of these AI tools seems to be quite unified to the certain extend. AI is still generally limited to reproducing art styles that are well represented in its training data such as historically famous or currently popular arts. Because a unique art style of the user is usually undermined, it is not suitable for creating one piece of their impressive art.   

Furthermore, only a very limited number of files are available process with these AI tools for a free option. It can be far less efficient to continue processing an image with AI in order to achieve the desired result than simply using traditional hand-drawing techniques.

In conclusion, AI art in any form has pros and cons. It depends on its application and the characteristics of the user's art skill. I may use the AI in some situation such as when I need a mass production of images. On the other hand, I am confident in my own drawing technique even though it might not perfectly match with what the popularity requires at the moment. Moreover, I am passionate to keep practising and improving my art technique. Hence, the AI process is useful as a supplement; not a substitution. 

 

The films with these AI-hybrid except for the last GIF (my original)

 Another attempt done on 22nd June 2025: 

This is what I have asked ChatGPT to redraw one of my illustrations. ... Well, my favourite characters, Myonchan (Youmu) and Sanae-san, are adorable. However, there are things making me really unhappy e.g. Sanae's hair accessory is not a frog shape. The shapes of Youmu's Roukan-Ken (supposed to be a long sword) and Hakurou-Ken (supposed to be a short sword) are distorted and placed wrongly. 

  

 This piece is the best ChatGBT's modifications of one of my illustrations I have recently tried. This is the image of my favourite Touhou character Megumu Iizunamaru, a Daitengu, with her fellows crow Tengus Aya Shameimaru and Hatate Himekaidou. Their outfits follow the original setting. Also, they are drawn to be attractive with this background. This is posted on my pixiv page: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/131875650

My own standing picture of Megumu Iizunamaru for my own Yukkuri kaisetsu!

 

 Posted on my pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/126394048
I have created the standing picture of Megumu Iizunamaru for my own Yukkuri kaisetsu!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WsbQBBoAMLA

Used in this video film also containing my first MMD film making:

 

Iiizunamaru-sama and Tengu's Barley-Rice (Actual natural monument) - Touhou Project

 

 

Posted on my pixiv page: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/124668895 and NicoNico-Douga: https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm44366753

 
27th November is the day of Megumu Iizunamaru: Iiizunamaru-sama and Tengu's Barley-Rice (Actual natural monument)
Arch-Tengu. Megumu iizunamaru and Tengu's Barley-Rice (Actual natural monument)  

Aya Shameimaru & Megumu Iizunamaru ~ Touhou Leviathan ~ My fan-art side story of Touhou Project

 

  This illustration is a redrawn version by ChatGPT, inspired by the original artwork found on 14th June 2025 

 

Posted on my pixiv page:  https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/123504434

Aya Shameimaru & Megumu Iizunamaru

The cut scene for a movie I am creating!

 Background image from https://www.ac-illust.com