(Note: I originally wrote this article (and conducted the interview that is an integral part of it) as part of a university assignment back in early 2021. Although it is technically outdated as production of Dream Crusaders has changed somewhat since I wrote it, and the Klonoa franchise has also had an update, I still deem it informative enough to want to archive on this page. Even if it is technically not related to music. I have also decided to include the full unedited interview at the end as well, as it adds extra details that do not appear in the finished article.)
“I started drawing as a kid, doodling on paper during my free time. I was a big fan of videogames and wanted to illustrate my love for the characters they presented and I spent a lot of my days scribbling made up stories and scenarios starring my favourite characters.”
The Klonoa series is the work of famed developers Namco, whose other recognisable franchises include Tekken, Ace Combat, and the grandfather of modern video game mascots, Pac-Man. The series involves the titular character’s adventures through a world created by the collective dreams of its inhabitants, in order to protect it from forces that wish to destroy or do harm to it.
The series has gained retrospective acclaim for its gameplay and well written storylines, but every entry made during its run was a commercial flop, sometimes to abysmal levels, leading to Namco turning its back on the series, rendering it largely inactive for the better part of two decades.
“I was introduced to the videogame series through my father playing the second game of the saga, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. I then proceeded to play it myself multiple times, enjoying the experience to its fullest. But for a reason I cannot explain, I entirely forgot about the series for years to come.”
In 2012, a brief respite for the Klonoa franchise came in the form of an official webcomic entitled Klonoa: Dream Traveller of Noctis Sol. Created by Shifylook, an offshoot of Namco itself (now Bandai-Namco following a merger with fellow company Bandai) as part of an initiative to provide some form of new content for its more neglected IPs. Although praised by the fandom at the time, it only lasted two seasons before being abruptly cancelled by Namco in 2014. The plot threads never being resolved due to the surprise of the cancellation, it ended on a blunt cliffhanger. Additional circumstances, including the announcement and subsequent cancellation of a Klonoa Anime movie, has left the fanbase has become increasingly desperate for anything to latch onto.
“I was left with a sour taste in my mouth: I sadly found out the series was long dead, with the latest piece of media being a webcomic that was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger. Thanks to my recently re-acquired art skills and my love for fan-made stories, I just knew it was the perfect occasion to train my storyboarding and scenery, while at the same time offer the now desperately clinging for content and attention fanbase a breath of fresh air.”
Dream Crusaders is intended to pick up the story from where the aborted official comic was cut off, and continue to send the plotline in a totally new and original direction, due to the actual direction the comic was to go in never being revealed, likely for legal reasons. Despite the freedom of choice this has given Girolami in deciding to take the comic, it has made the process of producing it more arduous, although he has managed to get into a routine in its production.
“Despite the whole narrative being already planned out in advance, the exact scenes are not. While the planning in text format usually takes a mere day, sketching the storyboard very often takes multiple weeks, as I am forced to try out multiple alternatives until I am satisfied with the results.
Next up is the actual creation of the pages.I go from lineart to fully cel-shaded panels and finished pages till all of the chapter is complete. This is by far the step that takes the longest, as I can spend over an entire month refining the pages until they look ready to be released as 10 pages issues.”
Initially teased and announced in late 2019, Dream Crusaders’ first issue officially became available through the website ComicFury on April 10th 2020. Although hardly unknown in the fandom at this point, having haunted the fan forums for some time prior, this launch helped to catapult him into the forefront of the fanbase, especially since he was one of the few thus far to have produced a fully fleshed out and carefully planned product, rather than a one-off piece.
“The public reaction to the comic was surprisingly amazing to say the least. Klonoa fans left and right relayed the info and shared it around, with it now being known by a big portion of the fanbase.
Without trying to give myself too much credit, I do believe my webcomic is nowadays one of the most prominent pieces of fan content the Klonoa series can offer, alongside other awesome projects like soundtrack remixes and reorchestrations, or in-depth game translations for Japanese-only releases”
Despite the fairly large success of the comic in the fandom, with the majority of still persisting Klonoa fans having read it, an issue that has arisen is the fairly large turnaround time between issues, largely due to Girolami working on it entirely by himself, as well as his recent commitments to art school in a drive to improve upon his art style so his output gets better and better.
“Despite all my efforts, the next chapter is currently being delayed further than I'd like due to my tight schedule and amount of assignments art school presents me with. While I am trying my hardest to go as fast as possible, I am still making sure I do not rush any of the steps so that I can offer my readers the best experience I can possibly give.”
Regardless, Esteban remains optimistic of the comic’s future, intending to move towards more fan works and an ongoing original work when it inevitably finishes its run.
“I truly hope I can narrate this fan story of mine entirely, and give the readers a pleasing and satisfying finale for a story that was cut short right before their eyes years ago.”
FULL UNEDITED REVIEW BELOW:
1. What inspired you to start drawing in general?
I started drawing as a kid, doodling on paper during my free time. I was a big fan of videogames and wanted to illustrate my love for the characters they presented and I spent a lot of my days scribbling made up stories and scenarios starring my favourite characters.
Despite my love for art, I quit drawing altogether in middle school, due to having less free time and spending those few free hours playing online games. It was only during High school that, having watched a lot of japanese mangas, I was inspired to write my own story following those dynamics and tropes.
As the writing of the plot progressed, I was actively searching for artists willing to illustrate my story so that it could be published in manga form, but I was never satisfied with the results. After over a year of desperate search, I came to the conclusion that the only person that'd be able to reproduce the ideas I had in my head on paper would be myself. That is when I picked back art seriously, this time on digital support, using a drawing tablet and program. Starting with a few badly drawn character designs, my comfort zone expanded and today I draw almost daily, whether it'd be stand-alone pieces, narrative illustrations, pages for my webcomic, or further designs for the story that I am still actively writing.
2. What got you into the Klonoa series, and what was it that made you want to do a continuation of Noctis Sol?
When it comes to Klonoa, it is similar to what happened with art. I was introduced to the videogame series through my father playing the second game of the saga, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. I then proceeded to play it myself multiple times, enjoying the experience to its fullest. But for a reason I cannot explain, I entirely forgot about the series for years to come, until a speedrun of Klonoa: Door To Phantomile was performed at Awesome Games Done Quick. 2019 re-introduced me to the games under a new angle. Interested by this long forgotten childhood memory, I dug deeper into the series, reading about all of the games and content. Except I was left with a sour taste in my mouth: I sadly found out the series was long dead, with the latest piece of media being a webcomic that was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger. Thanks to my recently re-acquired art skills and my love for fan-made stories, I just knew it was the perfect occasion to train my storyboarding and scenery, while at the same time offer the now desperately clinging for content and attention fanbase a breath of fresh air.
3. What sort of process usually goes into making each chapter of the fan comic? Do you have a specific schedule for doing everything, and how is it mapped out?
It is a very strict process I go through when I work on the comic's chapters. Despite the whole narrative being already planned out in advance, the exact scenes are not. That is where I begin my work: I simply write the scenes and events of each page on a blank document in text format, so I can plan out the chapter and know where it'll end. After that comes storyboarding and page sketching. This is where I quickly doodle each page and each panel to decide camera angles, compositions, text bubbles, expressions, poses etc... While the planning in text format usually takes a mere day, sketching the storyboard very often takes multiple weeks, as I am forced to try out multiple alternatives until I am satisfied with the results. Next up is the actual creation of the pages.I go from lineart to fully cel-shaded panels and finished pages till all of the chapter is complete. This is by far the step that takes the longest, as I can spend over an entire month refining the pages until they look ready to be released as 10 pages issues.
4. Have you encountered any challenges whilst working on the comic? And inversely, have you found that it's been a positive experience in some way?
This comic definitely was and still is both a challenge and a big help in my drawing experience. It imposes me to apply most if not all drawing and narrative skills so that the issues succeed at telling the story correctly. Despite that, as chapters go by, I learn from my mistakes and each new issue is an improvement to the previous one. Another big challenge the comic turned out to present me with was the time consumption it required. Nowadays I spend at least 3 or 4 full hours if not more daily on the upcoming chapters, the rest of my free time being spent refining my talent attending online art school, that I started recently and now follow along in parallel to the webcomic's release.
5. How has the fan reaction to the comic been?
The public reaction to the comic was surprisingly amazing to say the least. Klonoa fans left and right relayed the info and shared it around, with it now being known by a big portion of the fanbase. A few individuals also kindly gave me their financial support through the website Patreon, where they offer me a monthly amount of money to get exclusive previews of upcoming issues in return. After gaining enough attraction, I was even able to publish the covers on Displate, where people can now buy them as metallic posters to decorate their rooms.
Recently the comic was also given its own TV Tropes page, a website archiving all pieces of media from all around the globe and giving criticism over the many tropes used in pop culture. On that same website, my name is mentioned on the main Klonoa series page, presenting my comic as the fan continuation to the original comic I was inspired by.
Without trying to give myself too much credit, I do believe my webcomic is nowadays one of the most prominent pieces of fan content the Klonoa series can offer, alongside other awesome projects like soundtrack remixes and reorchestrations, or in-depth game translations for Japanese-only releases.
6. How is the next chapter coming along, and Where do you see the comic going in the future?
Despite all my efforts, the next chapter is currently being delayed further than I'd like due to my tight schedule and amount of assignments art school presents me with. While I am trying my hardest to go as fast as possible, I am still making sure I do not rush any of the steps so that I can offer my readers the best experience I can possibly give. Said readers are thankfully very patient, so aside from a few impatient fans asking over and over when they can expect the next release, most of the fanbase waits and supports me to the fullest. I truly hope I can narrate this fan story of mine entirely, and give the readers a pleasing and satisfying finale for a story that was cut short right before their eyes years ago. Once I finish this project, I hope to expand my horizons by working on other fan comics and hopefully one day be experienced enough to publish my very own manga that, like stated previously, was my main inspiration and remains my biggest project yet.
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