July 10, 2024

Interview between Mixmag Korea and Azikazin Magic World

MIXMAG KOREA와 아지카진 매직월드의 인터뷰 소식

Mixmag Korea JULY 2024 | AZIKAZIN MAGIC WORLD

“The pure joy of creation and the pleasures of life. The magical stories of five creators who breathe life into characters drawn from their imagination.”

From left to Kiho Song, MMDDYYYY, Lionclad, Sungmoon Lee, Gyeongtae Kang

Azikazin Magic World is a Korean creative collective that creates a multimedia mix of animation universes, games, music, and videos derived from characters imagined and crafted by hand. Consisting of Lionclad, MMDDYYYY, Song Kiho, Gyeongtae Kang, and Sungmoon Lee, Azikazin Magic World shares the joy of life that can be felt when fully immersed in creation with a pure attitude. This interview captures the magical stories of the ‘Magic World Cosmos’ that Azikazin Magic World has built so far, and records their mindset towards their creations and works. (Editor: Park Min-cheon)

Could you briefly introduce the members of Azikazin Magic World to our readers?

I am Lionclad, and I create music and do art directing at Azikazin Magic World.

I am MMDDYYYY, and I mainly handle music directing and producing at Azikazin Magic World.

I am Gyeongtae Kang, and I focus on illustrations and storyboards for the team. Recently, I have been assisting with drawing and animation for a project directed by Lionclad.

I am Song Kiho, and I create videos and develop games.

I am Sungmoon Lee, and I handle 3D work and team management.

Photography & Artwork by Park Soomin (@sooflowlikehoney)

I am curious whether Azikazin Magic World formed after its specific universe was defined,

or if the team came together first and then developed the universe. Also, I’m interested in how the team members came together.

I was originally involved as a video creator, and the music creators were doing their own work separately. Initially, we came together to create music videos. Over time, we found that our creative directions and interests aligned, and we communicated well, sharing a desire to explore new and more exciting projects. That’s how the five of us initially came together, and it all started when Lionclad created characters and dolls. Seeing these characters in physical form caught our attention, and we began imagining the stories that could unfold among them. This process led to the expansion and development of places like Dorephin Village and the Magic World Cosmos as we know them today.

The initial start was Lionclad’s iPhone notepad. When everyone first saw the worlds and characters she had sketched out in the notepad created on her own, we all found them charming and began developing those ideas together, forming a team.

Nike True To Your Crew: Azikazin Magic World

I find it fascinating and admirable how everyone can get deeply into creating things together instead of just doing tasks.

I’d like to hear more about what inspires all of you

I’ve always enjoyed collecting dolls and toys since I was young. In particular, Kiho and I delve into the nostalgia and aesthetic standards of the past that are felt in them, and I’ve always had a strong curiosity about what thoughts the creator had when making them. Based on these interests, the desire to create naturally emerged in me. If longing for the past when I had mixed media as a character is one part of my motivation.Also, the collaborative environment and team spirit are major motivators for me. As a team that has developed together, we find it easier to steer our creative direction based on our unity.

The team atmosphere is such that when someone says, “I want to try this,” everyone encourages and supports them. I’ve been making music for a long time, but starting with Azikazin, I also began exploring art, and this free-spirited environment has been a great support for me.

It feels like the friends gathered here are less burdened by societal pressures about what they should do. The team atmosphere of enjoying fun times together and finding joy in challenging ourselves creates motivation.

Having a space where we can work together has been a major factor. Initially, it was just an empty room, but having a place where we can freely do what we want, rather than working individually at home, has been a big motivation for us.

It seems that our standards for happiness are relatively low in a positive sense. Even if we’re not working in the best environment or earning a lot of money, we don’t feel unhappy or discouraged. We continue because we find it enjoyable. While making money is nice, it’s not our top priority.

I’ve been able to keep working steadily because I’m satisfied with creating things myself, enjoy collaborating with others, and feel good about the results. Positive feedback also motivates me a lot.

Yeah, let’s talk about the ‘SFBD’ album. You guys actually made a toy figure to create the album cover.

It was a wonderfully immersive experience in a positive sense.

I really like the term “over-immersion.” People who over-immerse themselves are usually happy, right? There was a thrilling aspect to actually making and touching toys. If I had the chance, I’d want to challenge myself again.

I’m not sure why, but I really wanted to make something physical. A friend I was working with thought it was inefficient and time-consuming to do it ourselves and opposed the idea. Still, I insisted on taking the time to do it myself because I really wanted to. Learning how to make it was tough at times, being my first hands-on project like that, but it opened up opportunities for me to try other things. Now, it’s a favorite piece of work that I cherish.

The production site for the puppet for Silica Gel 「LOST!」

Making things by hand feels so satisfying compared to creating them on a computer. When someone is making artwork by hand and another is sculpting something with clay nearby, we naturally got caught up in that kind of over-immersive environment. Sitting together and chatting, ideas for the next project would come up. Communicating while working by hand feels very precious. Without this time together, I don’t think we would have easily made the decision to create artwork with handmade toys.

It’s hard not to talk about the world of Azikazin Magic World, but Jujubee’s expression has changed a lot compared to the early days.

Their expression has softened quite a bit!

Jujubee was initially created as a physical doll puppet. Physical entities tend to be logical—you need to logically explain their movements and physical properties. In the early days, Jujubee was confined by this logic. While the physical charm is undeniable, translating it directly into drawings or illustrations made Jujubee look too much like just a stiff doll.

As we continued researching the character, we discovered that animations often defy physical logic in favor of strong emotional expressions and exaggerated deformities. When I look at the expressions of animated characters, they give me the impression of great freedom. It’s about exaggerating and infusing life into them. As our team focused more on games and animations, we wanted to give characters like Jujubee in Azikazin Magic World a more active and expressive image. We started portraying emotions in a less rigid way. Looking forward, if we create a new Jujubee doll, I’m thinking of incorporating these ideas. We’re exploring ways to freely add and remove facial expressions without being confined to physical constraints. In the early days, Jujubee enjoyed creating in closed spaces, much like how we used to find it hard to communicate with others externally. Now, we’ve moved past that and are actively seeking new experiences with an open mind.

The idea of world stemming from ‘Trash Mountain’ is very fascinating.

Lionclad, who initially conceptualized Trash Mountain, still hasn’t found the exact answer to why it has to be Trash Mountain or why we created it in the first place.

The concept of Trash Mountain itself was just incredibly appealing to me. Whether it was the idea or the look of it, I had a feeling that something fun and interesting could happen there.

We didn’t start with a specific meaning in mind. There’s a small hope that it doesn’t become something with a definitive answer. I think it would be more enjoyable for those experiencing our story to create new meanings together through their conversations.

Personally, I don’t place a huge importance on the universe itself. Instead, what I consider most important when creating or expressing something is to help people experience the nostalgia I feel when recalling memories from my past or childhood.

I cannot say Azikazin Magic World without mentioning Rhythm Pocket project and animations.

I want to know more about this.

The earliest model of the animation of Azikazin Magic World appeared in the music video for the song “Eyeballs.” Inspired from one of the CD games I enjoyed playing a lot when I was young was “Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds.” Reflecting on the nostalgia I felt back then, I developed ideas such as combining games and creating music videos. This led to works like “Rhythm Pocket” and animation “Keeper’s Wish.”

“Rhythm Pocket” was a project that started from my own idea. I pondered how to give viewers of live performances more excitement than just listening to music, which led me to the idea of a rhythm game. We actually created a playable game where players interactively played the rhythm game to the timing of Lion’s performances. I wanted to share the experiences I enjoyed as a child with others and rekindle the emotions I felt back then. Rather than simply creating something to show people, I aimed to fully convey the inspiration derived from here through Rhythm Pocket.

I can’t leave out the story of a webpage with charming interactions. It feels like stepping into a small village.

Between 2021 and 2022, I felt a strong desire to create a website. I didn’t want to confine what we showcase and create within the framework of platforms like Instagram. We wanted to use more text and not limit the overall feeling to the constraints of a platform. Initially, web designer Yoo Yeonju(@yeonjuchu) took charge of the primary production, and I’ve been handling maintenance and management since then. Saying it feels like stepping into a small village is a huge compliment. We created the website with that in mind!

I’ve always thought having a website would make us feel more secure. When platforms like Instagram or YouTube decline in popularity, it can feel like relying too much on them. Now that We have a website, it’s like having a stable home base, a comforting feeling of having our own place.

Losing access to our previous Instagram account, despite having set up two-factor authentication, was another reason we felt the need for a website. Losing even the secondary password made us seriously consider what we would do if such a situation occurred again.

Sure, let’s move on to the discography and music stories of Azikazin Magic World.

When the ‘SFBD’ album was released, the concept of Jujubee seemed downcast, but now I feel like Jujubee became more much more lively and vibrant at album artwork. My thoughts have changed a lot since then. After making ‘SFBD,’ I wondered how to move forward, and I feel like I’m gradually becoming more optimistic. I hope my future music will be quite different from ‘SFBD’—easier to write and more comfortable for listeners to enjoy.

While based on hip-hop or beat music, I’ve always felt it carries an underlying emotion of sadness.

I’m not sure why, but I generally find it difficult to listen to bright music. Even though there could be elements like fast tempo or upbeat vibes, I often feel that a touch of sadness enhances the music. I frequently think it would be great if sadness could be an integral part of the music, alongside elements that can be lively and uplifting. When I discuss music with Lionclad, we often focus more on the atmosphere rather than specific genres or skills. Listening to Lionclad’s earlier music can evoke a strong sense of melancholy in me. I want to create songs that carry sadness but are also bright. I believe that when sadness is delicately woven into uplifting music, it can resonate more deeply with listeners.

I’m trying to create an introductory level of melancholy—a feeling that you can lightly immerse yourself in if you want to feel a bit melancholic.

The team name itself carries a somewhat introspective feel. “Still Okay So Far” or “Still Manageable”(*아직까진 which means’Still’in Korean-pronounce sounds similar with 아지카진’Azikazin’. ) conveys a sense of navigating through life’s ups and downs, which is why I feel that a melancholic vibe is often present in our music and videos. Despite initially thinking this joy wouldn’t last long, I find myself continuing on, and I think that realization has gradually brightened our work overall.

Please give us a sneak peek into the upcoming music release.

Azikazin Magic World’s latest song tells stories unfolding around Dorephin village and its surroundings, featuring new characters. The music blends a melancholic yet warm vibe.

Shall we conclude the interview while discussing Azikzin Magic World’s thoughts on its future?

We recently discussed the core of Azikazin, where people with different talents come together around characters. My vision is for everyone to unite around this central idea of characters. Characters themselves were the starting point that brought us together.

I hope communities will form around Azikazin Magic World’s characters, where people can talk about them, geek out together, and share more stories. It would be great to see more people deeply immersed and enjoying themselves, completely captivated. Witnessing that would make me really happy.

7/28(日) Azikazin Magic World ⋆ 「Hotel Room」

We aim to nurture our passion for our characters and entertain people effectively and regularly without sacrificing the quality of our work. I want to keep emphasizing the value of our creative process and reach more audiences with our creations. If our creative journey were a thick history book, Azikazin Magic World feels like we’re just starting out on the first few pages. Everyone has a story, and I believe our creative group, Azikazin, can continue activities that will one day fill those pages with significant achievements.

Having a space where we can gather is essential for us to work together with like-minded people. Without a space, it’s easy for things to fizzle out, even if we have the people. Personally, I want to earn more money to create a more comfortable creative environment and build a space where we can easily welcome anyone who wants to work with us. I believe that would lead to even more exciting projects.

* We would like to express our thanks to MixMag Korea and Editor Park Mincheon for allowing simultaneous publication of this interview on Azikazin Magic World’s website.
** Original Interview: MixMag Korea INTERVIEW : Azikazin Magic World http://mixmag.kr/6905

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13 comments

도레핀 마을의 오늘은 학교에 가기 싫은 관찰자

우와

July 10, 2024 at 3:40 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 특촬물 전문 관찰자

💙.. 아지카진 러뷰입니다

July 10, 2024 at 3:46 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 이제 막 태어난 관찰자

데박

July 10, 2024 at 3:49 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 귀염둥이 관찰자

응원해요🌊

July 10, 2024 at 5:15 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 쓰레기산 산책왕 관찰자

🖤✨🪄

July 10, 2024 at 6:19 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 혼자 놀기의 달인 관찰자

와웅~~!

July 10, 2024 at 7:20 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 이제 막 태어난 관찰자

고트

July 10, 2024 at 11:02 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 오늘 막 하늘에서 떨어진 관찰자

최고입니다!!!

July 10, 2024 at 11:03 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 등대지기를 무서워하는 관찰자

역시나 이번주도 화이팅입니다🗯️

July 10, 2024 at 11:54 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 늦잠꾸러기 관찰자

몰입하면서 읽었다 !!

July 11, 2024 at 2:37 am Reply
도레핀 마을의 배고픈 관찰자

응원해요🎈

July 11, 2024 at 9:08 am Reply
도레핀 마을의 우유 애호가 관찰자

Love

July 15, 2024 at 5:30 pm Reply
도레핀 마을의 발명왕 관찰자

Thank you for the English translation ! I love your concept so much and hope I can visit you someday. 아지카진 화이팅!! ✨🫰

July 15, 2024 at 6:11 pm Reply