Tohoku Sisters Join The World of NFTs
If this is the first time you’ve heard about NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), then it’s no exaggeration to say that they’re something which has been making waves in the art and creative community, and now, due to a collaboration with the so-called Otaku Coin Association, we’re seeing what appears to be the first major NFT-related project from a major vocal synth – Tohoku Zunko and co.
Read on to find out more about NFTs, and how Zunko and her sisters are planning on getting involved with them.
※The following translations are unofficial, and any information has been carefully curated after much research since the story came to light. In the case of any inaccuracies, we will update this article in due course.
So what are NFTs?
NFTs can be difficult to get your head around, but in essence, an NFT is a blockchain-based token attached to something, usually a piece of artwork, which will have a type of digital cerificate of authenticity, which when the NFT is bought, goes to the final buyer. Think of auctions in the fine art industry, but digital. Although it could sound like an alright idea, there has been quite a bit of controversy around them (and for good reason), some of which centers around how NFTs are attached to cryptocurrency.
It’s said that computers, known as “miners” are required to make the blockchain (Ethereum) work, which uses a huge amount of energy, and is therefore incredibly bad for the environment. The amount of power used by the computers to create and manage blockchain transactions for NFTs is comparable to the energy consumption of ENTIRE countries, and that’s nothing to be sniffed at. Just one single Etherium transaction for an NFT is said to be equivalent to watching YouTube for over 6,000 hours, or a household’s energy consumption for even a month (according to an article on Cultbytes, which referenced this study index).
Put simply, an immense amount of valuable energy is used to create coins which are spent on digital artwork.
Before you even consider buying, it’s good to do research and make your own mind up about the world of NFTs.
What are Zunko and co. having to do with these NFTs?
On April 15th, it was announced on the official Tohoku Zunko Twitter account, that they would be selling sprite-looking artwork NFTs of the characters (entitled “Tohoku Zunko and Friends Special Limited Edition NFTs) via Otaku Coin on April 22nd 2021:
But who are Otaku Coin?
In charge of Otaku Coin is Tokyo Otaku Mode (TOM), whom many fans will know as a store providing otaku-aimed merchandise from Japan. Otaku Coin’s aim is said to be to provide a way for otaku to connect directly with creators of their favourite media, which to many might sound wonderful (especially with the backing of cute female characters like VTuber Kizuna Ai). But despite their promise of supporting the anime industry we know and love, hidden behind this is still the huge debate surrounding NFTs in general, as well as the skepticism regarding Otaku Coin’s practises and business model.
Other important players in this collaboration
As well as these sprite NFTs, a 3D animation, created through money earned from crowdfunding, will also be presented as a bonus in the additional “Metaverse Theatre“. This is reportedly “the world’s first fusion of NFTs and the Metaverse“. The money earned from sales of NFTs is supposed to be put towards future projects, including animation:
You can see the a short clip of the NFT Metaverse Theatre (developed by conata) here, showing part of the animation featuring the girl. The full video should be available for anyone who purchases any of the NFTs, and will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Note: access to the digital theatre is “tentatively scheduled to be available until the end of June 2021”:
“This project is a collaborative effort between four different groups: the Otaku Coin Association (our company), SSS LLC. (owner of Tohoku Zunko), CryptoGames Inc. (blockchain developer), and BeyondConcept Inc. (owner of Conata)” – Otaku Coin blog
You can find out what art will be available as NFTs in the below video:
Other characters from Zunko’s universe will also be available as NFTs, including Shikoku Metan, Ooedo Chanko, Anko-ku Great General, Tsurugi Chubu, Kyushu Sora, Kansai Shinobi, Hokkaido Melon, Chugoku Usagi and Okinawa Awamo.
It’s also worth noting that all of the sprites shown above are also available for download on the official Tohoku Zunko website here for free, if you so wish.
What will be available:
1: Limited Edition NFT Special Cards with Serial Numbers (#001-#100) 100 units x 1 type = 100 NFTs.
2: Limited Edition NFT Special Videos with Serial Numbers (S001-S004) 4 units x 1 type = 4 NFTs.
For anyone who wants to learn more about the NFTs, here is a video from Otaku Coin explaining them (via Tohoku Kiritan):
Sales schedule and Information:
Time: Sales will begin from April 22nd 2021 at 10AM JST
Platform: All NFTs will be sold via Rarible here.
Release Date and Time / Price (Unit — Currency Amount) — Reference
Part 1: April 22nd (Thu) at 10:00 (JST) / 0.1 ETH / #031-#097
Part 2: April 26th (Mon) at 10:00 (JST) / 0.3 ETH / #011-#030 + Premium Auction
Part 3: April 29th (Thu) at 10:00 (JST) / 0.5 ETH / #001-#010 + Premium Auction
*Sales period will end on May 6th (Thu) at 23:59:50 (JST)
All NFTs will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis
Premium Auction details
“During the 2nd and 3rd part of the distribution, 4 separate limited edition NFTs will be sold in an auction-style format. These premium auctions will last until May 6th (Thu) at 23:59:59 (JST) and will be sold to the highest bidder.
Beginning at the same time as Part 2 on April 26th (Mon) at 10:00 (JST), two of the Limited NFT Special Video with Serial Number NFTs will be put up for auction with a starting price of 0.5 ETH each. These auctions will be live until May 6th (Thu) at 23:59:59 and go to the highest bidder.
S001 Tohoku Zunko Limited Edition NFT Special Video with Serial Number
S002 Tohoku Itako Limited Edition NFT Special Video with Serial Number
Beginning at the same time as Part 3 on April 29th (Thu) at 10:00 (JST), two of the Limited NFT Special Video with Serial Number NFTs will be put up for auction with a starting price of 0.5 ETH each. These auctions will be live until May 6th (Thu) at 23:59:59 and go to the highest bidder.
S003 Tohoku Kiritan Limited Edition NFT Special Video with Serial Number
S004 Kansai Shinobi Limited Edition NFT Special Video with Serial Number”
There will also be a lottery for NFTs numbers #098, #099, and #100 from the ‘Limited Edition NFT Special Cards with Serial Numbers’ set. Anyone interested will need to download the official OtakuCoin app.
Additional points of caution about buying:
Retweet campaign
There was also a retweet campaign, where the winner would be able to with 1ETH (the currency of Euthereum), which is equivalent to 250,000 yen in OtakuCoin (available until April 21st 2021 at 23:59 JST)
This project, and Otaku Coin’s overall goal, is apparently to contribute “to the preservation and growth of anime culture around the world using blockchain technology”, allowing for fans to directly support content creators and receive exclusive, unique bonuses as a result.
Although, there is a small line in their blog post which talks about how they also intend to “experiment and prove to the world that NFT can be smoothly incorporated into the industry and community by identifying the possible risks, costs, concerns, merits, and demerits involved“, and while the “possible risks” are not specifically outlined, we can assume they are trying to dispel the concerns of people worried about the severe environmental impact of NFTs, among other current and very valid problems.
In conclusion, whether or not you support NFTs is down to you as an individual, but it’s always important to do your research via un-biased third parties where possible before engaging in them, or anything you’re not familiar with! There’s the hope that NFTs will be able to slowly become more environmentally friendly, but this ideal is definitey something that won’t be happening for a while. We know for a fact that the industry is a surefire money-maker, and it won’t be going away, so we should assume that other vocal synths will potentially be tapping into the market in the near future, whatever that means for us and our community as a whole.
~Tanudama
Links
Tohoku Zunko
Otaku Coin
I am shocked that MikuCoin didn’t happen first. We love to see Tohoku love.