- Interview Location: Anime Expo 2025
- Interview Date: 7/4/2025
- Interview Format: In-Person
Anime Herald: What is your origin story? How did you go from a child interested in art, to becoming a professional artist?
Kyoukaraa: As a child, I loved paintings, especially the background art in anime. I was captivated by Digimon and started drawing scenes from it. It became a small escape from daily life and reality. The biggest impact came when I watched Spirited Away. The backgrounds and the animation, everything left me in awe and inspired me to paint backgrounds myself. My biggest wish was to become an illustrator.
However, growing up in Europe made it very difficult to find support and recognition, since anime and manga art were not considered worthwhile pursuits, especially for a European artist. But I was stubborn and kept posting my work on DeviantArt and later moved to Instagram. I started receiving work offers through both platforms even while staying anonymous. Over time, the opportunities became more serious and I was eventually able to sustain myself and pursue art full-time.
This year, I also won the Mynavi publishing contest and can proudly say that I reached my dream of my works being published in Japan!
Anime Herald: What anime and manga inspired you growing up?
Kyoukaraa: Detective Conan! Or as many of you might know it, Case Closed. Digimon was my absolute obsession as a kid, and Inuyasha as well. As you can probably guess, I’m a certain age, haha.
Anime Herald: What knowledge have you acquired over the years that you’d like to share with aspiring artists?
Kyoukaraa: You don’t need an art degree to find work—what matters most is having an interesting portfolio that speaks to the companies you’d love to collaborate with. I made the mistake of enrolling in a private academy, because I was told I needed it to get a job. After a year, I dropped out because I didn’t really learn anything new or see any value in it. One of my teachers even advised me to follow my own path and I’m still extremely grateful for that encouragement.
Today, you have access to so many resources I didn’t…YouTube videos, tutorials, reels~ so make good use of them!
Anime Herald: Did Anime Expo live up to your expectations? Did you get to do anything fun outside of working the con?
Kyoukaraa: My time in LA was very short because I was exhibiting in Germany literally the day before my flight. I only had one day to explore, and sadly I couldn’t walk around AX much since I was mostly alone. If I have the chance to go again, I’d love to bring someone along so I can see more of the convention. But the Artist’s Alley was incredible! So much talent and variety in one place!
Anime Herald: What was it like creating your artbook Explore? What inspired you to put it together?
Kyoukaraa: This artbook was a personal challenge. I started it in December 2024, and completed all the illustrations within five months. I drew daily and experimented with many different ideas.
After doing fan art for a long time, I wanted to return to my original work to showcase what I’m capable of, especially in background art. I believe an artist can have more than one style, and I didn’t want to be seen as someone who only does a single thing.
The title “Explore” felt fitting because I was exploring different emotions, concepts, styles and sides of myself. Colors were very important to me, I think they can create all kinds of feelings in people. That’s why I kept some illustrations simple in coloring and detail to focus more on the idea itself. A lot of it also reflects my longing for summer and the moments I’ve missed. For years, I was always working through the summer so I wanted to recreate memories I never actually got to have and create my own little escape.
Anime Herald: Who are your favorite Vocaloids?
Kyoukaraa: It used to be Gumi, she always had the coolest songs and since I liked rock music more, she felt like the perfect fit. But Lia has always been one of my favorite singers, so when IA was released, she completely won me over and has been my favorite ever since. Though, sadly, people don’t use her as often anymore.
Anime Herald: Do you have time to read manga or watch anime? If so, what are you currently into?
Kyoukaraa: Sadly, I don’t have much time. I can usually only focus on one show per season. I wish I had more time to watch more series and read more manga. I travel a lot and spend time preparing my trips, producing merchandise and setting up and taking down my booth. From March to November, I’m often going from one event to the next.
When I was working on my artbook, I stayed very focused on finishing it first. But I did watch and am still watching The Apothecary Diaries. Maomao reminds me a bit of Conan from Detective Conan, and I love her personality. It’s my little escape and I enjoy the series so much.
Anime Herald: You have a QR code that says “work with me.” What kind of people are you looking to work with and what would you like them to do?
Kyoukaraa: Haha yes! This was actually an idea I had for AX. A lot of people ask me about private commissions so to make things easier I created a form for people to request them. I usually don’t take private commissions anymore since I’m very busy. Of course, it’s also there for companies interested in collaborating with me to make it clear that I’m open to work inquiries.
Anime Herald: What is something you’d like your fans to know about you?
Kyoukaraa: That’s a hard question! To be honest, I always think of “fans” as something more for idols. I see everyone who enjoys my art as people finding their own little escape in it. I treasure every compliment I receive. When I feel like my work isn’t good enough or I’m stressed, I often think about all the kind words people have shared. It really helps me keep going.
Also, this might be a bit funny, but people often assume I’m a proxy at conventions because I usually stay in the background and don’t post much about myself or show my face. Years ago, I accidentally mixed up flags—I meant to post the German and Polish flags to show my roots, but I used the Indonesian flag by mistake. Ever since, people have been confused when they see me, because they expect an Indonesian artist which I’m not.
Anime Herald: If you could sing a duet with any current hololive artist, who would you sing with and why?
That’s a tough question. I’ve always loved IRyS’s voice and would probably choose her, but Suisei [Hoshimachi] is also amazing. Honestly, though I’m a terrible singer—it’s probably better for humanity if I don’t sing at all, because I’d end up isekai-ing everyone!
Anime Herald: Secret bonus question: Do you have any questions for us?
Kyoukaraa: What was your greatest memory from this year’s AX?
Anime Herald: Seeing my friends. But perhaps that’s cheating and I should pick something that’s actually an official part of AX. In that case, Sukeban was really cool and I hope they come back next year.
You can find Kyoukaraa’s work on her website, and on her Instagram.
Interviews with Artists: Kyoukaraa at Anime Expo 2025 – Seth Burn