If you frequent my site, you know I’m a big supporter of the anime artist community. Anime as an influential art form is garnering more attention than it has in the past, but in my opinion, still not nearly enough. That’s why I interview and spotlight artists monthly (at least I really try to)! At Anime Expo this year, I was fortunate enough to meet many new artists and to even meet a few artists whom I’ve only spoken to online. I also had the pleasure of discovering some up-and-coming artist groups, one of them being Tofu Girls.
According to the Tofu Girls website, “The mission of Tofu Girls is to inspire and create an environment in which female artists could be invited to participate and contribute to a brand that would essentially be created by women for women.”
The Tofu Girls booth at Anime Expo caught my eye with it’s bold lines and interesting take on Japanese culture. One image in particular - Miso Soup! - really drew my attention. After perusing the booth and being impressed with the diversity, skill, and imagination of this artist collective, I chatted with Hong Ly, General Manager of Tofu Girls. We talked about how he started this compendium of women artists.
Interview with Hong Ly, General Manager of Tofu Girls:
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Tofu Girls is an interesting and novel group filling an otherwise bare niche in the anime community. With the overabundance of fanservice-heavy merchandise directed at moe-loving fanboys and Naruto-obsessed teens, Tofu Girls offers a refreshing change to anime fans with distinctive taste of both sexes. It’s good to see unique anime-influenced apparel aimed at women in the anime/manga community but which can be appreciated by all. If you’re interested in some of their product, visit the Tofu Girls online store for more details.