Finding Comfort in Savepoints: Savepoint Craftsman Takumi

 

 

Life is on Autosave

“I wish I could just reload my life to the last savepoint.” Most of us have thought that at one point in our lives. Sadly, there are no savepoints in life; we are perpetually on autosave, and we just cannot go back in time and change what we’ve done. 

 

But we can still have a savepoint monument to comfort us! If you want something you can turn to for the kind of reassurance a savepoint can give, that’s exactly what craftsman Takumi makes.

 

Sparkling tabletop savepoints

 

“I started displaying my art after a friend introduced me to an event called Design Festa. Over ten thousand artists brought their original designs to put on display. For my first time, I brought shogi pieces I’d made.” 

 

What Inspired Him to Make Savepoints

So you started with Shogi pieces…what led you to make savepoints?

 

“There are so many artists who put up a booth at the event, so each booth probably only gets a few seconds of each attendee’s attention as they pass by. When I looked at the other booths around me, I noticed that there were a lot of things that sparkled or were lit up, so I thought I should make something that lights up, too.”

 

Oh, is that why? I’d kind of had this idea that he’d had some kind of divine revelation from a goddess or something…How embarrassing for me.

 

They look like something from a fantasy world.

 

They definitely look magical when displayed all together like this.

 

“I thought it would be nice to have something like that to put on display on a desk, so that’s how I came up with savepoints.”

 

There are probably all kinds of crystals and gems that are designed to light up, but it was pretty genius for Takumi to think of making them into savepoints!

 

“What do you think of when you think of savepoints? Something crystal-like, bluish-white, and shining, right?”

 

Of course. In fact, the very savepoints that Takumi designs are what I have in mind when I think of savepoints. 

 

Takumi’s workspace definitely feels like a craftsman’s desk!

 

 

 

 

Using the Idea of Savepoints as Inspiration

“There haven’t actually been any crystal savepoints in the games I’ve played, or even in many famous RPGs, but somehow I still have the idea of a savepoint being a blue-lit crystal imprinted on my mind.”

 

That’s actually kind of true, isn’t it?!

 

“So I decided that instead of basing my designs on a specific game, I would make a completely original design. That’s why I was able to trademark it, and that’s why when you search “Savepoint” on Google or Wikipedia [in Japanese], it comes up with my tabletop savepoints.”

 

Wow! That means that Takumi is the pioneer of turning our collective idea of savepoints into a physical form. 

 

 

A terrifying iPhone case

 

 

 

Why He Started Crafting

Takumi has been working as a Savepoint Craftsman for six years now, but when was it that he started making things in general?

 

“When I was in high school, I joined the Drama Club and eventually began helping out a local theater group as I got older. I was in charge of making small props. One day I was asked to make a ‘revenge Daruma doll’. I had no idea what to make for that, but to start with I decided to make a daruma that someone had gotten revenge on, and splattered red ink on it to make it look bloody. That ‘revenge daruma’ actually made some audience members recoil in horror, and that was the first time I realized that the things I make could have such a strong effect on people.”

 

Revenge Daruma and Shogi Soldiers

 

The ability to draw out emotions from people is the true mark of an artist. Although this is a macabre example, Takumi seems to be truly thankful that his “revenge daruma” garnered such a strong response. 

 

 

 

The Problem with Selling Savepoints

Takumi has lately run into a problem when it comes to selling his savepoints, however. 

 

“Savepoints used to be something that most people recognized, like if I asked someone what a savepoint was, they’d have a general idea. But a lot of games nowadays don’t have savepoints. Mobile games, for example, all use autosave functions. So my savepoints only really have an impact on people who are between the ages of twenty and fifty.”

 

That’s true! Takumi’s works won’t be obvious to people who have never seen a video game savepoint before. To be honest, they might not even know what “saving” in a video game is!

 

“That’s why I have to keep coming up with new ideas. It makes me feel like I have to create things as a reflection of what I have experienced and how I have experienced it.”

 

Takumi’s artistic sense is also reflected in cute creations like this

 

 

 

To Be an Artist is to Pave the Way in New Fields

New ideas, huh? We tried really hard to think of something, but we couldn’t come up with anything. We’ve definitely spent too long working behind a desk. 

 

“So…that’s why I started being a Vtuber.”

 

Wha…that’s what you meant by “something new”?!

 

Takumi’s VTuber model. Apparently he likes foxes. 

 

“We live in a world where it’s a bit hard to meet people, don’t you think? But it’s easy in the virtual world. You can chat and play games together, so along those lines, I was thinking maybe it would be good to explore what I can do through that medium.”

 

Ah. We were too narrow-minded in only thinking of what kinds of physical things he could make. We’re looking forward to seeing what other ways he’ll blow us away!

 

Definitely check out his VTuber in action!

 

Savepoint Craftsman Takumi

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9XUgzlmlKXpSo-UOTV3DLg

 

Online store: https://kudaranai.stores.jp　※For purchases in Japan only

 

Online store: https://jp.pinkoi.com/store/kudaranai　※For international and domestic purchases

 

For inquires: https://kudaranai.stores.jp/inquiry

 

 

 

 

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