Kira of the Month (January 2025)

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the first edition of Kira of the Month, where we showcase what our mascot Kira Yamada is doing for the entire month. Let's see what she's been doing for today.
Summary
January marks the beginning of a new year, and Kira has been getting ready for it in her custom-made kimono.

Her kimono has the same iconic flowers, which are also located on the hairpins and the wave on the body. She does look peaceful and excited about the coming year. While she's walking to the nearest temple to grant her wishes for the year, she's eating some delicious onigiri (rice balls). They must've been so delicious because she forgot about a rice that was stuck in her face.
Despite that, she has high hopes for the year, so you should too!
Behind the Scenes
What was the initial idea behind this month’s Kira design?
The initial idea for this month’s design was to celebrate the New Year with Japanese traditions. Hence an original kimono that Kira can perfectly fit while she’s eating onigiri (rice balls).
Were there any specific themes, anime influences, or references that inspired this look?
I was inspired by two things that are based on Japanese tradition:
The first one would be how Japanese people tend to wear kimono during Shogatsu (New Year’s Celebrations) when they visit shrines and temples to wish for a successful year, participate in ceremonies, and attend family gatherings.
The second one would be Coming of Age Day for Japanese people turning 20 years old, being the beginning of adulthood (even though Kira is 21 years old…).
Were there multiple sketches or versions? If so, what were the main differences?
Yes, there were two sketches for the New Year’s design. The first one shows Kira with braided hair eating mochitsuki, one of the main foods eaten during New Year’s in Japan.
The second one has Kira in her original long hair and she was eating onigiri (rice balls). While she was eating her onigiri, she had a piece of rice on the bottom of her face.


What made you choose this final design over other options? (e.g. hair length, outfit, pose)
The reason why I’ve chosen this final design is mainly because I am fond of her original hair length. Plus, having an original kimono that can fit only our mascot makes it a lot better for Kira overall. It shows that even though she loves to do traditional Japanese, it doesn’t hurt to do something original for yourself for a chance.
Is there a hidden detail or Easter egg in the design?
Well, a hidden detail that I am fond of the most is having both of her iconic flowers that are always on her head had a special touch on it when it was placed in the kimono. I thought it looked nice!!
If Kira had a personality or story for this month’s look, what would it be?
Kira’s story for this month is she’s walking around with her kimono eating onigiri as she’s getting ready for the New Year to happen and what’s capable for her throughout the year 2025. Hopefully, you can join her as the year goes by ~
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