Dreams of Itasha

One of the ways Japanese culture fans show their passion is through the art of itasha, applying imagery to all sorts of vehicles. Most often this would involve images of a character being proudly displayed as motifs on cars, bikes, and so on. I would love to do the same, but of course, it would have to involve Pokémon.

The most logical, accessible, and popular Pokémon itasha concept is to put the likeness of the de facto series mascot, Pikachu, onto a vehicle; and in fact, this has already been done, as some years ago there was a photo of a VW clad in Pikachu yellow and certainly with a Pikachu on it. I have no problem with this concept - I like Pikachu and would put Pikachu on a vehicle. Yet I also want to think about how I can make this more original in its design and execution; it doesn't have to be how Pikachu is typically depicted, nor do I have to use Pikachu yellow in copious amounts. Other Pokémon would certainly be fair game for itasha; I foresee something as cute as Oshawott on a sedan, or Charizard on a motorcycle. The former would definitely be cutesy while the latter would be impressively cool.

I am somewhat skilled (through self-learning) in graphic design, so that is helpful in this regard, as itasha is all about graphics. But as this is a very specific field of graphic design, I will either have to design in tandem with someone who knows about itasha very well, or simply resort to being the conceptor. Either way, I'll have to be somewhat involved in the design process. I know a few friends that know their way around itasha (and do have itasha of their own), and this would be a great way to cooperate with them.

Further, there is one thing that holds me back from the world of itasha: I lack a showy vehicle for such a purpose. I don't own a car, and I don't own a motorcycle, but I do own a bicycle. While it is possible to itasha a bicycle, it is not necessarily the showiest thing around. Such dreams will therefore need to wait for a more showy vehicle, if at all possible.

The world of itasha is a world of many possibilities, the same with the world of Pokémon. I don't see why the former can't reflect even more of the latter, and I would be glad to make this happen.