Builder Series #10 - NEON GARDEN: SteveG's Cyberpunk Community Anime

I was doing my typical mid-afternoon lull Twitter doomscrolling a few days ago when I saw a short but beautifully designed animation clip from SteveG’s account. His iconic red perfecto jacket and katana standing in front of blinking computer screens in a futuristic scene with rain and lightning just outside creating a sinister ambience. It promised chapter 1 of NEON GARDEN releasing in a few days made by my favourite web3 animator, Phuncal - needless to say I was excited.

On Tuesday, 3/21 the full episode dropped as an open edition mint and viewable by anyone on the cyberpunk-themed NEON GARDEN website or youtube. I watched it 3 times straight. I caught up with SteveG to learn more about his background and inspiration behind the first installment of this series. Read on.

Who is SteveG? Can you give us a bit of colour on what you do outside of web3? Or is web3 your full-time work?

Web3 has become my passion over the last 3-4 years, but I do have an IRL day job that I very much enjoy. I’m the Principal Product Designer at a company in the Bay Area/San Francisco, and manage a team of designers. I’ve been in design and branding for over 10+ years, starting in New York where I’m from originally. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for art and aesthetics in general, which is what brought me into the NFT space to begin with. 

Neon Garden was teased a few days ago and dropped on Tuesday 3/21. What inspired you to create an anime episode featuring your Azuki?

NGL, the second I bought Azuki #6699 (I bid well over floor at the time because I vibed with him specifically) I thought he belonged in some kind of futuristic cyberpunk style city. So the idea has been growing in my mind ever since. I think we all agree that the incredible art by Steamboy is perfect for anime, the character design is absolutely flawless.

We’ve seen some narrative style animations from other holders, and we’ve gotten a couple from the team - but nothing so far as an actual long running episodic show with deep lore and world building. Being an Azuki fanboy and member of the community since before mint, this is exactly what I’ve yearned for. So why not create one? Finding Phuncal and later Atrium was the last step I needed to make this dream a reality. 

What’s the vision for Neon Garden and what can holders and fans expect in the coming months?

Chapter 1 is just the beginning. We introduced the main protagonists and a bit of world building and lore in the episode, and in greater detail on the website. Chapter 2 is already in production and will take this narrative even further, showing some of the specific evil and corruption from the mega-corporation SoulTek Solutions. 

Once this foundation for the world is set up, we plan to recruit NEON GARDEN holders and members of the Azuki community and others to be featured in future episodes, when it makes sense narratively of course. 

Making an anime isn’t cheap, so the speed and scope for how we achieve this comes down to the funds we can raise through mints. Chapter 1 and 2 were made entirely out of my own pocket, but it will become difficult to continue long-term without some community support.

Tell me about working with AtriumNFT - how does that collaboration work and what role are they playing in this project?

Working with Atrium has been incredible. I found them after reaching out to Phuncal (who was the clear cut obvious choice to make an Azuki-inspired anime). Through their commission system people can get connected to great artists like Phuncal and bring their individual vision for their NFT/IP to life. The entire process was smooth and the resulting work has surpassed any of my previous expectations. The entire team is incredible and an absolute pleasure to work with. I recommend anyone who has even a slight idea for their IP to reach out to them or check out their list of amazing artists on the Atrium website: https://atrium.art

What advice do you have for Azuki, Beanz and Bobu holders who want to build something using their IP?

Have an idea? Just do it. Start building it today, or at least do some of the groundwork. Once you have a proof of concept or something worthwhile to show, pitch it to the community and overall space. In my opinion, the NFT space hasn’t even begun to utilize the power of community to its full potential. Strong communities like Azuki have tremendous power, and the ability to create things like an anime through community support. The pooled resources of 2,500+ passionate holders is a powerful thing. One of the main reasons I created NEON GARDEN was to show the potential of community-backed creation, and inspire other holders to come up with their own ideas for their IP.

The more holders we get doing great things with their IP the better, and it’s all in our own best interest to push the brand forward. 

Where can people go to learn more?

I created an official website at http://NEONGARDEN.XYZ that will show all of the chapters and mint details, and a “glossary” for the NEON GARDEN world that will be updated periodically as the narrative unfolds. 

Chapter 1 mint is open until 11:00 PM PDT on Monday, March 27th at https://app.manifold.xyz/c/neongarden