Author Topic: ZUN and Touhou status update  (Read 449924 times)

CyberAngel

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #180 on: May 05, 2013, 12:12:03 PM »
- His effort is such that he even designed all the extra kappa girls in WaHH himself. It's highly likely that all the character cameos in manga are arranged by ZUN, so you should never question their canonicity again.

Being a die-hard canon enthusiast, I'm taking this to heart. I wondered about many small cameos in official works, whether they were thrown in by the artist or specifically placed there by ZUN, and I'm delighted to know it's the latter.

- When he was a child, ZUN used to do some cleaning work for shrine(s) and Buddhist temple(s) on Sunday morning. He eventually came to like the temple(s).

So that explains a lot of references even before MoF. That's heartwarming to know.

- He likes the Heart Sutra, using its chanting as background music.

Suddenly, Kyouko's existence makes so much sense.

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #181 on: May 05, 2013, 12:15:22 PM »
Addenum to the previous post:

I decided to translate 仕事 as "job" and 作業 as "work", and explain what he's working on if necessary.

From March 28's Nikenme Radio:
- When talking about times of the day suitable for game development, ZUN quoted the famous opening passages of the Pillow Book: "In summer, the night is the best. In spring, the morning."

==================

On April 13, someone asked:
Quote
Will you never make any Touhou with male characters?
Personally, I feel having only female characters do not fit the atmosphere of the Touhou universe.

ZUN replied:
Quote
Well, the work's current state is almost like a friends' club. It'll be difficult to [add male characters at the moment]. While not actively depicted, in reality there are many male characters doing other things. Please think of it like that.
I take this to be one of ZUN's blatantly silly excuses for these kinds of questions :V. Another such excuse he used years ago was "men's bullets are faster", and Touhou is about slow bullets.

==================

Touhou 14 seems to be going really well, so ZUN has become very chatty on twitter.

On May 1, after drinking an awfully lot throughout Nico Nico Super Conference:
Quote
Only at this moment do I begin to feel the damage caused by Super Conference. I've got to drink some Muscle Drink.
"Muscle Drink" is a recovery item from the Persona series. May cause poisoning.

==================

At 1 AM, May 2:
Quote
Because of the Reitaisai schedule, I can't rest during the Golden Week holiday. I'll go to sleep after some golden beer.

==================

The doujin game creator heppoko tweeted: "I should retire too." ZUN said:
Quote
I say I'll retire every year, but have no time for that.

==================

At 11 PM, May 3, after the release of HM demo update, someone asked: "Hopeless Masquerade is not your original work, right?" He answered (1, 2):
Quote
This game is also part of the original work, only that it is a side story in terms of numbering.

Those with decimals in their numbering are side stories. (Other than HM) there are 6 such games.
Other than giving you the defense against the "fighting games are not canon" crowd, this is AFAIK the first time he ever called anything in Touhou "side story".

==================

At 9 AM, May 4:
Quote
Every time the game development is progressing well, I'll subconsciously type "hot spring" into search engine.
The punchline is that he's subconsciously looking forward to his way of unwinding: bathing in a hot spring with his doujin game maker friends like Tasofro and D.N.A. Software. They are all men, of course.

==================

At 11 PM:
Quote
If I keep staying at home I'll gain the insane status ailment. I'm going out.

Someone replied: "the rule that Touhou games made by Kannushi in insane state are harder. (no such thing)" He replied:
Quote
There is such a thing.

Then...
Quote
I've come to cinema for drinking.

Arrived a little late, but I've finished Wreck-It Ralph. Almost moved me to tears.

Also finished Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods, and I'm back home. Good, my MP are mostly recovered!

Wreck-It Ralph was really good. A story taking place in an arcade after closing hour can be so moving.
I didn't know you can watch kids' animated movies at midnight in Japan.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2013, 02:19:17 PM by cuc »
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Maiden Synnae ミ☆

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #182 on: May 06, 2013, 11:41:13 AM »
I'm happy to see Touhou 14 is going smoothly.

This Reitaisai will be pretty cool, we'll be getting not only Touhou 14's demo but also the full Hopeless Masquerade. Not to mention the usual stuff done by fans as well, of course.

Sweetness and love~ ♥

game2011

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #183 on: May 06, 2013, 02:00:28 PM »
Some people actually think the fighting games are not canon...?

Also, does this mean everything in Inaba is canon?

Thanks in advance!
« Last Edit: May 06, 2013, 03:53:57 PM by game2011 »

OkashiiKisei

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #184 on: May 06, 2013, 07:21:56 PM »
I didn't know you can watch kids' animated movies at midnight in Japan.
Maybe he went to see the original English version with Japanese subtitles? Original versions tend to play much later on the day. Wreck-It Ralph got changed quite a bit in the Japanese version, so I can imagine he'd want to watch the original.
...This is assuming they even do subbing for kids' movies in Japan.

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #185 on: May 06, 2013, 08:23:17 PM »
Wreck-It Ralph is called Sugar Rush in Japan, isn't it? The fact that he referred to it as Wreck-It Ralph might mean he saw the original (though IIRC, the only diff that I know of is the name change and the black girl being changed to a Japanese one. Well, and language, of course)

...off-topic, but I really don't see why they had to change the name and theme. "Wreck-It Ralph" is already a Japanese nostalgia themed name, since Pac Man and Donkey Kong and all those other games that the Wreck-It Ralph game is based on originated in (and are popular as hell in) Japan too...
« Last Edit: May 06, 2013, 08:25:07 PM by Tiamat »

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #186 on: May 06, 2013, 11:22:56 PM »
Also, does this mean everything in Inaba is canon?

Thanks in advance!

I don't know the precise source, but I remember reading in an interview or something that Inaba was different: since it was mostly comedy he felt that letting the artist write their own jokes was necessary. or rather, he chose the artist because of their sense of humor, so not letting them come up with their own jokes would be counterproductive.

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #187 on: May 07, 2013, 12:52:48 AM »
To begin with, ZUN is even just accredited for draftwork/setting/character design rather than writing/scenario as he consistently is otherwise.
I dunno I think it's pretty clear that ZUN didn't write most of Inaba just by reading it.

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cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #188 on: May 07, 2013, 01:11:02 AM »
Wreck-It Ralph is called Sugar Rush in Japan, isn't it? The fact that he referred to it as Wreck-It Ralph might mean he saw the original (though IIRC, the only diff that I know of is the name change and the black girl being changed to a Japanese one. Well, and language, of course)

...off-topic, but I really don't see why they had to change the name and theme. "Wreck-It Ralph" is already a Japanese nostalgia themed name, since Pac Man and Donkey Kong and all those other games that the Wreck-It Ralph game is based on originated in (and are popular as hell in) Japan too...
Actually ZUN wrote "Sugar Rush", so he watched the dubbed version.

To begin with, ZUN is even just accredited for draftwork/setting/character design rather than writing/scenario as he consistently is otherwise.
I dunno I think it's pretty clear that ZUN didn't write most of Inaba just by reading it.
The common translation for that (原案) nowadays is "Original Concept", indicating a party who only came up with a basis, then handed it to another party to further refine it into a product. (On the other comics he's credited as 原作 "Original Work", which is how writers are generally credited in the manga business.)

ZUN definitely allows the artist to write Inaba and Inaba, because he said so in the interview. But it is generally agreed that the overall events outlined in Inaba were canon, specified by ZUN.

I'm also of this opinion. Structurally, Inaba provided such a good epilogue to SSiB/CiLR, it must be intentionally planned by the author.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2013, 01:31:38 AM by cuc »
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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #189 on: May 07, 2013, 05:33:11 AM »
Assuming my memory is right, ZUN specifically stated in the interview that he was the one who decided "who should appear next", at the very least. Thus, IMHO, somewhere along the line, ZUN must have specifically stated "The watatsuki sisters will appear in the finale", etc etc. So at the very least, it's likely canon that they'd come down to Earth just to visit in the end. It's more the small details done for the sake of a joke like Eirin getting sick or Yorihime getting KO'd by a pit trap that were likely decided upon by the artist. People who bring these things up as reasons why Inaba isn't canon don't seem to realize that those small details were done... well, for the sake of a joke (what with ZUN saying that it was important to let the writer have freedom for that sort of thing to do the jokes in the first place)

Wish I could find that interview. For some reason I can't find it on the wiki, yet I'm pretty sure my memory is correct...
« Last Edit: May 07, 2013, 05:36:56 AM by Tiamat »

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #190 on: May 07, 2013, 07:11:08 AM »
>Inaba canonicity

It's from D.N.A. Software's 2009 Nae Radio broadcast.

http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Interview_on_Nae_Radio_%28September_2009%29

Basically what Tiamat said: he gave an outline, including what characters to appear.

I'm posting more links about this particular broadcast for my own archival purpose:

Original Japanese summary (the wiki one is a translation):
http://nico2c.com/acq/viewthread.php?tid=5140

Original audio (Part 1, links to the rest):
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm10791530
« Last Edit: May 07, 2013, 07:35:59 AM by cuc »
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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #191 on: May 07, 2013, 10:10:56 AM »
Quote
Also, does this mean everything in Inaba is canon?

Maybe not everything, but in my opinion, the general story should be canon. I don't see why it wouldn't be.

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #192 on: May 07, 2013, 09:49:07 PM »
Yeah, the stuff about the Lunar Exposition and the Watatsukis coming to visit and all that should be canon. I mean, why not? But other than that there's not much of a story, is there?

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #193 on: May 07, 2013, 11:44:02 PM »
>Inaba canonicity

It's from D.N.A. Software's 2009 Nae Radio broadcast.

http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Interview_on_Nae_Radio_%28September_2009%29

Oh thanks a ton. A year ago I was looking for that but couldn't find it anywhere. It stinks when I remember something but can't find the original source.

...sheez. No wonder I couldn't find it. The word "Inaba" isn't in there at all so it doesn't show up on any search engines.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2013, 11:45:54 PM by Tiamat »

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #194 on: May 08, 2013, 02:03:41 AM »
I've always held that the events in Inabas "actually happened", it's just that the depiction was silly than it was "in reality."

I still say someone should redo the comics which relied on the rabbits being non-anthropomorphic puffballs in order to work, and redo them with the bunnies as Tewi-style humanoids as seen in SSiB.

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #195 on: May 08, 2013, 07:49:22 AM »
Quote
Yeah, the stuff about the Lunar Exposition and the Watatsukis coming to visit and all that should be canon. I mean, why not? But other than that there's not much of a story, is there?

Sure there isn't much story, but there are character relationships and other details there. Like Kaguya and Mokou do not hate each other, which if you make this argument by using Inaba of Moon and Earth, I would hazard a guess that people tend to disagree. Or Suwako making an appearance at Eientei or how Kaguya wanted to go out and explore.

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #196 on: May 08, 2013, 08:12:45 AM »
Sure there isn't much story, but there are character relationships and other details there. Like Kaguya and Mokou do not hate each other, which if you make this argument by using Inaba of Moon and Earth, I would hazard a guess that people tend to disagree. Or Suwako making an appearance at Eientei or how Kaguya wanted to go out and explore.

All that stuff but Suwako also happened in CiLR.

game2011

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #197 on: May 08, 2013, 12:07:22 PM »
Still, there are some people who refuse to accept Inaba as canon.  In fact, there are even people who don't accept the information books as canon, so to them, Kyouko knows math, Shou knows how to use her spear, Nitori is not arrogant, etc...
« Last Edit: May 08, 2013, 03:07:57 PM by game2011 »

CyberAngel

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #198 on: May 08, 2013, 12:51:41 PM »
Akyuu is known to be an unreliable narrator. Of course, that doesn't mean her books don't have any useful information, but try telling them that.

Sagus

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #199 on: May 08, 2013, 01:48:04 PM »
You know, the "Akyuu is an unreliable narrator" is kind of a lame excuse. She surely is a biased person, and her knowledge isn't complete, but you can't go and claim she's lying just because her book revealed things about a character that you didn't like.

I mean, when she has faulty information, it's made pretty obvious (the entries for Sakuya, Mokou, Kagura and Eirin come to mind). There isn't any reason to believe that, for example, she's lying about Shou not knowing how to use a spear, or that Yoshika is pretty much mindless. These things aren't contradicted anywhere else in the story, and there's no reason to believe they're not true (I mean, Shou is a treasure youkai; she's there to gather faith for her god, not fight for him. And Yoshika... well, just read her dialogue =P).
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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #200 on: May 08, 2013, 03:49:37 PM »
You know, the "Akyuu is an unreliable narrator" is kind of a lame excuse. She surely is a biased person, and her knowledge isn't complete, but you can't go and claim she's lying just because her book revealed things about a character that you didn't like.

I mean, when she has faulty information, it's made pretty obvious (the entries for Sakuya, Mokou, Kagura and Eirin come to mind). There isn't any reason to believe that, for example, she's lying about Shou not knowing how to use a spear, or that Yoshika is pretty much mindless. These things aren't contradicted anywhere else in the story, and there's no reason to believe they're not true (I mean, Shou is a treasure youkai; she's there to gather faith for her god, not fight for him. And Yoshika... well, just read her dialogue =P).

Her description of Nitori also explains her dialog in SA very well.

CyberAngel

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #201 on: May 08, 2013, 04:37:55 PM »
Agree with everything. Her books show the humans' point of view, and while her information can be incomplete or mistaken on occasion, it's still food for thought. That's why I enjoy them. The fact that I like ALL characters certainly helps :P

Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #202 on: May 08, 2013, 04:42:19 PM »
Most of the things where Akyu is wrong are things where she either specifically stated she wasn't sure and was just speculating (like Sakuya), or where people lied to her on purpose, and thus aren't her fault (the Lunarians are keeping it a secret that they're from the moon, and either Heaven or the Ministry of Right and Wrong or both are lying about Heaven's capacity, etc)

game2011

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #203 on: May 08, 2013, 04:59:51 PM »
But that doesn't mean EVERYTHING thing she says is flat-out wrong and cannot be trusted in whatever way, which some people seem to believe.  Even if not entirely correct or exaggerated, there is a certain amount of truth in them for her to say something like that in the first place.  Things like Shou being bad a with the spear isn't something you can make up, like Sagus said, as well as Kyouko having no skills in math and returning certain echoes improperly.  Why would you instantly assume that someone who is commonly seen with a spear doesn't know how to use it?

I feel bad for bringing up this "Akyu is/is not a liar" debate in the first place...
« Last Edit: May 08, 2013, 05:02:32 PM by game2011 »

CyberAngel

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #204 on: May 08, 2013, 06:04:50 PM »
Debate? I think everyone pretty much agreed here that she's reliable enough aside from select few cases.

Now I feel bad for sparking it as well. Just because I voiced that "unreliable" idea doesn't mean I agree or like it, especially if it's taken to an extreme by some people.

game2011

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #205 on: May 09, 2013, 04:33:27 AM »
There are people here who think Akyu is unreliable, mind you, so they pretty much shrug off the info books as...  You know what I'm saying...
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 04:37:25 AM by game2011 »

Sagus

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #206 on: May 09, 2013, 04:55:36 AM »
Ok, guys, we're all on the same level here. I wasn't even accusing anyone here of using that excuse, it just that it got mentioned and I went off on a tangent about why it bugs me. Sorry about it. Let's stop before we derail the thread any further.
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game2011

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #207 on: May 09, 2013, 05:15:55 AM »
I should be the one to apologize for even bringing up this matter in the first place...

Sorry for all the trouble...
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 05:21:53 AM by game2011 »

cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: Wreck-It Ralph makes ZUN cry
« Reply #208 on: May 09, 2013, 09:27:16 AM »
Only 17 days left. A frivolous twitter update is perfectly fitting for the quiet before the storm.

A screen from a NHK digital TV quiz game (NHK is Japan's public broadcast station):

Quote
Warmup Quiz
This January new anime season has begun. Which show is a 2-dimensional idol project, yet started an idol "general election" among its fans?

Blue: Idolmaster
Red: Love Live!
Green: Touhou Project
Yellow: Date-a-Live

(Push the colored buttons on your remote control to select an option)
Someone tweeted this, with the words "what are the chances of Touhou Project being an idol anime with a general election...?"

ZUN said:
Quote
If Touhou Project appears in a quiz as an option, you can just rule it out.

==================

From May 6:
Quote
I work until dusk and rise at midnight every day. Compared to being a night owl, this is starting to feel more like simply being early to bed and early to rise.

==================

The retro game soundtrack label "Clarice Disc" is releasing a disc compilation of 4 Meldac games' soundtrack: the NES game "Abarenbou Tengu" (known as "Zombie Nation" in America), the 2 "Tenjin Kaisen" games on Gameboy (first game was known as "Mercenary Force" in America), and the GB version of "Heiankyo Alien" (referenced by Nue's theme name and survival card). Of course ZUN, being a fan of esoteric retro games, was going to retweet it.


Abarenbou Tengu/Zombie Nation is quite a memorable game in certain ways, and the Tenjin Kaisen games are rather innovative for a GB shooting game. Heiankyo Alien is an early Japanese classic. Go look 'em up.

==================

I was slightly worried this thread may have presented a ZUN that's over-sanitized, and not drunken enough. So here comes something unsanitized...

On May 7 (in Japan), the news came that Adobe will completely switch to a subscription model with its software suite, replacing the Creative Suite with Creative Cloud. This exchange took place:
Quote
ZUN: Does Adobe's monthly fee system have any option that only requires paying on the month where the software is used? I don't use it most of the year.

D.N.A.: You can pay by month, but the whole suite costs 8000 yen/month...

ZUN: That's expensive... About as much as my electricity fee.

[More discussion and advice from others.]

ZUN: Thanks, everyone. So there are many paying plans. It'll be interesting to explore development styles that fit [those plans].

ZUN: Doesn't matter. Whether you are in college or working, if you [are willing to] learn it, you can make games.

ZUN: On the other hand, "if only I went to a game school...", this kind of thing can't be your excuse.

heppoko: You were saying comforting words, why follow it with a harsh blow.

ZUN: Did the blow break it? Your that.

D.N.A.: |?д) suddenly, ♂

heppoko: Come check it!

ZUN: no way lol

==================

Someone asked about the programming language ZUN used. His reply:
Quote
I use C++, nothing unusual (for gameplay I use my self-made language). However, you should use any language or tool that suits what you want to do. No need to use the same things as me.


==================

A recent light novel has Touhou characters on the cover. ZUN said:
Quote
Of course I have given them permission?


==================

The topic "how many copies did your first doujin sell?" is trending.
Quote
ZUN: By the way, my first was probably 30 copies. That should be an OK starting point.

Someone: How many copies can you sell now?

ZUN: It's a secret.
It must be noted that HRtP and SoEW were released on Comiket 52 at the same time, so the number 30 is probably two games combined.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 02:38:10 PM by cuc »
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cuc

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Re: ZUN and Touhou status updates: vampire ZUN and Legend of Zelda
« Reply #209 on: May 09, 2013, 03:11:00 PM »
>When he was a child, ZUN used to do some cleaning work for shrine(s) and Buddhist temple(s) on Sunday morning. He eventually came to like the temple(s).

So that explains a lot of references even before MoF. That's heartwarming to know.
Actually that's my stupid translation FAIL. The second sentence should read:

- The monks gave him a lot of things, so he liked the temple(s).

Now that's more like how real kids act.

The blogger Furcas has a summary of ZUN's MoF interview (yes, ZUN also did a special interview for MoF). Apparently there is a Suwa branch shrine (shrine of Take-minakata) near ZUN's family home. That's probably one of the shrines he went to as a kid.

According to Furcas's tweets (1, 2), ZUN really did talk about how he found Harukawa in March's Nikenme broadcast.

Some forum posts say, with FS, ZUN wanted to find one who was a clean slate, not involved with the Touhou fandom, and was greatly pleased to discover Harukawa. But as I said, it's hard to tell whether they were paraphrasing real things they heard, daydreaming, or just trolling.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 03:51:17 PM by cuc »
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