Alright Emi, give me the bio.
“Hi hi! My full name is Emily Hu. I’m nineteen, I was raised in Taiwan but grew up in California. I’m currently majoring in comics at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I started seriously drawing in the seventh grade and realized I wanted to be an artist after failing miserably at academics, namely math… haha…”
Have you always been an anime fan?
“I’ve always been into anime because I was raised in Taiwan, so I still remember watching Slam Dunk and Yu Yu Hakusho with my family as a kid. It’s only recently that I started getting more into the spectrum of American comics, mostly thanks to Watchmen.”
What anime and/or manga do you love? What are you currently watching/reading?
“My all time favorite anime is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! Manga is probably Slam Dunk. I’m currently not following any anime (no time!), but am reading Gantz, Hunter x Hunter, and Detroit Metal City. I really like comics about manliness and blood and sweat and tears! I typically don’t read much shoujo at all…”
There is often a distinct sensuality and sexuality in the women you draw. Are the fanboys treating you okay?
“Actually my girl prints don’t sell very well, haha! Compared to ones that cater towards ladies, anyway… So yes, the fanboys are staying far away from me as far as I can tell LOL.”
What do you think about the cosplayers? You clearly participate. What are your favorite characters?
“I love cosplaying! Unfortunately I’m not very good at it heheh. My favorite character I’ve cosplayed is probably timeskip Simon from Gurren Lagann, just because it’s so comfortable to wear and move around in. Recently I’ve been cosplaying more girls though… my dream cosplays are Nono from Diebuster and Miina from Getsumento Heiki Miina! I get especially excited when cosplayers from my current fandom come over… so excited that I give them free stuff LOL.”
Best moment at an anime con? Worst?
“Hmm I don’t know about a ‘best’ moment… I guess it’s always seeing the commissioner’s reaction to your work. When they really, really like it, it just makes me really happy inside.”
“Oh, and once at Fanime 09, this girl came up to me and just said, “I know you. I love you.” And I thanked her. Then she kept repeating, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” It was kind of cute and very flattering…”
“Worst… I haven’t had the misfortune to come across one that’s particularly horrible yet! I guess once at Fanime a few years back, we had pipes for the overhead display but no clamps, so the display kept teetering every few minutes… it was really scary! Luckily we sent out a team of guys to raid a local Home Depot to scavenge some clamps for us!”
What’s inspiring you? What direction would you go right now, if you could do anything?
“I’m highly dissatisfied with my art right now, but really, isn’t every artist? Right now, my DC Comics heroes like Karl Kerschl, Jim Lee, and Dustin Nguyen are inspiring me to develop my own style away from anime and begin to focus more on the important stuff like backgrounds, character differentiation, and storytelling.”
So what’s the big goal? Where do you want be in the long run?
“I want to work at DC Comics and draw Batman!!!!! That would be my ultimate dream job…..”
Also, I could be mistaken, but did you work in the Maid Cafe? If so, how did you get into this? What has your experience been like?
“Yes, I worked at the Animaid Cafe at Anime Expo this year. They were taking applications, and I had always wanted to try it (plus it was a nice excuse to get a maid outfit) and to my surprise I got in! It was nothing short of amazing. I made so many new friends and got to be so much more outgoing. Please support the Animaid Cafe at next year’s AX as well!”
Thanks Emi.
Ah Emi! Her work is marked with an ingenious, creative grin! She’s got the chops. And, if you try her, she just may kick you in the balls. Don’t underestimate the maid outfit.
Go see Emi at 021.deviantart.com.