Fans of Slayers are seeking clarification from illustrator Araizumi Rui, who has been criticized and suspected of employing AI in the recent artwork of the series.
Slayers is a light novel by Hajime Kanzaka that was serialized through Dragon Magazine in 1989. Due to its popularity back then, the anime adaptation of the light novel series was produced in the late 90s under the production of E&G Films and was acquired by FUNimation in 2005.
The series follows the story of a young sorceress named Lina Inverse. Together with her friends, Lina uses their magical powers and exceptional swordsmanship skills to battle demons and wizards who wish their world to crumble and fall apart.
The Controversial Art
Although the series has been on the lows lately, its peaceful era seems to have ended for now because of the recent scandal connected to its illustrator, Araizumi Rui.
Rui has a very distinct type of art style. It makes his work easier to set him apart and makes him stand out from other illustrators. Below is an example:
Therefore, fans quickly noticed the huge difference when Rui released his recent art featuring Lina Inverse on his profile. With her unique style, the suspicious use of AI in the art was much evident:
To confirm whether this allegation is true or not, fans demand an answer from the illustrator himself by flooding him with statements like the following:
- “In the end, it’s a tool that professionals use to make their jobs easier”
- “This style is the same as AI, isn’t it?”
- “Looks like AI”
- “It’s ok for him to say he used AI”
One of the Twitter users seemingly fed the illustration to an AI image detector, and according to the results, the image was 99% likely to be generated by AI.
Although, using an AI for Slayers art or any type of series is not a crime, especially when one uses it to provide better art for the viewers/readers.
Still, transparency is significant for fans, illustrators, writers, and even production companies to have in order to build a stronger connection through a particular show or series.
Also Read: World’s First AI-drawn Manga Has Been Officially Released
AI Already Replacing Illustrators in China
The use of AI in various works is no longer surprising. With the constant rise of technology, it is quite understandable that some are already using AI in order to come up with an illustration to their liking.
In China, freelance illustrator Amber Yu revealed in an interview via Rest of World that the use of AI is currently being done by massive Chinese gaming companies to generate game illustrations.
Compared to the traditional crafting made by illustrators, AI software makes it possible to produce drawings in a matter of seconds. There are now also companies that are embracing the use of AI. This decision of theirs is greatly affecting illustration employment in the industry.
Although it seems that AI is presumed to leave plenty of illustrators jobless, this is not the case at all. It should also be emphasized that the presence of AI software in the industry provides convenience to companies.
By learning to embrace the positive effects of the said technological advancement, illustrators or mangakas will be given the option in order not to miss their deadlines anymore.
The rise of AI software’s give them more luxury to focus on the other aspects of the art or series that needs to be enhanced to ensure its success to the viewers or readers.
Source: Official Twitter
