Fans of qiseki’s Faded Away were recently given a treat: a campaign to bring Faded Away Volume 2 to the printed page through Rocketship Entertainment landed on Kickstarter. From the boundless talents of qiseki, Fade Away Volume 2 continues the story of Sou, Mitsuko, and their friends, navigating high school and investigating the mystery of Mitsuko. The story of the entire comic is engrossing and the art will pull you in and capture your eyes for hours.
This makes the second time qiseki has partnered with Rocketship, previously working together for Fade Away Volume 1. As of press time, the campaign has 4 days to go and has almost tripled its initial funding goal. qiseki is an enormous talent and while the mystery of Mitsuko might still be hanging in the air, there’s no mystery as to why Faded Away is so popular.
I spoke with qiseki recently about the idea behind Faded Away, the mystery behind it, what backers can expect from the Kickstarter, and how every character in Faded Away holds a part of her.
FreakSugar: For folks who are familiar with the series, what can you tell us about Faded Away?
qiseki: I feel like most people remember Faded Away as that one Shoujo-like webtoon that they read a long time ago. Something nostalgic, just like how other Shoujo manga and anime was to me. Faded Away being this story about six friends, each different in personality. All going to the same high school… seeing them grow up. While there are hints of mystery and fantasy lurking in the background.
FS: The cast of Faded Away is very robust. What can you tell us about the characters we meet in the series?
q: Every character has a trait of me or people I know. Up to you to figure out which parts they are!
FS: I love that Faded Away crosses over so many genres. I was trying to explain what Faded Away was about to a friend and it was to see how many different rabbit holes my descriptions went down. What kind of creative freedom does that give you, that there are so many genres to play with?
q: It makes me able to create a story that I like. I used to read a lot of Shoujo stories and while I enjoyed some a lot, there were many were I was left unsatisfied or where I didn’t like a certain aspect. Being able to have full control gives me all the freedom that I needed.
FS: You have a really passionate fan base. What kind of reception do you get from fans of Faded Away?
q: Actually, only positive ones! I feel like I might have the kindest fans ever. All comments are positive and understanding and I can only be thankful, as I know some creators do not experience the same. So a big thank you to my readers!
From Faded Away Volume 2
FS: Can you walk us through the process of crafting an installment or an arc of Faded Away? Or is it different every time?
q: When I started, I already wrote about the main plot points and arcs, but not in details… maybe just a few sentences. I would later refine this and add more text to create a better a flow and more depth.
FS: Following up on that, do you ever find that you put bits of yourself in your characters?
q: Yes, absolutely! Almost every character has a part of me. *smiles*
FS: On to the Kickstarter itself, what can you tell us about the campaign?
q: That it’s ending soon! Please support it if you’re interested in seeing more of Faded Away!
FS: What kind of rewards are available to backers?
q: Very cool stuff like pins, acrylic charms, a headband from one of the characters, prints and more! Please check it out!
FS: This is your second time partnering with Rocketship. What attracts you to working with the company?
q: I think the fact that they approached me first. I might hold some pride in being approached rather than approaching companies to notice me. They were the first to to give me the opportunity to create physical copies, so I hold that in high regard!
Thank you Rocketship Entertainment!
FS: What are you reading right now?
q: Right now… haha… I read a lot of BL.
Somehow reading a lot of Shoujo made me bored of repetitive tropes that are not able to surpass the classics and I feel like there’s currently a lot of creative interesting new tropes in the BL genre. I am actually lowkey working on one myself too.
FS: Do you have any other projects coming down the road that you’d like to discuss?
q: I have another comic called The King’s Royal Guard which I initially just made as a for a pitch for another platform… but it might not even go on there anymore. *laughs* At least it’s almost finished!
Then there is also the BL that I mentioned… I got inspired by a newsflash about a hairdresser giving free haircuts to homeless people and thought it would be a cute concept for a story.
I have also been thinking about creating a survival isekai on which the readers can influence the way the story goes. But this is currently only on the character designing stage.
I am also working on a goat dating sim, thanks to a platform that reached out to me at MCM Comic-Con. It’s called “I got isekaid to an island of horny people, what do I do?!” The pun being the fact that they are goats and have horns.
FS: If you had one final pitch for the Kickstarter, what would it be?
q: Any support for a small creator like me means a lot! It would mean the world to me if I could just keep on creating… and you could be the one to make that happen by supporting this Kickstarter! Thank you so much.
As of press time, the Kickstarter for Faded Away Volume 2 has 4 days left. Don’t sleep on this campaign if you’re a fan of qiseki, her work, and beautiful, lyrical storytelling!