3 OCT 2018

Artist interview: sesasmeseedcat and Uniman!

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uniman lifestyle image chilling at the beach

You may think that you've seen enough characters that are designed based animals, but have you ever seen one that is inspired by... sea urchin gonads!? Now you have! This flabby, lumpy, and yellow blob of a life form is none other than Uniman! 

Uni, which is sea urchin in Japanese, is a popular Japanese delicacy. Covered with venomous spines on the outside, the treasure-sacks of a sea urchin is surprisingly buttery and yummy, although not everyone is able to stomach this exotic dish. We foodies at Mighty Jaxx are big fans of this strange seafood, despite its exorbitant price tag, and are even bigger fans of Uniman!

uniman illustration by sesameseedcat

When we saw these colourful and crazy illustrations of Uniman! by sesameseedcat, we fell in love. This charming character based on a creature as random as a sea urchin had been mistaken for many things — ranging from starfish to simply a blob of fats — which makes it all the more hilarious when its true identity is revealed. 

So lucky for us this week, we had the joy of interviewing the artist, sesameseedcat, and even managed to slip in some short questions in to Uniman! himself!! Here's how it went:

How and why did you start illustrating?
I have always loved drawing since young. Drawing has always been a hobby and the perfect way to relieve stress after work for me! I love how I can create an entire alternate universe of what I love just by drawing.

What inspired the creation of Uniman?
Uniman! was inspired from my first trip to Japan, where I was amazed by the diverse art and food scene! I was previously working on a series that was about cats, however, I felt that there were so many other illustrators out there using cute animals like cats and dogs as their main theme. So I decided to give myself a mini challenge – to draw something that has never been drawn before, and a sea urchin happened to be just the perfect weird thing to draw!

uniman ufo catcher illustration

There's a mystery human-like character that pops up in your works, who is he and what's he doing?
I believe you are talking about Nakedboy! Uniman! is obsessed with Nakedboy, Nakedboy is Uniman's favourite cartoon character, he has collected more than 100 types of Nakedboy merchandise so far!

What can we expect from you and Uniman! in 2019?
We will be bringing Uniman! & Sasheemee friends overseas, and we hope that people all over the world will love Uniman! as much as we do!

10 questions for Uniman!:

Favorite food? Kewpie mayonnaise 
Favorite ice-cream flavor? Sea salt
Favorite place to hang out? The UFO Arcade
Biggest fear? Being eaten!
Best friend? Wasabi-chan
Happiest memory? When i first saw NakedBoy!
Archenemy? Yakuza Banana
Ideal life-partner? Someone who is as Uni-que and as Flab-ulous as I am!
Secret talent? I can pretend to be dead when I am sleeping
Biggest weakness? Food, of course



Uniman! Blind Box Series by sesameseedcat is releasing on 6th October, at 10am (NYC) - 3pm (LDN) - 10am (SGP). Purchase the full box set of 6 to collect-em-all (including the mystery chase) and enjoy free shipping!
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