Mel Kishida, the Japanese illustrator who provided character designs for several titles in Koei Tecmo’s Atelier series (specifically the Arland subseries), recently revealed why his elaborate cover illustration for 2019’s Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland ended up being heavily cropped on the final product. According to the artist, the horse carrying Elmerulia Frixell’s carriage looked so detailed it was distracting viewers from the main characters.
If you compare Kishida’s full illustration and Atelier Lulua’s final box art, you’ll notice the horse got almost entirely cut out of view, with the remaining visible parts of it faded and blurred.
When put side by side, the horse in the early box art really does stand out. Not only does it take up the same amount of space as protagonist Elmerulia in the picture, but it’s also rendered with an almost equal attention to detail.
Although it’s a shame the artist’s efforts in portraying the horse got scrapped from the final product, it’s likely that whoever designed the box art decided it was a necessary sacrifice in order to convey the game’s main draws – which aren’t horse related. Meanwhile, Kishida’s comment has prompted much amusement and parodies on X, one of which shifts the box art’s focus entirely to the horse and slaps the Uma Musume: Pretty Derby logo on top.
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam).
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