English VIVINOS Alien Stage Patreon content

Hi, it's TEAM. Forma+9 here!

Can you believe it's been half a year since R6 was released, and ALNST has celebrated its 2nd anniversary already? As we scroll through our growing collection of Patreon posts, we can really feel how fast time flies!

This month, we're diving into the behind-the-scenes of FINAL ROUND. As we did with R6, we'll be sharing the director's interview that gives you the inside scoop on what went into making FINAL ROUND. We've got plenty of exciting bits to share, so we hope you enjoy reading them!

Behind the Scenes

What did you want to showcase in FINAL ROUND?

ALNST hasn't had a stage yet where two participants with equal levels of talent compete against each other. So, this time, we aimed to capture the essence of a "competitive survival stage", where two participants face off, adding an element of suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This song seems to be considered "easy listening" for an ALNST song. What was your take on the music?

This track is less about heartfelt confessions and more about the sheer entertainment value of the performance. So, we crafted this track to be a breezy and enjoyable listening experience where everyone can sing along comfortably.

We also made sure that Till and Luka share the spotlight equally, emphasizing their fierce competition.

We think AKUGETSU and BL8M's distinct vocal textures really shine in this piece, making the track even better.

Do you have any memorable moments during the production of FINAL ROUND?

Since R6, our collaboration and division of roles as a team has become smoother, helping us bring our vision to life even more effectively.

Particularly, we were able to divide my role and co-director QMENG's roles more clearly.

Lead director VIVINOS focuses on the overall frame, while co-director QMENG dives into the details.

Specifically speaking, I craft the overarching narrative structure and flow, as well as shape the first impression that would best impact and resonate with the audience.

Following that, our co-director QMENG focuses on the intricate details of character development, special charms, and the mise-en-scène or visual aesthetics to enhance the scenes.

With this clearer separation of roles, I believe we'll be able to deliver even more engaging and entertaining content to you in the future.

What did you focus on when designing Luka and Till's stage outfits?

Because R6 had a heavier tone, we wanted to come back with the opposite vibe this time. I shared the costume design draft, wanting a light-hearted and refreshing K-pop idol aesthetic, and as always, QMENG delivered such stunning final designs!

Commentary

What was your favorite scene from FINAL ROUND?

Luka's choreography where he sweeps through his body all the way up to his face, showcasing his charm as an idol, and the final scene with Till and Mizi.

I also loved the final moment that captures Till's shy expressions. A lot of thought went into conveying Till's boyish infatuation and emotions in that brief moment.

What does Luka think of Till?

He probably thought it was child's play, similar to how he felt when he faced off Mizi in R5. And that was exactly the case in reality. No matter how much he tried to hold his ground, Till was easily shaken when Luka provoked him.

Did Luka see the R6 stage as well?

He certainly did. Luka is a true professional who meticulously analyzes every performance. I can imagine him smirking as he looks down on the new participants, who get swept away by their emotions. In truth, they are strong individuals who, in a space that seems inhumane, seek to connect by loving others. Luka likely dismisses this as foolishness by simply avoiding it.

Despite Hyuna's warning, Mizi still rushes to rescue Till. What was Mizi feeling during this moment?

The truth is, Hyuna's plan didn't include Till's rescue, as it was impossible (but we'll reveal what that plan entailed later). Mizi, aware of this, pushed aside her doubts and headed straight for Till's stage. Mizi also holds a familial affection for Till. That's why, despite the risks involved (putting her own safety aside) her instincts compelled her to go to him.

Till thinks of Mizi at the end, but why did that particular moment stand out among so many memories of her?

Till actually doesn't know Mizi very well. It's simply her smile that makes Till willing to risk everything for her and sing; this shows his pure nature. He's just a boy experiencing the innocence of first love. Below is a memo I wrote about Till's emotions a while ago.

-

She's beautiful! This must be destiny.

The moment we met, I felt a spark! Among all the ugly, stinking segyeins,

and annoying humans,

finally, I have found my goddess!

I've decided, nothing else matters now.

There's no one here who can match my musical talent.

If anyone tries to harm you,

I'll use my skills to protect you. But how...? How...how... ah, I don't know!!!

I'm sure it'll work out somehow, because I'm a genius after all!!!

-

I also want to mention that many of you seem curious about Till's feelings for Ivan during his time at Anakt.

If Mizi is a fantastical figure for Till, then Ivan would be someone whom he has shared emotions with by colliding and forming a deep love-hate attachment.

Guardian Heperu: Aiming for a consecutive win at ALNST. Revealing the secrets behind creating Luka!

Luka is up for two consecutive wins. What is your secret?

Most just focus on training at Anakt Garden, but that's like growing a flower in a greenhouse. We need to actually understand the pet humans better. One specific thing I can share is the importance of practicing to overcome 'fear'. Luka has been trained to overcome fear from a young age. So naturally, he outperforms the others. However, no matter how hard you train, I suppose it's no use if the pet human isn't talented.

Do you have other training methods besides that?

Luka was born this way because I created him. His looks, singing, dancing, stage presence—he excels in everything. As many of you have seen in the interviews, he's the "first human in Anakt Garden’s history to achieve perfect scores in all subjects." And he is the only human to receive full marks in the infamously difficult <Expression of Music> course. I'd pray for another human like Luka to emerge from Anakt Garden, but that's quite unlikely, even if the universe collapses. My role is to create as many stages for Luka to showcase his talent.

It seems extremely competitive. Were there any unexpected situations during training?

It would be a lie to say there weren't any tough moments, but I endured them, which is why Luka is where he is now. He owes his success to me, and naturally, he should be grateful.

Do you think Luka will win again?

Of course. Who else is there? (laughs)

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Guardian Urak: Sure of his victory... Till, the ultimate weapon

This is not your first time participating in ALNST. How is Till different from the other pet humans you have raised?

He has a very strong personality. I tried to suppress it, but it didn't quite work out. He should know his talent is what kept him alive.

Till has been quite a sensation with his unique performances. What are your thoughts on this?

Winning is all that matters.

As he is acknowledged for his music, many are curious about his education - how did you train Till in music?

You need to discover their strengths as soon as possible.

Do you think Till will win?

I believe it's possible, considering the investment I made. Any more questions?

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Guardian Unsha: raising pet humans is not about nurturing them, it's about the investment.

How did you start raising Ivan?

I wanted to give my wife a special gift for her birthday, and that was Ivan. There was something in his eyes - something different - and he seemed like the most promising one. I was just starting to venture into the pet human entertainment business, so the timing was perfect.

What are your thoughts on Ivan's unexpected actions in <ROUND 6>?

It was disappointing as he essentially forfeited the stage. I thought he had great potential... We'll never know what he was thinking, and that makes me curious.

This may be a sensitive subject, but I know you invested heavily in Ivan. Are the losses significant?

Despite everything, I learned a lot from being with him. In my opinion, Ivan was worth the loss.

Do you plan to participate in the next season?

Well… I do think it's an industry worth investing in, but now I want to focus on something else.

Webmaster's Note: There were images for this post, but they are broken. I know it is not on my end due to many comments from others stating this, too.

Hello everyone, TEAM. Forma+9 here! In this month's post, we'll be talking about Anakt Garden. While it has been mentioned multiple times in the series, we realized we never really got to explain it in detail, so here's the first peek! Enjoy!

Anakt Group

Anakt Group is a major corporation leading the culture and art industry of the galaxy. ALNST is also funded by the Anakt Group, which is why you can see the Anakt Group logo on the stage (the logo is hidden throughout the series). Anakt Garden is like a subsidiary to Anakt Group - seeing the potential in the pet human business, the Anakt Group established Anakt Garden to monopolize the market.

Anakt Garden

Environment

The basic principle of Anakt Garden is to raise the pet humans in a free environment, but because they have to report to their owners periodically, the pet humans are kept under control by their chokers. The environment is modeled after Earth's nature because it is known to be the optimal setting for humans to produce the most beautiful voices. Everything in Anakt Garden is designed to keep pet humans in the best possible condition

Admission

Because Anakt Garden has produced many talented singers, the segyeins think it crucial to enroll their pet humans in Anakt Garden in order to win ALNST. The admission process is known to be very competitive. The tuition is also expensive, and those with an average income cannot afford it. Those who do send their pet humans to Anakt Garden, however, are very pleased with its high quality of education, especially compared to other institutions.

Graduation

Pet humans enter ALNST once they graduate from Anakt Garden, but some guardians choose the marketing-first approach in order for their pet humans to gain popularity. This was the case for Luka and Sua - even while attending Anakt Garden, these two kept gaining recognition for their external activities in the showbiz world. This is also why Luka and Sua both have a tight core fandom (Sua's fans still haven't gotten over her death and are flooding the ALNST community boards with posts demanding her revival).

*Sua's doll-like appearance once went viral on social media, and her guardian made a huge profit by selling her outfit. Additionally, while attending Anact Garden, Sua briefly worked as a commercial model.

Dormitory

System

• Basic living quarters such as the dining hall and dormitories are separated within the Anakt Garden building. Everything is kept clean and neatly arranged. Room service, such as cleaning, is also available but not particularly popular as teens entering puberty prefer not to have someone else in their rooms.
• Until the age of 13, pet humans are assigned to double rooms; from 14 and up, single rooms. Students of different genders cannot use the same dormitory.
  • Sua and Mizi have never been assigned to the same dormitory. Their dorms were unfortunately always quite far apart.
  • Ivan and Till have never used the same dormitory, but they have been assigned to adjacent rooms. Others would always complain about Til playing his instruments late into the night, but Ivan never heard anything because he is a heavy sleeper.

Class

• Class assignments are made after assessing the children's personalities and synergy. Various criteria exist, such as how positively they can influence each other.
• Once assigned to a class, it remains fixed until graduation. Although they attend separate lessons, they share the same space, so the class assignments don't hold much significance for the children.

Lessons

While music lessons are the main focus, there are mandatory gen ed classes that must be taken to graduate. The curriculum is designed to brainwash the pet humans. They take more music lessons as they advance. Towards graduation, the curriculum becomes increasingly intensive.

Additional Information

• Anakt Garden 50th Class Rankings
  • Sua & Ivan (They competed for 1st and 2nd place)
  • Mizi & Til (Lower middle ranks)
• Anakt Garden 49th Class Rankings
  • Luka: 1st place
  • Hyuna: always scored in the top 10

With the exception of Mizi and Til, the rest of the characters were quite studious. Mizi had average grades in all subjects; Til's gen ed scores were a mess, but his music scores were always top-tier.

Webmaster's Note: There were images for this post, but they are broken. I know it is not on my end due to many comments from others stating this, too.

Hi everyone, TEAM. Forma+9 here! It’s already been one month since Round 6 has been released! Time really flies. For this month’s Patreon content, we’d like to share news about the production of a new episode and also more about the segyein. We hope you enjoy the read!

LUKA vs. TILL's episode production has begun

We have started the production for LUKA vs. TILL music video! We will showcase the spectacular showdown between LUKA, known as one of the most legendary winners in ALNST history, and the genius rookie TILL. TILL’s rough and powerful voice, and LUKA’s soft and enveloping voice combined together sounds exceptional!

About segyein

In the early stages of ALNST's production, the relationship between humans and aliens (segyein) was as crucial as the relationships between the main characters. However, as the project progressed, the focus on segyein significantly diminished. Through Patreon, we would like to take this opportunity to delve into the relationship between pet-humans and segyein.

Shine-MIZI

Shine lives on a planet resembling the deep sea. MIZI also grew up in a dark place like a deep sea and therefore wears glasses due to poor eyesight.

Among the segyein, Shine is a species with a long lifespan and is generous to new life forms.

Although Shine loves and cherishes MIZI, Shine cannot fundamentally understand her due to the inherent differences between humans and segyein.

Shine decided to have MIZI participate in ALIEN STAGE based on whether or not MIZI wished to, and always sits nearest to the stage while cheering her on.

(MIZI calls Shine “mom”.)

Phan-HYUNA

HYUNA’s guardian is of the most superior species among segyein as an unmatched life form in the universe.

Phan possess a noble-like aura and is not as genuinely invested in ALIEN STAGE as other segyein.

Phan is also indifferent to other life forms and rarely makes appearances due to their authoritative nature.

It is said that the guardian participates in ALNST not to showcase their pet-human but as a form of sponsorship. Phan is so uninterested in their pet-human that they don’t even watch ALNST

Heperu-LUKA

Heperu is a famous entertainer in the universe and entrepreneur involved in various fields such as entertainment, broadcasting, and fashion.

They lived an ordinary life before but became wealthy because of LUKA, whom they possess a strong sense of ownership over.

Heperu is the type to flatter those superior to them. They are known for their tenacity, has a complex about their appearance, and is petty.

Heperu feels inferior to HYUNA’s guardian, Phan, whom they consider the most superior by their standards.

In the past, Heperu was a research assistant to Phan and harbors a significant inferiority complex towards Them.

Phan, who was very interested in human studies, sent HYUNA to Anakt Garden. Triggered by this, Heperu adopted LUKA solely to surpass Phan and become superior.

Heperu also subjects its pet-humans to training that is close to abuse.

During the training process, Heperu induced into LUKA the pain experienced by humans when their hearts stop. This is what caused LUKA to become obsessed with heartbeats."

Urak-TILL

The head of a “human editing company”, who has amassed great wealth as the revival of ALNST led to an increased interest in humans.

Urak treats humans not as beloved pets but as commodities.

Because the success of ALNST, where all segyeins’ attention is focused, is directly linked to the company’s performance, they raise their pet-humans to show that their pet-human is of the utmost highest quality product.

They use violence to instill obedience and harsh training to bring out their pet-humans’ talents.

However, perhaps due to this harshness, while Urak’s pet-humans are always top contenders with the best skills and talents, they rarely achieve victory in the end due to the mental issues they have developed.

Urak first entered TILL into the most recent ALNST and proudly declared, “I have raised the best pet-human in history, who will enhance my reputation like never before,” drawing the attention of the entire universe.

And as TILL’s talents are truly unrivaled and live up to his expectations, Urak is strongly determined to claim victory this ALNST.

Unsha-IVAN

The head of a mining company that excavates resources from various planets.

Although they engage in illegal activities, they cleverly make them appear legal, so their public image is not bad.

They have a “mafia”-like appearance and is always accompanied by giant subordinates.

In the “underworld,” Guardian Urak and IVAN’s guardian are almost like the two pillars as their areas of activity overlap, and so they are known as rivals. Unsha seeks to be at the top and therefore obstructs Urak’s business.

Unsha’s participation in ALNST is indeed, also to covet the ALNST business that Urak heads.

Although Unsha is IVAN’s guardian, Unsha didn’t strongly desire IVAN at the time of adoption.

In order to win ALNST, Unsha scoured human shops and auctions in the slums, adopting a few promising humans and investing in them. Then, they chose to invest everything in IVAN, who stood out the most.

Unsha used their money and fame to ensure IVAN’s top admission to Anakt Garden and steadily managed and promoted him. Thanks to this, IVAN was able to receive investments from his first performance and gained popularity.

IVAN’s guardian played a huge role in IVAN getting a large number of advertisements.

Unsha did not abuse IVAN like Urak did to their human-pet, but “neglect” is their default mentality and sees pet-humans as nothing more and nothing less than products.

Nigeh-SUA

SUA’s guardian has no interest in her and is busy with interviews.

SUA’s guardian is a model influencer who loves to show off, treating their pet-humans like their trophies.

Nigeh dresses their pet-humans in pretty clothes, and trains them to be like children, or dolls that are not to talk back.

Nigeh's most prized creation and fourth “daughter” SUA, receives the honor of participating in ALIEN STAGE, and SUA obediently does as she is told in order to meet Nigeh’s expectations.

Although Nigeh was disappointed to hear that SUA was eliminated in the first round, they were happy when SUA became a hot topic.

However, that joy did not last long and Nigeh quickly forgot about SUA, moving on to find other things that could garner attention.

Hello everyone, TEAM. Forma+9 here! This month we'll take you behind the scenes of Round 6. We figured a Q&A format would be more entertaining and informative, so we've interviewed Vivinos and Qmeng for this month's post. Hope you enjoy it!

You've gone to great lengths to make Round 6 stand out from the other ALNST episodes. What were some of the things you wanted to get across to the audience?

VIVINOS

<Alien Stage> is a death match survival audition program, but so far, apart from Sua, none of the main characters have died. So in this round, I wanted to show what the world of Alien Stage is really like, and just how much the pet humans feared Anakt Garden. By focusing on the 'death match' aspect of the show, I wanted to make this a turning point for the series. I also incorporated some of the dark elements from my previous Trigger series to achieve this effect.

QMENG

So far during the production process, we had to reach a compromise regarding the direction of the show. We both had different visions for the episodes, which is why the style/designs were often inconsistent. But for this episode we aimed to demonstrate our directorial strength evenly, with Vivinos taking care of planning/directing, and Qmeng on the materialization of things. In the past, we often had to make certain sacrifices, juggling other projects and deadlines, but this time we really tried to focus on the quality. The initial storyboard was completed in January, and the production took around two and a half months - the number of cuts this time being almost double the amount in previous episodes. We only had 10 or so members on the project this time, which is less than what we usually have, but we did our very best - I remember us all huddled together, saying, "We really need to give it our all this time."

You had a different plan for round 6 initially. Can you tell us how it changed?

VIVINOS

The plot for Round 6 went through three major edits. Qmeng put together the first draft during the Round 3 production stage. And while the story itself was excellent, we felt that the chemistry between Ivan & Till overlapped with Mizi & Sua's. We wanted to focus more on the possessive, obsessive aspects of Ivan-Till's one-sided relationship, in contrast to Mizi-Sua, where the feeling is mutual. And so we worked on the second draft (shown below). Here, Ivan sees Till as more of an object (that he owns) rather than a person.

Round 6 second draft

Distraught after Mizi's disappearance,

Till steps on to the stage once again for the next round

but he seems to have lost his will to live.

Ivan stares at Till, and,

remembering their childhood squabbles in Anakt Garden,

uses Till's trauma against him intentionally to anger him.

Angered by Ivan's incessant goading,

Till channels his rage into the song, beginning to sing with renewed energy.

Their past memories weave in and out,

And towards the climax,

Till looks at Ivan, sure of his own victory,

▼ Final twist, song suddenly cuts to silence

but is surprised to see Ivan staring back at him with a satisfied, sinister smile.

He is in a state of bliss, like never seen before.

He doesn't wish to survive, nor is he sad about his friends' deaths.

It's as if he's been waiting for this moment his entire life...

Cut to a short deja-vu of Till's memories.

Tricked by Ivan, Till lies unconscious after being punished.

When he finally manages to open his eyes,

he sees red pupils staring back at him

observantly, seemingly satisfied at his injured state.

Cut back to the stage,

the camera zooms in on Ivan's lips, muttering something.

▼ Song resumes

Seeing Ivan, Till freezes

and Ivan kisses Till, who remains stiff.

The scoreboard changes and Till wins.

Till looks down at Ivan's body

and despairs, realizing he will never escape

from the burning red sky and the falling meteor (Ivan).

For a brief moment, Till sees Mizi in the audience

now with short hair.

With this approach, however, we felt that Ivan's emotions weren't being conveyed fully - so we decided to revise it once again. We made it so that viewers wouldn't be able to fully grasp Ivan's true feelings. After all, he's the only one who will ever know how he truly feels. You can't just move on from such long, deep-seated emotions in such a short time. Ivan tries to strangle Till, then kisses him, stares at him yearningly, and murmurs nonsense. His contradicting actions show his clashing emotions - he is both sure and unsure at the same time.

QMENG

Round 6 serves as a turning point in the ALNST storyline. I worked on the first storyboard when I wasn't yet fully acquainted with the series, so it lacked emotional depth and felt somewhat dry. Throughout the next year, we grew as a team, and I could see the plot more clearly in my head, with a greater focus on the true essence of ALNST.

Tell us about their costumes.

custume design: QMENG

VIVINOS

I thought it would be great to incorporate K-pop idol concepts into the costume design. ALNST is a sci-fi series, but I wanted it to feel familiar as well so everyone can enjoy it. I also wanted their costumes to be completely different from the previous rounds.

In round 2, Till wears a t-shirt showing his rebellious, free-spirited side. He walks on to the stage barefoot and smashes the guitar. His character is portrayed as someone who doesn't conform to society.

But after Mizi, who was the motivation behind his actions, disappears, Till conforms to the rules for the first time. His styling in round 6 is very much in the segyein-style, indicating Till's change into a more obedient character.

Overall, I wanted Till to seem like a man who lost his wife.

Ivan feels more mature compared to his appearance in round 3. He looks perfect on the outside, but in the end he pours his emotions out and acts like a child - I wanted this contrast to show through his costume as well. I think Qmeng really did a wonderful job capturing this aspect of the 'outwardly perfect man.'

QMENG

I'm very much into sci-fi fashion, so I wanted to incorporate it into the K-pop style. I used Korean boy bands and celebrities as reference. Rather than focusing on the detail, I opted for a more restrained aesthetic.

For Ivan's costume, I designed it so that the silhouette wouldn't stand out too much, using a white trench coat and suit with mystery circle patterns to add the sci-fi feel to it. With Ivan, I went for the 'actor' look.

For Till's costume, I mixed sci-fi elements into the typical K-pop boy band concept - using the mystery circle pattern just like Ivan, with metallic jewelry added in to capture that futuristic effect.

I tend to think that the futuristic feel comes from the material of the costume (Till's latex shoes, for instance). On a side note, I added two additional piercings to his left ear, but no one noticed the change during the production stage, so we decided to just keep them.

Why did you change the initial costume design?

VIVINOS

The initial design was good, but it didn't feel very trendy, so we decided to add the K-pop elements to it. We wanted the costumes to be completely different from round 2 and 3, so we made a complete revision. I wanted Ivan to look most like himself when he dies, so I put his hair down as well.

QMENG

Since Ivan wore a tight-fitting uniform for round 3, I thought it would be fun to have him in a more revealing outfit, to showcase his free-spirited side. It didn't really go with the concept, however, and Vivinos insisted that Ivan needs that 'controlling' feel to him, so I revised the designs accordingly.

What is your favorite scene from round 6?

VIVINOS

I like Till's karaoke scene. I imagine there's a lot of material exchange going on in the background of ALNST, and I think that scene touches on that reality. It makes the world of ALNST feel more vivid, which is why it's my favorite screne.

QMENG

Whenever Ivan did something I couldn't understand - especially the part where he rubs his face on Till's. Ivan is emotionally immature, so everything he does is basically one-sided. I feel like that scene really shows his one-sided affection and how he expresses his emotions like a child.

Urak and Till - what is their relationship like?

VIVINOS & QMENG

Urak is a hustler who lives only for success. He harbors false desires for the Utopia and is obsessed with winning ALNST (he had his pet-humans compete multiple times, but they never won), which is why he's so violent with Till. That's just how desperate he is to win. He has a good eye for talent and dreams of climbing up the ladder through winning.

Why is the song called <CURE>?

QMENG

We felt the need to capture the essence of the song in a succint way. We had several candidates, but they were all related to the idea of 'healing.' Till desires a type of healing that Ivan cannot provide, and vice versa, but regardless, they both still desire it. They both seek healing as 'human beings,' which is where the title's symbolic meaning comes in. Hearing Ivan's 'mend me' verse during the recording reminded me of this as well (Vivinos stressed that it was the most important part of the episode). I also mentioned that <CURE> has a second meaning - while it means 'healing,' it can also mean 'strange.' Since both Till and Ivan think of each other as strange... well, it's a double meaning of sorts, I suppose. I feel the pressure increasing every time my ideas get selected as titles... but thankfully, I won this time as well! Haha.

Did you have the kissing scene in mind from the very beginning?

VIVINOS

When Qmeng initially proposed the idea, I worried it might take the focus away from Mizi to Ivan and Till. But Ivan and Till are also the ones that show the tragic side of ALNST, and knowing how good Qmeng is at depicting kissing scenes, I felt it was a waste not to utilize it - so we went ahead with it. Initially, their kiss was a romantic one, but because of the overlap with Mizi-Sua, I asked Qmeng to make it a more complex scene, with Ivan choking TIll and dying in the end. Qmeng really did such an amazing job!

QMENG

I worked super hard on the art for the kissing scene! I even switched tools to ensure it would turn out good. I spent a lot of time talking to Vivinos regarding the delicate emotions and details of the scene - it was important to capture every little change/detail in Ivan and Till's expression as the scene progressed. The kissing scene itself was pre-planned from the very beginning, but the how/execution was revised along the way. I'm glad all the work I put into the storyboard came out well! I received so many compliments for it. Thank you! Yay!

Hello everyone, TEAM. Forma+9 here! Once again, we're here to share our work log for Round 6. We have more to share this time -- mainly, how things are coming along with the production, and things to look forward to in the new episode!

Production

This episode was challenging in many ways, especially considering the fact that it has twice the amount of cuts compared to the other episodes. Our teammates have been working hard since February, and we're happy to inform you that we're 87% finished with the project! We haven't started editing just yet, but most of the source is there.

Things to look forward to

1. Ivan & Till's new costume and hairstyle

There's much to look forward to for Round 6, but we're here with a few spoilers for Ivan and Till's new costume and hairstyle. Each round of ALNST features different costumes for the pet-humans, and this time you'll get to see Ivan and Till's new look :D

2. Ivan & Till's growth While Ivan and Till will be competing against each other, we'll also be showing their past and how they grew up to be who they are. You might see some familiar scenes!

What's the genre of the song?

It's a dark rock ballad, much like <Black Sorrow>! We've always opted for a more direct approach when it comes to our song titles, and we're sure you'll see why the title is <CURE> once you hear the song.

New Merch

We're coming out with new merch for Ivan and Till on the day of the release, including acrylic stands, photo cards, stickers, and much more! Here's a sneak peek of the photo cards -- the designs were selected through a fierce voting process! We'll keep you posted, so please look forward to our new merch!

For this month's Patreon content, once again, we've got some exciting news to share--we have begun production for the Ivan vs. Till episode! We've really been pouring our souls into our work, since they are two of the most popular characters. When we first started with ALNST, we really couldn't even put a finger on when we'd ever put together the battle against Ivan and Till, but now that we're actually here, we're feeling a lot of emotions.

About 3 weeks ago, QMENG managed to whip up about 50 pages of illustrations by hand (all of Ivan and Till) as warm-up leading up to the production of this episode, so here's a look at them! The rest of the illustrations are truly amazing, but because they contain HUGE spoilers... we'll reveal those in time!

Ivan vs. Till Key Watching Points

1. The most "emotion-filled" episode

While there hasn't been an episode in ALNST that hasn't been emotion-filled, this episode in particular will show the deep relationship between the two.

Initial image boards

In this episode, you'll be able to see how the emotions Ivan feels about Till developed, and you'll also be able to see Ivan, who rarely reveals his emotions, show his emotional side for the first time. For this reason, we hope you'll focus on the many facial expressions the two characters show in this episode. Since we're at about the halfway point in ALNST, you'll be able to see the characters' explosions of emotions. We hope you're excited to see it all unfold!

2. Ivan and Till's History

Another key point to watch out for in this episode is Ivan and Till's history, from early childhood days to performing on ALIEN STAGE, which will be revealed in more detail this episode. We think it'll be fun if you try and analyze how Ivan feels about Till throughout the episode! Below are from Ivan and Till's childhood days.

Though the exact release date hasn't been finalized, everyone on the project is solely focused on ALNST, so we think we'll be able to share some good news with you soon. Thank you so much for your support this month as well!