Kuku

@0x_jonny Missed this, yes exactly.

@Kukujum I think this was the original vision for anime 2.0 and animechain. Would love to see this come to fruition.

Do you have an idea that would benefit the Azuki community but aren't technical enough to build it? Drop it below and I'll help you build it.

@0x_jonny I thought it was going to be a central component of anime com /anime chain. I wouldn’t build it. If someone could figure it out amazing. Obviously a massive undertaking and would require considerable marketing ($ and skill) to get a flywheel moving (people who produce/consume)

@Kukujum Is this something you want to build or more like would be cool if it existed (I.e don’t mind if someone else did)

@0x_jonny And to clarify not an anime branded Patreon. Patreon only mentioned bc it can register in the brain quickly. A network of anime fans where they go to support Indy and amateur productions, products et al (pro productions too why not) + benefits of verifiable on chain -imagine 🌎

@Kukujum Oh I like this

@Zagabond Well said

I love the Azuki collector’s profile. The idea came from visiting an insane Supreme collector who gave me a tour of his office which was entirely dedicated to Supreme shit. I remember thinking... wouldn’t it be dope if brands had a digital profile that showcased everything their collectors owned from the brand? So we built it for Azuki. And it’s been a hit within web3. The community loved it and it’s influenced many other projects to build similar experiences. Lately, I’ve seen people asking: why isn’t the collector’s profile a bigger focus? It’s so cool!! People love collecting. Bring NFTs back!!! Here's my honest answer: it's *because* I love the collector’s profile so much, that it’s not our top priority right now. ??? That probably sounds backwards, so let me explain. Supreme worked because it was operating in a market with massive scale. Clothing is universal. The audience already existed. The collector behavior emerged on top of something mainstream. PFP NFTs don’t have that same scale. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe that digital collectibles, in many forms, absolutely have a future. But PFPs specifically are still a relatively niche product. If we only build for pfp collectors, Azuki will cap out far below the global IP we have the potential to become. And I care way too much about Azuki’s long term future to do that. So yes, I love the collector’s profile. And that’s exactly why we’re not prioritizing it right now. Our focus has to be on building the core IP at a scale that reaches beyond web3. That means putting our resources into the manga and the TCG first, which are products that can grow a real, mainstream fanbase, while still being rooted in the IP that holders own and benefit from through licensing when appropriate. So what this looks like is that we are building in web3 in a more intentional way than before. We still do Garden Gatherings to give inside looks into the process. We still collaborate with builders when it makes sense, especially around the TCG. We still spotlight artists and creators in the community. Are we perfect? Definitely not. But I’m proud of the progress we’re making in building something durable and ambitious, while still creating ways for holders to participate along the way. Once the manga and TCG are through this phase and have a growing fanbase behind them, that’s when it makes sense to revisit things like the collector’s profile. Focus matters. And this is how we make Azuki last.

@7316 @Azuki +1 2022 to present. Extremely curious as to IP direction They caught lightning in a bottle (present during extreme fud/low fp) But ip has become “anime-ized” from initial east/west blend. Another me too or stand on what made it so unique/dope? 🤷‍♂️ TCG IP dope too but…

I want @azuki to win so hard this year. ⛩️

@dgtlemissions @AzukiTCG Very cool

“A community makes a game." A short edit from player footage at the @AzukiTCG Invitational. S/o to everyone who came out and kept the vibes high, especially the players who battled it out and the supporters who cheered them on. IKZ⛩️

@Zagabond @huntclubhero @LostSnow_Rin Azuki in Paris = 🐐 *Royalties*= rewarded for too many poor biz choices "I want to build a global, profitable IP" =😍 Fumbled hardcore *loyal & rich* fan base obsessed with Azuki = 💀 Near zero *true* accountability/grasp re: “fumble” = huge 🚩 No hate. Hope for success⛩️

I hear you and I want to respond thoughtfully because I respect your passion and all that we've been through together First, I want to clarify something important. I never said we were absolutely done with fashion or web3 or that Azuki wouldn’t do things like being part of Paris FW. What I said, and what I still believe, is that Azuki has to operate first and foremost as a real IP business, and the TCG is the core product that has to work financially. If we don’t nail that, we don’t have a sustainable business, and without a sustainable business, Azuki as we know it won't exist. We're being intentional about building for the long term. I talked about this in my last discord message and garden gathering, and in the last spaces with you as well. I really do understand why this direction may feel like a shift away from the version of Azuki you originally fell in love with. In the early days, Azuki leaned more heavily into community participation and co-creation. And like I've mentioned, if trading volumes and royalties on NFTs remained the same as it did 4 yrs ago, I'd be fucking ecstatic to go back to that exact playbook. But let's be real... times have changed. At this stage of building a breakout IP, co-creation at the core simply does not work from a commercial standpoint. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire or support the community artists and builders. I stand by the team's track record of supporting the community. we've sacrificed a lot and poured our heart and soul into the community. But the only way we can support that ecosystem long term is if the core Azuki IP is strong, focused, and profitable. That requires saying no to a lot of things we used to do. "But you can surely do all the above, why do you have to choose a focus?!"... I'm not saying you've said this but I've heard this plenty of times from others. My answer is, If it's that easy you go do it then! And to their credit, some ppl actually have, and they've all failed. I usually get a dm afterwards like "man you were right, this shit is so hard..." And when I look at their strategy, it's always been unfocused. There are so many distractions in this space and it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to do everything. Sorry, tangent... back to your note I know you’ve said before that you don’t think the TCG is cool. That's fine I know it's not for everyone, but I strongly disagree. I think it’s really fucking cool... but I'm just a nerd who's AIM handle back in the day was literally "magiccards515" (real) so what do I know. It's all subjective but I think we’ve been doing cool shit this whole time. it just might not be your flavor and that’s okay. But minimizing the work because it doesn’t personally resonate misses the fact that a lot of people do resonate with it (see the response from the TCG invitational), and most importantly it’s building something durable that proliferates the IP that all the holders own a piece of with our PFPs. You can choose not to celebrate a moment like what we just had in Paris. But I'm fucking celebrating lmao. AZUKI WAS ON THE RUNWAY IN PARIS!!! We turned steamboy's art, our PFPs, into a medium during fashion's biggest cultural moment. Idc what anyone thinks. No one can take that away from us. Anyways, it's all love brother. You don’t have to change your mind. Just wanted you and everyone else reading this to know that what we're after now is giving Azuki the best chance to be a massive IP that we all know it has the potential of becoming. And with the focus we have right now, I know we'll succeed. AZUKI ON TOP

So we just had Z walk the runway at Paris Fashion week wearing clothes inspired by the Azuki IP, bringing the brand in front of millions of eyes and celebrities that will wear these clothes with Azuki tags on them. And people are still out there being negative and trying to downplay the cultural relevance this moment has. GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE! That's all I ask. Me and a lot of other people in the garden show up for others all the time. We praise Pudgy, we praise Clayno's, Chimpers and everyone else that is doing cool stuff and putting crypto native IP in front of normie eyes. BUT when Azuki does it with high end luxury collabs it's always downplayed and hated on. If you think, McDonalds and Walmart collabs are cool WHY AREN'T Ambush, H. Moser & Cie, Satoshi and 424 not cool??? FFS Azuki owns ANIME. COM and somehow that is also not worth talking about... So somehow Chimpers plushie key chains is alignment but fucking high quality TCG cards are not? TCG tournaments that bring in normal people are not? We've owned digital anime characters that are part of a huge world and IP FOR YEARS, there's trailers and episodes out there and y'all still wanna claim you're the first to do that. NO YOU'RE NOT. You're way behind and that's ok, build what you wanna build but if you want support from the best Anime brand and IP in crypto start fkn giving respect. Disclaimer here: I AM A FAN OF EVERYTHING ALL THE PROJECTS I MENTIONED ARE DOING. I LOVE THEM ALL. I JUST WISH YOU GUYS WOULD ADMIT THAT AZUKI IS DOING THEIR PART INSTEAD OF BEING HATERS FOR NO REASON. PS: @Zagabond is the coolest.

@MelMattison1 for your edification

@MelMattison1 damn...now you lost me for good. c ya

If you claim to be a better int'l strategist than Mearsheimer, and think China could make a move on Taiwan, then go ahead. I side with Dr. Mearsheimer. Unless China is stupid, they won't try it. So, don't use this Venezuela thing as some opening for China aggression.

@MelMattison1 that's great...lose the angst...deep breathes. Just do you man... don't round trip the toxicity that comes your way - only hurts you and turns good people off who you're helping

I’m thinking of making it like my feed. Raw, harsh, real, half drunk, whatever. I don’t, as always maintained, try to make money from my pod or other appearances. I’m just a somewhat lonely but real trader who loves to share his views. Free of charge.

@neilcybart would love for you to be very specific about this as to why it's far because so much evidence it's closer than ever and regulations are about to drop off which is significant (see Elon re-upping support for Trump in mid terms as the smoking gun)

Me watching everyone fight over vehicle autonomy when the reality is we are still far away from true autonomy with no geofencing / safety monitors etc.

@johnrobb Maybe. But the amount of change to humanity in every corner of the planet will be incomprehensible (today) in 2035. In truly unpredictable ways (energy/medicine/avg 🌎 functional IQ 🆙 🆙 🆙 ) Downsides = terrifying too. But the good will compound hard towards the positive.

@Kukujum The Long Night prevents it from swinging back.

The Long Night has descended across Europe. "A sameness of thought and approach enforced by millions of socially internetworked adherents.   An orthodoxy that ruthlessly narrows public thought down to a single, barren, ideological framework.  A ruling network that prevents dissent and locks Europe into stagnation and inevitable failure as it runs afoul of reality and human nature."

👀

@dgtlemissions @Azuki_Escape @AOKUCO Low key amazed how many are playing it? Do you guys deem it a success vis a vis what you had hoped/projected?

Azuki: Alley Escape fits hitting IRL ⛩️

Floor price has always mattered. @LucaNetz

@chun0069 BEANZ

no doubt