Introduction to some of Matsu’s main characters (ongoing - updated as information arrives and is written down)
Matsu - Central epic Overview
Matsu is an epic story/poem in the tradition of classics of literature from the Iliad to the Odyssee - Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and/or Studio Ghibli and Pokemon.
Matsu is told in a multi-platform delivery format from comics strips, graphic novellas, webcomics, comic books, live audio theater and live concert formats (music, poetryok storytelling with theatrical elements) - Publications (ebooks, comic books, graphic novels, picture/children books, full novel (7 books) - social media - youtube, ig live - clubhouse - green room and other emerging audio social media platforms)
Full feature animated and puppet driven films (vimeo, Netflix’s, amazon prime video movie theatres)
Basis of the story is Shigin a young 7-9 year boy growing up in the early nineties in the San Francisco Bay Area who grew up without a father - who apparently left in the middle of the night and left no trace if he is still alive.
Shigin gets hospitalized a year later with a mysterious disease that the doctors tell him he won’t survive. He started to paint images and write poems and stories about a fantastical world the at first he just sees it as his imagination gone wild. But starts to see through a series of events - experiences that lead up to a miracle recovery from the mysterious disease and gets to go home as the adventure of Matsu begins.
In a parallel universe while Shigin is in the hospital that has been leading up to this point in the story plot. Yokai (strange spirits) creatures have been living in cognito
To integrate and function into the norm of the central human society. As most of these yokai are master shapeshifters and they shift into humans during the working hours of the day to be productive citizens of the modern world. As after their day job shifts
They transform into the supernatural magical Yokai they truly are. In which they are all gifted in the magical and mystical sorcery arts (i.e. sky painting, mountain sculpting, visual music, manifestation poetry, inspirational mystical consultation (ie. they are they strange spirits who are the backbone strength of some of mankind’s most miraculous inventions (i.e wright brothers taking flight, the first smoothie maker, Einstein mc2, Jimi Hendrix playing star spangled banner, Armstrong planting flag on the moon…
The origin story to bring us into the adventures Shigin embarks on after his miraculous recovery back to full human health and strength. There is a Yokai who is the chosen one - named Tomic (short for Atomikkkan) is one of the most powerful
Yokai to ever exist. As he gets caught up too much in human ways of greed, power, temptation, lust, material desire etc…
One night after his work shift as a internet high speed network technician. Tomic can’t shape shift back into his original yokai form and gets stuck in in-between forms and eventually the pressure builds up and he explodes. He doesn’t explode physically just explodes in essence in spirit. And takes the whole spirit dimension with him. The humans don’t really notice it because it doesnt effect the material world.
On that day the remaining great 7 Kappa Yokai (classic water goblins - part turtle, fish, crustacean and human). Took to the sky (no one knew they could fly) and carved a hole behind the morning sun and created a portal into a alternative dimension and created a new outer space and used the openings in their heads to manifest a alternative spirit dimension for all yokai to live in. Called 96542 - a sphere realm bigger than Jupiter with six rings around it with spheres on each one representing all the earth elements they left behind. All the creatures live inside these spheres and they are known as realms.
Shigin eventually figures out how to access this realm called 96542 and the adventures into Matsu begin
The Funky iPuppets
Are the one of the first dimensions that the story of Matsu begins - with Clubhouse audio theater and the actual hand puppets. With skits and improv theater the funky iPuppets come alive all in the realms of 96542 at the Outpost.
Location - somewhere in the dimensional world of 96542 (most likely close or closer to what’s known as the commons area) where they gather in a moving clubhouse called The Outpost - (tea bar - entertainment space and creature high tech creative studio) - The Outpost
Rah (rah-mien) - A blue tatsu (water Serpant yokai) - a race of Tatsu that has been forgotten or has been distinct (least thats what we know now) - He is a hipster, host, leader of the band (modeled after George Clinton) but infused into the fantasy, sci-fi story world of Matsu and the dimension of 96542. Not much is known as of now in the story where Rah comes from. But he is the house creature at the Outpost - he hangs out and is plays the roll of the cheerleader - he is confident (maybe too much)
And he is all about being positive - and highly spiritual - his main mission is to see
How all creatures are funky (be their strange and original self) - and free (they have let go of all outer judgment). He is also a advocate of guiding funky free creatures to be Funkafied (become Oexactly who they came to be and realize that they are creators of their reality)
Glitch - A dog type canine yokai who is part of what are called the missing ones (they don’t know their supernatural creature origins and who they are) Glitch is the yokai responsible for all high tech devices going hog wild and glitching out. At his core he is very unclear who he is and doesnt have a lot of confidence. When he just be who he be he is very much original creature - he raps - he is Rah’s sidekick and wants to be funkified and looks up to Rah. He gets nervous and glitches out but is very loving and forgiving… a creatures best friend - loyal and honorable
Rootz (Rootzuki) - At his base he is a Oni Yokai, but has been through a lot since Tomic exploded and didnt really fit into 96542 and met up with Bojangles. Who was involved with getting to know the Outpost creature and collaborating in making
The Teabar meeting - performance - studio space. Rootz is short and stout and carries that attitude - he is modeled after Costello the famous comedian and is jokster with a huge heart - he is very caring and super curious and feels very disconnected to his base Yokai race.
Bo (Bojangles) is the main tea tender and also one of the missing ones (yokai that made it through the portal to 96542 - but when he arrived couldn’t figure out what realm he belonged to and met up with The Outpost creature and established the tea bar. Bo doesnt really know his origina and vaguely knows how he came to be as he fused himself together from spare spirit parts when Tomic blew apart the spirit world on earth. He is part rabbit - elk - and a mix match of other spare spirit parts. He does know he is one of the greatest storytelling Yokai to exist and his personality is that of a great teatender (bartender). And considers himself the main curator of The Outpost.
Blender - is a tsukumogami yokai (a inanimate object that came alive) nobody including himself doesn’t know his origin as most other creatures assume he came to life in The Outpost. He is a jokster and causes mayhem and mischief. He is very positive and high energy just like a living blender would be. He gets along with Rah but is the only one that can get Rah a lil disturbed.
Tyko - is one of the main characters in Matsu he is actually Shigin’s pet turtle that is really a ancient Kappa water goblin yokai - he is very friendly super intelligent and very high tech efficient. He is schooled in all the high Yokai magical arts and bridges the Funky iPuppet world with the main epic of Matsu. His origin story is in graphic novel format in IPC’s book Symphony
…. More to come as the Funky iPuppets come to life in audio theater format and puppetry (carrying on the grand tradition of Jim Henson)