Local artists created various artworks inspired by the iconic “lo-fi anime study girl” character as seen in the famous lo-fi music livestream on YouTube.
The Lo-fi girl artworks included elements under the Philippine setting.
The first one that recently gained traction online is a version by Reddit user “King_Paymon” who shared his rendition on the discussion website on September 2020.
“My Take on Filipina Lo-Fi Girl,” he wrote before.
His artwork featured an electric fan, Jollibee plush doll, a C2 bottle, Baguio souvenir barrel man and the Philippine flag.
The character was sitting on a monobloc chair.
Based on his comments, the artist was supposed to make the windows a jalousie-type but he got “lazy.”
“Minadali ko na lang ‘yung ibang details hehe,” user “King_Paymon” replied to one of the comments which said the glass window should’ve been a “full-on jalousie.”
The jalousie type of window is famous in typical Filipino households.
Another Reddit user commented that the artwork’s Filipino vibes was “not too subtle” and that it is “very on the nose.”
“It’s like portraying a Dutch girl with wooden shoes. I don’t think any Filipina girl would actually have a paper calendar let alone one with (the) Rizal monument on it. But looks nice,” the online user wrote.
The artist responded that he was “definitely not going for subtle” and added that the “flag should’ve given that away.”
Another rendition of the “lo-fi girl” was uploaded by “Vanenacue” on Facebook in December 2020.
It featured a girl that has an earphone instead of headphones and is sitting near a jalousie-type window. It also featured a calendar typically seen in Filipino houses.
A Facebook user eventually compared the two versions last Saturday under the post “Art Analysis: A Tale of Two Filipina Lo-Fi Girls.”
“First of all, I just wanna say both Vanenacue and King_Paymon (Reddit) are both really good artists. I just want to point out that you can be more subtle in your art/design and still successfully convey Filipino culture,” she wrote.
Others agreed with the Facebook user n the comments section while there were those who said that “King_Paymon’s” rendition is also “okay.”
“The second has many ‘abubots’ while the first one is a minimalist. They both show Filipino setting in different context,” a Facebook user wrote.
Another rendition of the “lo-fi girl” artwork also gained traction on Reddit on Sunday.
My take on the (filipino) version of the lofi girl 💖 from Philippines
It featured a background which the artist, user “maxii_caulfieldx,” said was “a mix of pre-war San Francisco and Binondo” in the comments.
“Actually, the background is a mix of notable structures~ there’s one sort of inspired by the MET theatre ahi,” she added, referring to the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
The “lo-fi girl” originally appears as the face of the “lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” livestream on YouTube, a playlist by user “ChilledCow” (now “Lofi Girl”) that began streaming lo-fi or low-fidelity music in 2018.
The character in the video is reportedly from “Whisper of the Heart,” a 1995 film produced by Studio Ghibli.
The “lo-fi anime study girl” is modeled after the character of Shizuku Tsukishima in the animated film.
Juan Pablo Machado is the artist behind the artwork of “lo-fi girl,” which has since become a “true mascot for lofi music across the internet.”