Wisps of the Kaneohe breeze drifted through the windows as a five-year-old Emily Nishihira (11) sat with markers gripped in her small, grubby hands. Back then, art was a shared hobby with her grandmother, a seamstress in the fashion industry. She was the one who helped provide and find the spark in Nishihira’s talents. Now, at age 16, markers have been replaced by a tablet and an electronic pencil with a passion bright enough to cause trouble in her life.
“Apparently, I do too much art,” Nishihira jokingly remarks.
This October, her father knocked on her bedroom door to find Nishihira still awake, seven hours after he last saw her drawing. He confiscated her sketchbook on the spot. But even that could not stop her as Nishihira simply grabbed scraps of paper to complete her assignment before the morning bell rang.
When she entered Kalani High School as a freshman, she learned the art of video game storytelling. This is where art had not only been a part of her, but had evolved into something more. Now, as a junior, she has started something new.
The project is an independent, choice-based video game, heavily inspired by the anime franchise Danganronpa. Nishihira designed a cast of 16 characters who are trapped and forced into trials to uncover a murderer among them.
In this universe, each player has an “ultimate” or talent that Nishihira uses to manifest their appearance. She describes how she uses such talents as the inspiration for clothing and personality for each character. For example, a pianist would have piano key accents on their clothing.
Her friend and partner in the video game, Mia Huynh (11), credits Nishihira as the creative soul of the project, explaining that all the artwork was done by her.
“She’s nice to work with, and very passionate about the project,” Huynh comments.
Sherrilea Katasako, who has been Nishihira’s art teacher for the past three years, has watched her grow from a quiet student into a confident artist. Katasako describes Nishihira as a “kind-hearted” individual whose sensitivity outside and inside the art studio allows her to pick up on a lot of things people miss.
“Emily is very quiet at first, very reserved,” Katasako notes. “She’s very meticulous in her thought process. She takes a lot of time to figure out what she’s gonna do in her art. She’s very careful, but very talented when she gets going.”
Nishihira’s projects are steadily being built with awareness of what she can do and where she can improve as the video game continues to take shape.
“Art, you have to be really resilient, you know, and you kind of have to have confidence in yourself even when you feel like you don’t,” Nishihira says. “So, I think that it’s a good way to challenge myself.”
