Writings | Alex Q. Xu

How Azuki Is Building a World Before the Story

In 2022, Azuki launched as a collection of digital collectibles. It was the first chapter of a much larger anime IP vision. That launch introduced the characters and visual identity of Azuki to the world. At the time, there was no manga, no trading card game, no show. Just amazing

Mar 31

From Art to Fashion: How Alex Q. Xu Thinks About Building Enduring Creative Worlds

Alex Q. Xu shares his perspective on building lasting creative worlds, drawing from art, fashion, and storytelling to guide long-term cultural projects at Azuki Labs.

Feb 12

Alex Q. Xu in Paris: Building Cultural IP Through Fashion, Story, and Design

Alex Q. Xu, co-founder and CEO of Azuki Labs, reflects on Paris Fashion Week and how fashion, narrative, and long-term world-building shape modern cultural IP.

Feb 10

The Business Behind Anime: How Funding, Risk, and Fandom Shape What Gets Made

In the world of anime, creative vision is only one piece of the puzzle. Creative legends in the anime industry are driven by their passion for creating unique characters and stories while expressing their creativity through this art form. However, the real engine behind what gets animated, greenlit, and distributed

May 23

What the Ghibli AI Trend Reveals About True Storytelling

In recent months, social media has been flooded with stunning images that feel like they were pulled straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. With tools like ChatGPT, we can now generate images that capture Ghibli’s distinctive visual language with a single text prompt. It's undeniably impressive.

May 2

Short-Form, Big Impact: The Thinking Behind Our Animated Mini-Shorts

The World’s Attention Span Is Changing Whether it’s TikToks, Reels, or anime edits on YouTube Shorts, short-form content has taken over how we watch and share stories. Short-form storytelling is one of key ways the next generation of fan bases will form, as more people are

Apr 23

From Communities to Economies

Web2 empowered creators to monetize their creativity. Web3 will empower entire communities to build digital empires together. Through tokenization, communities can now capture and amplify the value they collectively create, ushering in a new era of decentralized brands and network effects. Redefining Value in Web3 Traditional equity represents ownership in

Dec 24

Bringing Bobu to Life: AI in Anime Experiences & Storytelling

Bobu 2.0 Storytelling is about bringing characters to life — and exploring new and creative ways to use emerging technology is what drives us. We recently collaborated with Hallway, a startup that uses AI to turn 2D characters into living, interactive personalities. This enabled us to not only bring Bobu

Jul 24

Introducing the Physical Backed Token (PBT)

Chiru Labs is excited to introduce the Physical Backed Token (or “PBT”), an open source token standard which ties a physical item to a digital token on the Ethereum blockchain. PBT enables brands and creators to create next-generation storytelling and experiences for their communities. Developers can begin building with

Oct 17