From Concept to Kickstarter: Building Whispers of Taiji

Devlogs of a Living World: The Birth of Astra

Author

Studio Munbou
June 19, 2025

Reclaim the Arc.

Some stories break you to rebuild you.
They’ll make you cry, rage, spiral—
not for drama, but for truth.

In a world racing nowhere,
some fall into the abyss
just to reclaim control of the script.

THE INTENT

CREATING WHISPERS OF TAIJI

Ever finish an anime and feel personally betrayed? Like the protagonist fumbled every bag, the villain had zero chill, and the author clearly wrote the ending at 3AM on no sleep and vibes?

Yeah. Same.

That’s basically how Whispers of Taiji was born. We wanted to make a world where anime fans could actually live out their own arc. Be the main character, make questionable choices, go full redemption mode… or become the chaos gremlin you were always meant to be.

No need to get hit by Truck-kun or wake up with a mysterious mark on your hand, your very own anime story can start right here and now.

When we started building Whispers of Taiji, the only rule was: it had to be fun.
Not just haha jokes and boss fights fun, but dynamic, mysterious, layered kind of fun. The kind that grows with you.

We wanted to scatter secrets across the world like narrative landmines—little bits of lore hidden in every corner, across every format, waiting to be pieced together like a chaotic anime jigsaw puzzle.

That’s why we’re telling this story across multiple formats:

🎬 Short-form anime-style animations (hi, Instagram and Youtube)
📖 A webcomic (Season 1 is ongoing and full of emotional damage)
🎲 A full-blown tabletop RPG where you drive the arc
💻 A digital platform with gamified anime experiences—interactive lore drops, creator opportunities, and slick animations like what you’ve seen on our main site

All of it is designed to give you different ways to enter the world; whether you're here to binge, theory-craft, or spiral over a character death.

Every format unlocks a new door.
Your job is to decide which ones you kick open.

Your story. Your pace. Your rules.
This isn’t just a game. It’s your arc now.
So go full main character mode. We’ll see you at the next plot twist.

BE AN INSIDER

Project Updates

We’re chatty — in the best way.
We believe in transparency and hype. You’ll hear from us often as we continue building this thing out, so expect updates, teases, and the occasional unhinged lore drop.

Lore (so much lore)
Astra is bursting at the seams with story, and we’re not hoarding it. Some of it will be out in the open — ready for you to tinker with, remix, or spiral into your own theory threads. Go wild. That said, the one-shot campaigns? Gated. We can't just spill all the secret sauce. But our north star is creative chaos, and we want to give you as many toys as we can without breaking the game.

Creatives (the spellcasters behind the curtain)
We’re teaming up with a mix of indie legends and seasoned veterans — because what is roleplaying without the people who bring it to life? Every piece of art, sound, gameplay, and lore you experience is human-made, heart-made, and occasionally a little quirky. That’s the beauty of it: imperfections that make things feel rare, real, and honestly... kind of magical.

Random Fact (because why not)
Our founder, Hayley, was featured in Variety for her panel talk at the Annecy Film Festival’s Women in Animation (WIA) World Summit — no big deal (actually, kind of a big deal, even if she’s way too awkward to admit it). It gives you a glimpse into her brain, which is equal parts visionary, goblin, and worldbuilder. Give it a read if you want to understand why she’s so obsessed with co-creating something truly memorable and fun with you. She wants the feedback. Seriously. Send it. All of it.

Until next time, may Mekhi be with you.

Studio Munbou