Q: Why is the Feel Our Hearts campaign centred around Haruka & Rin (and their mook)?
A: Back when the first 4 mooks were originally announced, there were no plans for a 5th volume focusing on Haruka & Rin. Fortunately, many hopeful fans contacted Kyoto Animation in their disappointment—which eventually lead to the release of a 5th volume. The Feel Our Hearts campaign was born out of its crew’s combined wishes to share their heartfelt gratitude with KyoAni for listening to these fans— hence the campaign and its name!
However, we encourage everyone to show their love for Free! in general within their submissions—as long as the main focus remains on Haruka & Rin.
Q: Can we include other characters in our submissions (messages/fanart/postcards/merchandise photographs)?
A: Yes— although all submissions must be Haruka & Rin-centric! We will not reject any submission in which other characters are featured, but please keep the objective of the campaign in mind. Any submissions that take away from the focus of the campaign will not be accepted.
If you are unsure whether or not your submission will fit our theme, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
SPECIAL NOTE CONCERNING MERCHANDISE PHOTOGRAPHS: We will accept merchandise that depicts group shots/other characters that cannot be removed (like clearfiles, posters, towels, BD/DVD/CDs, etc…). However, we cannot accept pictures that include the following:
❤ Bootlegs, or fan-made items (fanart, charms, etc.)
❤ Characters Mook Series volumes/bracelets other than volume 5
❤ Any merchandise that highlights Haruka and/or Rin paired with characters other than each other.
We want to show KyoAni our love for all of the Haruka & Rin material they have given us throughout these years, therefore we kindly ask everyone to follow these rules!
Q: Why must all submissions be family friendly? Why are kisses not allowed in fanart?
A: While Feel Our Hearts is a fan-run campaign, we will soon be sharing everyone’s work with the KyoAni staff. This is why we ask all participants to be polite and respectful, as well as refrain from using any themes that might be suggestive and/or possibly offensive in their submissions.
We don’t want to make the KyoAni staff feel uncomfortable! Please remember: a kiss on the cheek may seem like just an innocent greeting where you live, but it has a different connotation in Japan!
Q: So what can we draw/write/photograph? What will be rejected?
A: We will accept any Haruka & Rin-centric works that depict our gratitude to KyoAni, along with our love for them and the Free! series.
Anything related to Free!‘s canon, or any officially-released AUs (SPLASH FREE, FUTURE FISH, the official café artworks, etc.) can be included. Given the international theme of our campaign, we’d also love to see some Olympics-themed art (or decorations!).
As a general rule, anything that hasn’t been featured in official material (kisses on the cheek/mouth, groping, explicit themes) is not allowed. Some things that have been featured in official art, however (for example neck biting), are unfortunately not allowed either. Lastly, the Feel Our Hearts crew reserves the right to reject any submissions if we believe they do not comply with the rules or theme of the campaign.
As usual: if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Q: What is the difference between traditional art and digital art?
A: Traditional art encompasses everything that is produced through physical media (pen, pencil, watercolor, pastels, charcoal, etc.). These pieces will have to be mailed out to the Feel Our Hearts crew by post to be included in the scrapbook. Please check our submission rules for size specifications and details.
Digital art is produced through any digital art/painting programs available to the artists. These pieces will have to be printed in the appropriate size before being mailed to the Feel Our Hearts crew by post to be included in the scrapbook. Again, please check our submission rules for size specifications and details.
If at all possible, please scan or take a picture of your work before mailing your submission in— just in case anything goes wrong during transit. You can then also e-mail it in to us: we’d love to feature it on the site after the campaign is over!
Q: I want to draw traditional art, but I want to keep the original. Can I send in a copy, instead?
A: While we encourage everyone to send in the original work for us to hand over to KyoAni— because that would make our scrapbook extra special— we understand if someone wishes to send in a copy instead. In this case, please follow the regular art submission rules as normal, but you will, of course, need to have a copy scanned and printed at your own expense.
Q: What happens once all the slots in the scrapbook are filled? Do I have to hurry to send my submission in?
A: Take your time to create a submission that you are 100% pleased with! We simply ask that anyone interested in joining the Scrapbook Project completes the sign up form—this will help us keep track of how many slots will be filled.
Your submission does not have to be complete before signing up, but please let us know what type of work you’re planning on sending in via the sign up form as soon as possible, so we can have an idea of what material we will be working with, and can distribute the slots accordingly.
That being said, the Feel Our Hearts crew already has plans to make sure all submissions, regardless of physical space available in the scrapbook, will be delivered in the flashiest way possible— but our priority is filling up these slots first, so further details will be revealed at a later time, if the scrapbook does end up being full.
Q: Can I change my submission type after signing up?
A: The sign up form is not definite, so in case someone is unable to submit what they originally planned to, it’s still possible to change the submission type or drop out completely. However, we ask everyone to contact us as soon as possible, so we can stay on top of organizing all the available slots accordingly.
Q: I’m not pleased with what I submitted! Can I send in something else?
A: Yes, but please contact us before attempting to send in any extra material. The scrapbook submissions are limited to one per person; however, if someone wishes to submit a different piece, we might be able to replace the previous version— provided that the new piece arrives before the deadline!
Q: Can we send our postcards to KyoAni directly?
A: In order to give the Feel Our Hearts campaign as much impact as possible— and to make sure we don’t needlessly inconvenience the KyoAni staff— the crew has decided to collect all of the postcards, and then personally deliver them in a tin box (decorated especially for the campaign!). This idea was heavily influenced by the box the relay trophy (and later- the letters) was buried in on the show itself.
This will lower the postal costs for everyone who’ll be participating in other areas of the campaign (as the postcards can be included in the same envelope as the scrapbook submissions) and give them a way to be 100% certain their postcards will be received safe and well by the KyoAni staff.
Once the campaign is over, however, everyone is free to send their love to KyoAni out of their own volition!
Q: Who do we address the postcards to, then?
A: Postcards should be addressed to KyoAni, but then sent out in an envelope to the address where the Feel Our Hearts crew will be gathering them.
Q: So, which address do we have to send our scrapbook/postcard submissions to?
A: To protect the privacy of our crew members, we will only be able to share the address at a later date, with participants who have signed up.
Q: What if I can’t have my work printed out, or am unable to send it out to you by mail (for personal/financial/other reasons)?
A: The Feel Our Hearts crew would like to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the campaign—so we’re working on a possible solution right now! Please stay tuned for updates, or contact us at feelourhearts@harurin.net for more information.
Q: Just how much stuff are you guys bringing to Japan?
We can’t say for sure right now! It all depends on how many people are willing to take part in this project.
To help us keep things manageable however, please make sure that your handwritten messages and/or postcards aren’t too bulky. We encourage everyone to decorate their submissions with stickers— and anything else you can think of— but please be considerate of the Feel Our Hearts crew members and other participants. Therefore, please avoid using overly thick stickers and other embellishments like fake flowers, etc.
Q: Can I drop out of the project after signing up?
A: Since a large part of the scrapbook has to be put together manually, we ask everyone to please let us know as soon as possible if they changed their mind, or if they will have any issues with making the deadline of their physical submissions. If you do not wish to participate anymore, please contact us immediately so we can reassign any scrapbook slots accordingly.