Anime RickRoll - A Touhou Animation of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up

This is the result of 9000 hours of work from May 2022 to May 2024. It is my attempt at making something that resembles an anime.
I traced the movements of the people in the music video with the models, then I sketch traced those models along with the background, then colored them to make a 2D anime frame.
I hope you can accept the way I made his video, and can still enjoy it for being an animated parody of a meme.
Patreon:
patreon.com/hoxton
Credits:
Stock Aitken Waterman
Their eyes - Kanata
Reimu Hakurei • 博麗靈夢 - schwarz
Marisa Kirisame • 霧雨魔理沙 - schwarz
Rinnosuke Morichika • 森近霖之助 - アル
Rin Satsuki • 冴月麟 - HatshaneSUKI-CHA
Rumia • ルーミア - 雪萱
Daiyousei • 大妖精 - 雪萱
Cirno • チルノ - えと
Meiling Hong • 紅美鈴 - アールビット
Koakuma • 小悪魔 - 雪萱
Patchouli Knowledge • パチュリー
Sakuya Izayoi • 十六夜咲夜 -
Remilia Scarlet • レミリア・スカーレット - 雪萱
-
Flandre Scarlet • フランドール・スカーレット - 雪萱
Letty Whiterock • レティ
Chen • 橙 - なす天
Alice Margatroid • アリス
Lily White • リリーホワイト - 雪萱
Merlin Prismriver • メルラン - PachiPachy
Lunasa Prismriver • ルナサ - PachiPachy
Lyrica Prismriver • リリカ - PachiPachy
Youmu Konpaku • 魂魄妖夢 - アールビット
Yuyuko Saigyouji • 西行寺幽々子 - ゴマボウ
Ran Yakumo • 八雲藍 - ゴマボウ
Yukari Yakumo • 八雲紫 - わたべななみ
-
Suika Ibuki • 伊吹萃香 - tamo
Wriggle Nightbug • リグル・ナイトバグ - 雪萱
Mystia Lorelei • ミスティア・ローレライ - 雪萱
Keine Kamishirasawa • 上白沢慧音 - フリック
Tewi Inaba • 因幡てゐ - なす天
Reisen Udongein Inaba • 鈴仙・優曇華院・イナバ - ニクムニ
Eirin Yagokoro • 八意永琳 - 名無しさん@MMDer
Watatsuki no Yorihime • 綿月依姫 - FujiwaraP
Rei'sen • レイセン - ニクムニ
Watatsuki no Toyohime • 綿月豊姫 - FujiwaraP
Kaguya Houraisan • 蓬莱山輝夜 - iroha02
Fujiwara no Mokou • 藤原妹紅 - anek
Medicine Melancholy • メディスン・メランコリー - 雪萱
Yuuka Kazami • 風見幽香 - kaoru
Komachi Onozuka • 小野塚小町 - ゴマボウ
Shikieiki Yamaxanadu • 四季映姫・ヤマザナドゥ - ゴマボウ
Akyuu Hieda • 稗田阿求 - たけ
Kosuzu Motoori • 本居小鈴 - すけ
Tokiko • 朱鷺子 - 雪萱
Shizuha Aki • 秋静葉 - 天コロ
Minoriko Aki • 秋穣子 - 天コロ
Hina Kagiyama • 鍵山雛 - 雪萱
Nitori Kawashiro • 河城にとり - 鯖缶
Momiji • 犬走椛 - ときり
Aya Shameimaru • 射命丸文 - アールビット
Sanae Kochiya • 東風谷早苗 - Kanata
Kanako Yasaka • 八坂神奈子 - tamo
Suwako Moriya • 洩矢諏訪子 - miy
Iku Nagae • 永江 衣玖 - ピッチングP
Tenshi Hinanawi • 比那名居天子 - Kanata
Kasen Ibaraki • 茨木華扇 - tamo
Kisume • キスメ - あしゅ
Yamame Kurodani • 黒谷ヤマメ - Musbime
Parsee Mizuhashi • 水橋パルスィ - 祥介
Yuugi Hoshiguma • 星熊勇儀 - tamo
Satori Komeiji • 古明地さとり - anek
Rin Kaenbyou • 火焔猫燐 - Atgoold
Utsuho Reiuji • 霊烏路空 - アールビット
Koishi Komeiji • 古明地こいし - anek
Nazrin • ナズーリン - フリック
Kogasa Tatara • 多々良小傘 - ShiniNet
Ichirin Kumoi • 雲居一輪 - tamo
Minamitsu Murasa • 村紗水蜜 - ニクムニ
Shou Toramaru • 寅丸星 - tamo
Byakuren Hijiri • 聖白蓮 - ニクムニ
Nue Houjuu • 封獣ぬえ - ニクムニ
Sunny Milk • サニーミルク - 雪萱
Luna Child • ルナチャイルド - 雪萱
Star Sapphire • スターサファイア - 雪萱
Hatate Himekaidou • 姫海棠はたて - 歌奈斗
Kyouko Kasodani • 幽谷響子 - ニクムニ
Yoshika Miyako • 宮古芳香 - きのこる
Seiga Kaku • 霍青娥 - きのこる
Soga no Tojiko • 蘇我屠自古 - きのこる
Mononobe no Futo • 物部布都 - きのこる
Toyosatomimi no Miko • 豊聡耳神子 - きのこる
Mamizou Futatsuiwa • 二ッ岩マミゾウ - フリック
Hata no Kokoro • 秦こころ - anek
Wakasagihime • わかさぎ姫 - cham
Sekibanki • 赤蛮奇 - 天コロ
Kagerou Imaizumi • 今泉影狼 - 天コロ
Benben Tsukumo • 九十九弁々 - トモリ
Yatsuhashi Tsukumo • 九十九八橋 - トモリ
Seija Kijin • 鬼人正邪 - きのこる
Shinmyoumaru Sukuna • 少名針妙丸 - schwarz
Raiko Horikawa • 堀川雷鼓 - schwarz
Sumireko Usami • 宇佐見菫子 - schwarz
Seiran • 清蘭 - ニクムニ
Ringo • 鈴瑚 - ニクムニ
Doremy Sweet •ドレミー・スイート -
Sagume Kishin • 稀神サグメ - ニクムニ
Clownpiece • クラウンピース - schwarz
Junko • 純狐 - schwarz
Hecatia Lapislazuli • ヘカーティア- 鯖缶
Jo'on Yorigami • 依神女苑 - schwarz
Shion Yorigami • 依神紫苑 - schwarz
Eternity Larva • エタニティラルバ - 雪萱
Nemuno Sakata • 坂田ネムノ - OrientalCrimsonMMD
Aunn Komano • 高麗野あうん - ニクムニ
Narumi Yatadera • 矢田寺成美 - ニクムニ
Satono Nishida • 爾子田里乃 - 雪萱
Mai Teireida • 丁礼田舞 - 雪萱
Okina Matara • 摩多羅隠岐奈 - schwarz
Eika Ebisu • 戎瓔花 - 志賀内サクシャ
Urumi Ushizaki • 牛崎潤美 - 天ころ
Kutaka Niwatari • 庭渡久侘歌 - schwarz
Yachie Kicchou • 吉弔八千慧 - たからばこ
Mayumi Joutouguu • 杖刀偶磨弓 - Chaosinism
Keiki Haniyasushin • 埴安神袿姫 - tamo
Saki Kurokoma • 驪駒早鬼 - 塩蛙
Yuuma Toutetsu • 饕餮尤魔 - たからばこ
Mike Goutokuji • 豪徳寺ミケ - エアレーズン
Takane Yamashiro • 山城たかね - tamo
Sannyo Komakusa • 駒草山如 - たからばこ
Misumaru Tamatsukuri • 玉造魅須丸 - zrz
Tsukasa Kudamaki • 菅牧典 - ニク
Megumu Iizunamaru • 飯綱丸龍 - ゴマボウ
Chimata Tenkyuu • 天弓千亦 - tamo
Momoyo Himemushi • 姫虫百々世 - tamo
Miyoi Okunoda • 奥野田美宵 - たけ
Mizuchi Miyadeguchi • 宮出口瑞霊 - Savlietion
Son Biten • 孫美天 - ぷれでたぁ
Enoko Mitsugashira • 三頭慧ノ子 - Ｇスカ
Chiyari Tenkajin • 天火人ちやり - そばかす魔理沙の人
Hisami Yomotsu • 豫母都日狭美 - ぷれでたぁ
Zanmu Nippaku • 日白残無 - ていらん
Maribel Hearn • マエリベリー - アールビット
Renko Usami • 宇佐見蓮子 - アールビット
Sariel • サリエル - Varon
Meira • 明羅 - RussiaRomano
Konngara • こんがら - Varon
Elis • エリス - SK DEFENCE
Ellen • エレン - あしゅ
Kotohime • 小兎姫 - kaoru
Kana Anaberal • カナ・アナベラル - machaki
Chiyuri •北白河ちゆり - フリック
Yumemi • 岡崎夢美 - フリック
Ruukoto • るーこと - SK DEFENCE
Kurumi • くるみ - あしゅ
Mugetsu • 夢月 - 歌奈斗
Gengetsu • 幻月 - 歌奈斗
Elly • エリー - モンテコア
Yuki • ユキ - あしゅ
Mai • マイ - あしゅ
Yumeko • 夢子 - マンダム
Shinki • 神綺 - 雪萱
Mima • 魅魔 - machaki

[@nykom]

The irony of mima saying "never gonna say goodbye"

[@seronymus]

I don't get it ;;

[@Angeloniccraft]

Hahah

[@Angeloniccraft]

​@@seronymusThe last time we saw her was in PC-98

[@aimkill637]

@@Angeloniccraft And She still nowhere to be seen in Windows

[@DarkSymphony777]

@@seronymus people want mima to come back

[@spaghettiking7312]

This is what the internet was created for.

[@alface935]

YES!

[@gevostoizun1257]

There must be

[@What33367]

REAAAAALLLL

[@infernal-toad]

Reject Artificial intelligence, embrance tradition.

[@alface935]

@@infernal-toad You know the Rules And so do I

[@LikeWagon]

0:59 GUYS, Hina Spin

[@Tempestissiman]

1:42 Seija doing a flip too

[@Ainuosay]

that was so smart

[@brickstonesonn9276]

YES

[@hinakagiyama_]

😭peak

[@LibraritheWizardOfficial]

"You can only use your favorite Touhou characters for the animation"

[@TJ-Henry-Yoshi]

I cannot come to terms nor comprehend how much work has gone into this. This is truly insanity and you deserve a crazy amount of praise for this

[@MicTheOni]

Make no mistake this would have gone Super Ultra Mega viral back in the 2010s...

[@ellolired3994]

NO WAY IS TJ HENRY YOSHI HIMSELF

[@Umarudon]

TJ HENRY YOSHI?!?!

[@-Undyne-The-Undying]

Yoo, what's up, TJ Henry Yoshi!

[@ForgedinPrint]

about 9000 hours of work.

[@lafougere6259]

Il like the fact you manage a spining hina, a fliping seiga, light fairies togeter, mima saying goodbye at the end and accurate thigs like thas, it must need lot of thinking

[@valonyaver600]

Joon having 2 glasses cracked me up

[@mow123]

Also the "crazy backup dancers" being the backup dancers.

[@Hijiri_MIRACHION]

PC-98 Mai singing "Never gonna let you down" when she literally betrays her friend and calls her dead weight, and Sagume saying that she'll never tell a lie even though her ability is to reverse fate with her words.

[@lafougere6259]

@@Hijiri_MIRACHION indeed !

[@yukko_parra]

modern bad apple be like no seriously though, it has seemingly EVERY touhou character ever, even a good chunk of PC-98 my man, take a break, this is gold.

[@Sho-yu2424]

0:59 雛がちゃんと回っているシーンに割り当てられているのすこｗ

[@kotakota-zl7eh]

ホンマやwww

[@user-lt8hu7oi9k]

適任神やろ

[@SydneyIsSleepy]

the stars aligning to let hina spin and seija do a frontflip is a miracle

[@locusmomus]

and also to have the Backdancers with Okina, the weak Youkai trio (Wakasagihime, Sekibanki and Kagerou), the Three fairies of light and Mugetsu and Gengetsu, those groups where shown together, the dedication and miracle works in this song dude

[@BoundaryYoukai]

0:59 It is so perfect that Hina just spins.

[@Cryogenic5]

the facial expressions carried forward are out of this world.

[@Co-Bolt]

Hahaha the Hina spin at 0:59 was perfect! You should upload a version of just your animation without the original music video in the corner

[@Alaskaest95]

Seija flip at 1:42 is perfect too

[@PneumaAsh]

Holy shit. Not only is it impressive to get nearly (if not every] official character into one music video, but the way you timed so many character's appearances to be appropriate to them (Hina spinning, Sagume never telling a lie, Okina, Mai, and Satono dancing on stage together, etc.) while still maintaining a proper chronilogical order (seemingly starting from Windows with print works in the middle and of course Hifuu Club and PC-98 to round it out) is absolutely stunning. I'm also impressed by that Aunn shot! Was that fence hand animated or simulated, I can't tell, and that's unbelievable All in all, two years well spent. This is amazing.

[@Lemuel928]

Sakuya in a nutshell:”You know the rules and so do I.”

[@Va_Vil_On]

"Say goodbye"

[@BM-13_KATYUSHA]

**gets a face-full of cards and lasers**

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

@@BM-13_KATYUSHAMarisa: so… when’s the next spellcard, exac- Oh, *I’m* the boss, cool, cool… now wha- *(Sakuya used a continue)*

[@ddsqadod2994]

Let's learn Touhou via Rick Astley!

[@BlueyLancer]

Brother this is so peak, this is the true Bad Apple (it literally features all Touhous to rickroll you)

[@mustardmarisa]

dude, the fact that you managed to show the entire cast of the windows era plus manga characters in relative order with the same transitions of Rick's video, plus those clever and subtle placing like Rin Satsuki at the start without showing her face, the spinning Hina, Seija doing a flip, Sagume never saying a lie, etc; plus the pc98 characters, ending with Mima is truly Godsend. Amazing Job. This should be the new bad apple. What blows my mind hard is that you started this in 2022 before some of the last games, the stars aligned it for you to fit everyone so far so perfectly, no words, western touhou milestone.

[@okuu_utsuho]

Never gonna give you the 1cc

[@LimaBr_]

nah, orin is worse

[@FahriKebab]

​@@LimaBr_I can relate

[@AsianChristianGuy]

lmaoo

[@Meocontuki]

1:55 Sagume: Nerver gonna tell a lie Me: lol, k

[@Austrian_painter27396]

Is that a pun I see?

[@spacemmd8064]

やばいw漫画の新キャラもいるし旧作も全員が作り込まれてるしすごすぎるwww

[@typhoonthunder]

This video is a full committment that I'm thinkin' of.

[@62BluLockwood]

Goddamn 9000 hours?! This is some dedication!😮

[@Hanami63]

Hina spins, Okina has her backup dancers, Rick sings, and video ends on Mima. Perfection.

[@SmashBros2009]

I've been Touhou-rolled in 2024! Also, what 9000?! There's no way that could be right!🤣

[@foppypoof5195]

It takes like 5 hours to draw a single frame, so that's believable.

[@deputyhobbs9683]

the creator had to create a ton of different high quality models each with their own body types, clothes, coloring, and hair, and then animate them. 9000 seems realistic for a solo job where every singular model was created by them alone and not stolen

[@_axetrax1]

@@deputyhobbs9683 The video is a rotoscope frame by frame animation of models by various authors credited in the description.

[@Charessel]

IF I GET RICKROLLED AND IT ISN'T THIS, I'M MASTER SPARKING THIS ENTIRE WORLD

[@projectmessiah]

9000 hours on something that will probably not even break far past 100k views is honestly the most tragic thing that I have ever seen on youtube

[@Izzylovestea]

It’s sad but that’s reality of youtube, low quality garbage gets the most views while good content gets barely anything

[@dakotabless4800]

2:06 One glasses is not enough for Joon

[@turkia6148]

Holy shit, this so good. More people really need to see this.

[@OxygenEnthusiastGaming]

this is amazing bro took my dumb ass forever to realize the girls appear in a chronological order of their canon appearance

[@noxentoxicar1160]

The dedication of Touhou fans truly knows no limits. This is an excellent addition to the Touhou compendium of fan creations. Great work! I salute you!

[@madscientist9685]

I got the swag 😎 But this is gold , I'm happy that you included the PC-98 characters , this is not a meme , it's a masterpiece

[@fizhouz328]

Ain't no way you made all those models. Youre ill in the head i fucking love it. Keep it up.

[@Hijiri_MIRACHION]

They didn't make the models themselves, but they did rotoscope and color all of them for the video. The backgrounds aren't even models, they were straight up drawn from the video itself. It's honestly quite impressive in and of itself.

[@sanuku535]

ey, this is actually quite amazing! I am glad I found this thing, And as I thoguth, no characters appeared more than once besides lili and marisa white I think. And the style makes it look like something from 2000's or early 2010's. Fitting.

[@FujiwaraNoTobi]

If these are really 9000 hours of work in 2 years, then I truly commend you for working 12+ hours each day to give us this. Bravo.

[@neruneruXD]

the fact that this meme was in progress for 3 years is CRAZY 😭😭 blud never gave up💀

[@Plutonium2019]

2 years of hard work.It's a crime that this doesn't have millions of views.

[@Izzylovestea]

Words cannot express how much joy this gives me as a touhou fan

[@kabanfriends5764]

Time traveller: Moves a rock Bad apple:

[@nx0_0x0]

bro 9k hours is fucking insane i really hope this blows up soon

[@rexxychan]

Being a touhou fan and still calling it anime is crazy

[@stardust-reverie]

“we have bad apple at home” bad apple at home: (no fr this is actually awesome)

[@hotaru44]

This is one of the best Touhou videos I've ever seen

[@animan8192]

Everyone is talking about the Hina spin, but Seija did a flip too! 1:42 XDDDDDD

[@failing244]

good now i can send this to my friends who like touhou

[@Wins0n]

how do you decide suddenly to make something like this and execute it perfectly shanghai style? i love how each character gets a reference to how they act too the art style and sunglasses remind me of touhou m1 grand prix for some reason lol

[@just2koishi]

Y'all imagine rock-rolling a touhou fan with this one

[@TheKoakuma]

✅ 0:42 - Watatsuki sis w/Pet ✅ 0:53 - Bookworms together ✅ 0:59 - SPIN HINA SPIN ✅ 1:30 - Three Fairies ✅ 1:36 - Grassroot Youkai Network ✅ 1:42 - Seija Flip ✅ 1:56 - Sagume Never Gonna Tell a Lie ✅ 1:57 - Murica with shades ✅ 2:06 - Joon with extra shades ✅ 2:16 - Okina with Backup Dancers ✅ 2:26 - Horse Flip ✅ 2:38 - The courtesan gonna tell how she feeling ✅ 2:52 - Vengeful spirit never gonna say goodbye ✅ 2:56 - Zanmu hurt Hisami? ✅ 3:11 - Getsu Sisters ✅ 3:15 - Yuki never gonna give you up ✅ 3:17 - Mai never gonna let you down ✅ 3:25 - OG Vengeful spirit never gonna say goodbye too

[@Strangeisntit_real]

Love that each character appears in order of appearance from the games

[@koharumi1]

9000 hours to make this is absolute dedication.

[@CJCWIS]

I hope you get at least a million views on this!! This was clearly a labor of love, and must've taken a lot of effort to make!

[@BunnyOnahole]

This good shit would go crazy viral in late 2000s

[@flofloflofloflor]

2022!!!!!????? 9000 hours??? AWESOME

[@DeadlyHunterYakuza]

Need a green screen version. This is simply the best I've seen

[@Va_Vil_On]

Truly masterpiece I literally have no words, that's how impressed I am

[@Wobuffet3]

this is insane!! i wasn't expecting anyone from pc98 or th17+

[@Reimu__Hakurei]

これは本当に良いアニメーションです

[@ShockedTaiLung]

This is insane wtf

[@bluenightgenso6390]

Behold, the modern Bad Apple

[@AltraHapi]

Rick Apple

[@leonardolimadesouzalopes2007]

this video is a masterpiece, my only complaint would be the frame rate but i know its hard to draw so many frames with this wonderful quality

[@bearegoreva]

I cannot belive that you actually used EVERY Touhou Character in this animation. This is truly amazing! I'm really glad that it got recommended to me.

[@Set666Abominae]

“No fortune teller 0/10” - Someone, probably

[@Меркурис]

I kinda like that characters goes in order(6-7-8 game)

[@RyunixEdits]

This might be one of the best touhou animation ive ever seen in a while, no offense to the other touhou animations, theyre great

[@TouHouWiafu1]

This Touhou Rick Roll video is a beautiful masterpiece!

[@si-bang-sat]

The Ancient Fandom strikes again

[@user-gh6um5xd3m]

Finally KZbin realized what I need to recommend

[@DecemberGalaxy0]

what if I viewed my recommendations even an hour later? this wouldn't have shown, that's why I'm scared of logging off

[@joeybean2024]

Imagine if this video was uploaded on April Fools' Day.

[@SolCresta3405]

Oh God, the entire Touhou cast is Rickrolling me!

[@nightlan8191]

THIS GUY NEED A TREND FOR THE HARD WORK

[@Hakshoku_Y]

This is absolutely 2024 bad apple

[@hamstergum9548]

The Touhou Rick Roll is here. Also, great video.

[@ris_kis]

Get Tou-houed' By the way, your work is amazing. So many time into this, you did a greate job.

[@Reisendayo]

Jeat 2-housed

[@miso7549]

Absolute dedication and brilliance displayed here. You deserve a universe of praise for the hard work you've put into this!

[@foxwithgrapes]

Joon got swag because she has another pair of sunglasses

[@KLGB76]

Thank you KZbin for recommending me this masterpiece.

[@_-envision-_]

whoever created this, you're a genius!

[@moenesca]

This is going to blow up. Excellent.

[@YuumasLover-TaotieMatch]

2:28 YES! YES! YES! THERE SHE IS!

[@TheBetter_LeechPilot]

Very well done. The dedication into this is unparalleled. I mean... I would've never been able to finish it, even if I undertook such a project. I'm happy to see yet another masterpiece now being a part of the Touhou community. Hats off to you. I came here from Reddit.

[@leafyleaf4773]

Hina spinning was on point!!!

[@user-nz4ql5vz3l]

原作、旧作、公式漫画の隅々まで盛り込んでて目飛び出るわww 一体どれ程の時間を費やして作成したか...尊敬します。

[@Basher.G]

I like how Joon wears sunglasses below her sunglasses

[@user-je2rr1vz7k]

What a masterpiece. It deserves more likes.

[@ivanamelissainglez2988]

This is a masterpiece, thank you for uploading. It's really amazing.

[@_xxamongussussybaka123amongusa]

this is so fuxking cool

[@Swit14]

i knew touhou fans were mentaly chalanged, but i never realised how severe the issue is

[@DarkSymphony777]

man it's so weird seeing a short yuugi, even for a second

[@HENSYUNASI-Sans]

素晴らしい

[@chiruno9-]

9000 hours to make a touhou parody meme, absolute legend

[@Spellweaver5]

I know it's not technically related to Bad Apple, but it still feels like two greatest musical memes merged. Also, you might want to release the version without the original Rickroll comparison.

[@kitzreads3064]

THIS TOOK 2 YEARS TO MAKE???????

[@NEET_Kaguya_2005]

Beautiful, high quality, and perfection.

[@shady8868]

This is amazingly well and smooth and wow even PC98 characters are there!

[@fkg_samurai8257]

I am glad to live on the same planet with such talented people.

[@RonaldBackFromHell]

that must have been a cray amount of work. Even if it's hitting crazy amount of numbers right now, I'm sure those who see it can recognize how well done this!

[@SouperMan-rm7gu]

We have created a new standard for peak. This is perfection.

[@limechip]

This animation is INSANE

[@user-xy8iy9es7p]

伸びてほしいなー

[@cmetahaontom9222]

THAT rickroll absolutely ultimate.

[@gevostoizun1257]

All that Touhou party, must be proud