Genesis Journal #2 - Finding Inspiration

I, for the last few years, have been working on a home-brewed D&D 4e setting based on a post-fantasy steam punk world which is on the verge of jumping straight into futuristic elements. With diversity like this, it is difficult to find the right kind of inspiration. However, in my head, I have been trying to pin down exactly what kind of image I want to have for this world. Here are some of the anime sources I have been drawing inspiration from in creating my world:

Studio Ghibli Flicks - "Howl's Moving Castle", "Laputa", "Kiki's Delivery Service", etc.

I think that these movies show exactly the kind of images that I want to evoke in my world. I want to make a world that is vibrant and colorful, not simply grey and rusty. The steampunk vision I have for the world is less about grunge and dirt and more about imagination and possibility.
Ruroni Kenshin - this great samurai epic is set during the meiji revolution. This seems to be the kind of environment I am looking for.

Steamboy - Yet another great piece of anime film. Very cool movie. I will definitely be looking at this again and again over the course of this project to make sure that I get Steam Punk done right.


Escaflowne - I really believe that this anime, and associated film, really captures how magic, fantasy, and giant robots can be well mixed. I would like to try and imitate this in a game setting as best I can.

I am sure that there are various other sources, probably too many to name, that I haven't mentioned here, but I am sure they will come up later. For now I will leave you with this: Always keep your eyes up for old ideas that you can make into new ones; you never know where inspiration might come from.