Wow. Just wow. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin Kai seems to mean Deep Sea, and I do think it means it. I typically have a weak spot for midnight blues, and I have seen a good bit of the night sky considering I am not a fan of the sun to begin with. This particular midnight blue, however, has me in awe.
Iroshizuku Shin Kai starts off as a fairly unremarkable dusky blue, almost a blue black that is so subtle it almost looks like a grey. Yet, there is something else to it that catches the eye. Yes, it has the darkness to the edges that I have repeated like a broken record, but it goes beyond that: Iroshizuku Shin Kai has a very pronounced dark metallic red-purple sheen! Once dry, this ink looks run of the mill at a glance, but that glint of red-purple along the edges of the writing gives one pause. This, I will say, is a most remarkable ink, with depths that invite the eye to come in, have a spot of tea and stay for the night.
This particular ink is actually rather resistant to a smudge, as one might expect of most blue-blacks. In fact it somewhat underperforms what I am used to seeing in a blue-black. It is also quite illegible on a soak, so please do not waste this beautiful lettering with a soak. However, on the whole, I really do not have the words to describe this ink. I would think it is sufficiently serious toned to warrant work use, yet it just defies classification and will definitely benefit any writing that is designed to jump out at the reader and hold them close until the coming of the dawn.
Shading – Moderate for a midnight blue, with amazing edges to the letters
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – Pronounced dark metallic red-purple
Smear Resistance – Moderate (YAY!)
Drip Resistance – Limited
Flow – Dry
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