AniReal 120 applies the heaviest lift, past the reference model's own level (alpha = 1.20) on an anime base: maximum rendering depth, pores and micro-contrast included.
[Recipe] Add-difference merge on UNet only: Nova Anime XL v19 + 1.20 x (Nova Reality XL IL v9.0 - PerfectDeliberate v10). VAE and text encoders are inherited from Nova Anime. Illustrious-family checkpoint, fp16 safetensors, no baked LoRA.
[Why this direction] Plain averaging between an anime and a realistic checkpoint lands in mushy 2.5D. Taking the realism difference (Nova Reality minus PerfectDeliberate) and adding it to the anime base keeps the anime drawing and proportions intact while injecting photographic skin, light falloff and micro-contrast. The four rungs stay visibly apart instead of collapsing into one look.
[Series] AniReal IL: 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 on the same anime base, one direction only - realism.
[Recommended settings] Euler a, 24-28 steps, CFG 5.0-5.5, 832x1216. Hires fix above 1.25x helps skin detail.
[Known limitations] At alpha 1.20 skin texture and contrast are pushed hard, so drop CFG or step back to 90 if results look over-crisp. Hands still need the usual care; two-person prompts often collapse to one subject. Illustrious-family only.
[Parents and license] Nova Anime XL v19: https://civitai.com/models/376130 ; Nova Reality XL IL v9.0: https://civitai.com/models/453428 ; PerfectDeliberate v10 (difference donor): https://civitai.com/models/24350 . All three permit derivatives and generation services (Rent). Selling this checkpoint or its merges is not granted by the parents. Parent credit retained.