Kyoto Animation’s rebuilding process is allowing the most self-sufficient anime studio to foster in-house production in new ways, all while raising new generations of storytellers in animation—and Tsurune: The Linking Shot is a perfect example of it.
The Fall 2021 anime season is frontloaded with a few truly exceptional creative efforts, then chockful of titles with interesting teams having to brawl with this industry’s circumstances. Let’s dive deep into a season that, for the good and the bad, is very representative of anime’s current state.
KyoAni’s most renowned director Naoko Yamada left the studio she had dedicated her entire career to and is now directing Heike Monogatari at Science Saru—a studio in the midst of labor and creative turmoil. So, what does that mean for all the involved parties?
Wonder Egg Priority is a truly unique show, an effort by an up-and-coming star to repurpose the creative language of one of anime’s greatest directors in a way that fits his own circumstances. Grasping its context only makes its quality even clearer.
It’s time to examine Kyoto Animation’s present and future with an interview featuring their current creative leader and the up-and-coming star who looks up to her! Naoko Yamada and Haruka Fujita speak frankly about their beginning at KyoAni, what’s it like for people who aren’t good at communicating verbally to direct anime (a job that’s all about conveying information to staff and viewers!), the role of music in anime, and more.
One year after the devastating arson attack on Kyoto Animation, we’ve decided to share a series of articles shedding light on what makes them such a unique existence in the anime industry. For starters, here’s a roundtable talk from 2017 featuring many of their series directors, where they have lighthearted yet in-depth discussions about their creative methods and mindset, but especially about the attitude they feel you need to be a proper anime project leader.
If you’re in the mood for obsessively precise character acting, we’re here to offer the translation of a long roundtable with A Silent Voice’s director Naoko Yamada and some of the individuals who commanded the movie’s animation production, where they reveal many details about its making.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya was released 10 years ago today, on February 6, 2010. A decade later and despite the tragic losses, its legacy at Kyoto Animation and the industry altogether still endures.
Three years after its original premiere, we’re revisiting Koe no Katachi / A Silent Voice to talk not just about the movie’s triumphs when it comes to nonverbal communication, but also the immense struggle that many animators face to create the illusion of tactility.
Today we’ll look at the career of Noburo Ofuji, an anime pioneer who advanced Japanese animation for as long as he lived, and then had that spirit live on through Japan’s oldest and most prestigious animation award. Be it commercial animation or indie works, Ofuji’s vision has endured to keep on awarding anime’s most innovative works!