OVERVIEW Seven selectors, all active in the industry and field of education, were put in charge of picking up-and-coming creators who are expected to usher Japanese animation into the next generation. This year, 26 creators were selected for Creators’ File 2019. These innovative individuals are constantly attempting new endeavors using their own unique methods of expression. Mitsuko OKAMOTO, General Director SELECTORS Koji YAMAMURA Animation Director / Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts Masahiko MINAMI President / Producer, Bones Inc. Masashi KAWAMURA Creative Director / CCO, Whatever Inc. Mitsuhisa ISHIKAWA CEO, Production I.G Mitsuko OKAMOTO Producer / Professor, Vice President, Tokyo University of the Arts Nobuaki DOI President and CEO, New Deer, Inc. Shinji SEYA Animator / Tezuka Production Art Direction & Design: GK Graphics Incorporated CREATORS’ FILE CREATORS’ NEW MOTION 2019: MOTION NEW Akino KONDOH Ladybirds’ Requiem 2005–2006 | Animated Short Film | 0:05:38 01 The terrifying pages of the storybook I couldn’t help but open. The Akino KONDOH recurring nightmares. The awfully bitter taste of the yellow fluid flowing Born in Chiba, Japan, in 1980, KONDOH graduated from the Graphic Design out of the joints of the ladybird’s legs. Department of Tama Art University and has The scary things from my childhood are now nostalgic memories I find been living in New York since 2008. Her work to be beautiful. Whether they took place in dreams or in reality, they all spans a variety of media, including manga remain in my memory as precious nightmares. (or comics), animation, and painting. Ladybirds’ Requiem is an animation that lets you take another peek into those recurring childhood nightmares. COMMENT The festival’s main visuals were designed by manga (comic book) artist and animator Akino KONDOH. KONDOH went to the United States through the Agency of Cultural Aairs’ study abroad program for up-and-coming artists. Now she is based in New York. Her creations enchant viewers—they include mysterious, sweet, and dreamy worlds and young women who defy society and adulthood. by Mitsuko OKAMOTO Music copyright © CHIKU Toshiaki, © Akino Kondoh, Courtesy of the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery © Akino Kondoh, © CHIKU Toshiaki, Music copyright OTHER WORKS 1. “KiyaKiya” 2010–2011 | 0:06:39 ● JMAF 16th Animation Division / Jury Selections Music copyright © John Zorn, © Akino Kondoh, Courtesy of the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery 2. “The Evening Traveling” 2001–2002 | 0:03:56 ● JMAF 6th Animation Division / Excellence Award 1 2 Music copyright © CHIKU Toshiaki, © Akino Kondoh, Courtesy of the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery Atsushi MAKINO 02 © Sony Music Associated Records / Rainbow Entertainment © Sony Music Associated Records Baloney Speaker (Sasanomaly) 2014 | Music Video | 0:04:16 Using match boxes as a motif, Baloney Speaker depicts the troubled heart Atsushi MAKINO of a young man who, in order to protect himself, cuts ties with others and Born in 1982, Atsushi MAKINO would later major in TV & Film Graphics at UMPRUM in locks himself up in his inner world. This film exhibits a fusion of numerous Prague, learning drawing and puppet tiny worlds made up of 60 match boxes, which were designed and animation. He acquired an MA in Animation produced by the director himself. Many of the designs are deliberately at the Graduate School of Film and New irrelevant to the song’s lyrics; however, Atsushi MAKINO eectively creates Media, Tokyo University of the Arts. He extraordinary moments by linking them to key lyrics throughout. Stop thrives in film and art direction, character design and illustration, freely crossing genres motion, rotoscoping, hand-drawn animation, and computer graphics between live action, artwork and animation. techniques were used. COMMENT Atsushi MAKINO is a filmmaker who creates animations with a touch of analog and a hand-made quality. He is very much in love with cras, and I'm excited to see what awaits him in the future. by Masashi KAWAMURA Baku HASHIMOTO 03 © 2017 evening tracks © 2017 evening imai / Fly feat. 79 (Kaho NAKAMURA) 2017 | Animated Short Film | 0:03:14 This is a stop-motion animation featuring three pieces of mochi. They Baku HASHIMOTO begin their little adventure around the living room table while merging Having a background in both video production and computational arts, HASHIMOTO works and transforming into dierent types of rice cakes. Other snacks join their on everything from music videos and web dance in the living room, which leads to a delightful ending. features to interactive art, conducts experiments in dierent modes of COMMENT expression, and explores diverse styles of Baku HASHIMOTO is a one-of-a-kind creator who is sensitive to the creative process, video and graphics. capable of creating not only traditional animations, but also cinematic expressions using his own originally developed tools and equipment. by Masashi KAWAMURA Daihei SHIBATA Unendurable Line / Threshold (Design Ah!) 2017 | Animated Short Film | 0:02:11 This piece captures the transition of objects as they approach their Daihei SHIBATA thresholds. The threshold is the value that acts as the boundary between Daihei SHIBATA was born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan and studied at the Chiba two states of the same object. When that value is exceeded, the object 04 University Graduate School of Science. He changes from A to B. In contrast, below the threshold, no transformations has been working at WOW since 2007 and is are observed. The piece explores the thresholds of various everyday involved with planning, directing, and objects, embellished with graphs and a chorus. producing TV programs, ads, music videos, and pieces for art museums. COMMENT Daihei SHIBATA is a filmmaker who is devoted to creating innovative works using CG. He is talented in producing ingenious work that is both simple and clean, and he deserves to be more well-known overseas. by Masashi KAWAMURA © NHK EUPHRATES + Shun ABE (Masaya ISHIKAWA) Layers Act 2018 | Animated Short Film | 0:04:49 This video was created by layering a sheet of paper and a transparent film Masaya ISHIKAWA Born in 1980. Aer gaining experience at the Keio drawn with simple patterns to give a multifaceted visual eect. Develop- University Masahiko Sato Laboratory, he joined ing the video involved research on special eect animation methods used the creative group EUPHRATES in 2006. He has before the advent of computer graphics. It was shot by moving the film worked on programs such as PythagoraSwitch, 2355, and 0655 on NHK Educational TV. manually to the AUDIO ARCHITECTURE soundtrack and the video was Shun ABE edited to optimize physiological comfort. Born in 1991. He graduated from the Department of New Media (Masahiko Sato Lab), Graduate 05 COMMENT School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of The key concept for the creative group EUPHRATES is starting from the method. They take the Arts. ABE won the Kuri Yoji Award in the competition section of the 2015 ASK? Film Festival visual, psychological, and technical approaches to create cutting edge expressions that are and the Mizue Mirai Award at the 21st Campus grounded on the principles of video-making. Their video was made by layering and Genius Awards. manually moving two transparent films drawn with patterns. by Mitsuko OKAMOTO Photo by Tsutomu Niki © EUPHRATES, 2018 © EUPHRATES, 2018 SIGHT, at 21_21 DESIGN ARCHITECTURE” “AUDIO for Exhibition created Nakamura by Yugo Lyrics Oyamada, composed by Keigo ARCHITECTURE” “AUDIO Music CORNELIUS OTHER WORKS 1. “factory of dream” 2010 | 0:02:41 ● JMAF 14th Art Division / Jury Selections © Created by Masahiko Sato + Masaya Ishikawa + Masasuke Yasumoto © 2010 NHK / EUPHRATES 2. “Mom, watch the Animation” 2015 | 0:11:36 1 2 © 2015 Shun Abe Hiroko UTSUMI 06 © Akimi Yoshida, Shogakukan/Project BANANA FISH Shogakukan/Project © Akimi Yoshida, BANANA FISH 2018 | TV Animation | 0:22:55 The timeless manga series written and illustrated by Akimi Yoshida, has Hiroko UTSUMI finally been adapted into TV animation series and is gaining popularity Animator and animation director, Hiroko UTSUMI made her directorial debut with among young anime fans. Free! and Free! —Eternal Summer—. Her In the streets of New York, Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old Adonis, is a street capacity to create detailed expressions of gang leader with extraordinary fighting skills. One night, a man shot by character emotions is highly acclaimed. one of Ash’s juniors utters the phrase “banana fish” along with an address. It was a phrase Ash had sometimes heard from his older brother Grin, who now might as well be dead. Around the same time, he meets Eiji Okumura, a young Japanese man who came to the United States as a photographer’s assistant. COMMENT Hiroko UTSUMI’s work is fresh and sexy; it has the power to draw people in. She has the ability to create eects that enhance the story’s drama factor as well as the characters’ emotions. by Masahiko MINAMI Hiroshi KOBAYASHI DRAGON PILOT—Hisone & Masotan— 2018 | TV Animation | 0:24:00 “Let’s soar into the sky together.” Hisone Amakasu is a rookie stationed at Hiroshi KOBAYASHI Japan Air Self-Defence Force Gifu Base. Tired of unintentionally hurting Debuted as an episode director for the original video animation Yozakura Quartet— others by being too honest, she chose to join the force temporarily. There, Hoshi no Umi—. Aer directing a number of she has a fated encounter that shakes her down to her very core. A dragon projects, KOBAYASHI became assistant that can disguise himself as a fighter plane is hidden in the base and director for Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. In chooses her as his pilot. Together they soar into the sky, sealing her fate as 2016, he served as director for the original an Organic Transformed Flyer (OTF) dragon pilot. With enough strength to animation Kiznaiver. move a nation, what secrets do the dragons carry?〈 NETFLIX ORIGINAL〉 07 COMMENT Not only is the work controlled throughout, but Hiroshi KOBAYASHI’s clever and experienced shot composition and rhythmical film editing are especially magnificent.