About this season
Meet the real stars of Japanese animation. From crayons to CGI, discover the techniques and inspirations of some of Japan's most amazing animators.
Episodes (11)
1. Building Magical Worlds Through Stop-Motion Animation
Aired 22 January 2022 • 15 min
Hosokawa Shin is an up-and-coming creator known for his meticulous stop-motion animation. Realistic sets and puppets crafted with originality come together to form Hosokawa's critically-acclaimed worldview.
2. Pursuing the Potential of Hand-Drawn Animation
Aired 29 January 2022 • 15 min
Eugene is a creator known for his detailed imagery and smooth animation style, using colors and unique characters to give his works a strange, otherworldly feel.
3. A New Generation Artist with a Strange, Addictive Realism
Aired 19 February 2022 • 15 min
Oda Amane is an up-and-coming creator gaining attention for the realistic yet unique feel she gives her works. She builds intoxicating characters to look at and strange, fantastic settings.
4. An Up-And-Coming Female Creator Exciting the World
Aired 26 February 2022 • 15 min
Since winning the Grand Prize for Short Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, one of the world's 4 most significant animation events, Yano Honami has been a creator to watch out for. The way she implements new techniques in each work instead of focusing on 1 singular style has garnered critical acclaim worldwide.
5. An Epic Work of 13 Years
Aired 20 March 2022 • 28 min
Spirited creator Hosokawa Shin spent 13 long years creating the stop-motion animation "DINO!" all on his own. The 24-minute-long work tells a treasure-hunting tale in the jungle with a young boy and his partner, a boat-shaped crocodile named Dino. "DINO!" comes to life through intricately detailed and stunning backgrounds with charming characters. In this special episode, we're showing the full version of Hosokawa's masterpiece for the first time on TV.
6. Welcome to My Monster World
Aired 26 March 2022 • 15 min
Uekusa Wataru is a creator known for his cute characters and mysterious worlds, as well as his ability to synchronize music and images in fast-paced visuals.
7. Create a Magical Garden
Aired 30 April 2022 • 15 min
Ryo-timo is a creator pursuing new animation methods by combining 2D art and 3DCG. He creates magical worlds that have both a hand-drawn and 3D feel.
8. Animation That Makes Kids Crazy
Aired 25 June 2022 • 15 min
Morishita Yusuke is a popular creator known for his animated works for children. Greatly influenced by American cartoon animation, Morishita specializes in simple and friendly character designs.
9. Charming Motion Animation
Aired 30 July 2022 • 15 min
Ishidate Namiko is a young creator known for works with unique stories based on real-life experiences. Her specialty is hand-drawn animation that flows with tenderness.
10. Representing Human History
Aired 24 September 2022 • 15 min
Sakai Osamu is a creator who incorporates complex historical and scientific information into easy-to-understand works of art. He employs a variety of expressive techniques that change with each theme.
11. Retro Nostalgic Animation
Aired 29 October 2022 • 15 min
Tasoyamaro is a creator from the new generation known that makes super short animations made for smartphones. Fans gravitate to her ability to create comforting imagery that feels both cute and nostalgic.