Season 4 2020

Yoshiki Imazu is an upcoming artist who creates music videos for popular musicians, and advertising. We look into the artistry of Imazu who expresses both the emptiness and comfort in everyday life through his animation, while explaining such uncertainties without the need for words.

Acclaimed animator Seiji O'Hara is known for telling cynical stories that have a glimmer of hope. O'Hara's works deal with the dark, complicated and universal themes of life people all around the world deal with. In this special episode, we will be broadcasting the full versions of O'Hara's "THE ANCESTOR" and "AYESHA."

Based in Kyoto Prefecture, moogabooga is a creative unit made up of married couple Makoto and Ayako Takano. Behind their theme "find creativity in everyday life," the duo has become masters at creating stop-motion animations with household items. Join us as we learn about moogabooga's creativity and how they add handmade warmth to their animations.

Based in Osaka Prefecture, Sukikara Makiko creates humanistic stories with animals as the main characters. Join us and find out the secret behind the critically acclaimed creator's creativity.

With over 50 music videos on his resume, Sugimoto Kosuke has been able to combine audio and visuals in ways not many others can. Join us and find out the secret behind his creativity and ability to create a story with just lyrics and music.

Inaba Hideki is a filmmaker, art director and animator with a unique style filled with swirling, colorful shapes. Although he can't speak any English, he collaborates with foreign artists using AI translation services. In this episode, we find out what drives Inaba's creativity as he uses the internet to expand his visual horizons.

Tsukahara Shigeyoshi is a critically-acclaimed creator who has won multiple awards, both in Japan and abroad. His stories take place in the downtown Tokyo suburbs and feature a unique, retro-futuristic animation style. Animation fans around the globe have lauded the detailed cityscapes and steampunk-scenery he puts together. In this special episode, we're broadcasting "Joseito (Schoolgirl)" and "The Man Traveling with a Picture in Relief," 2 of Tsukahara's popular works, complete with English voices.

A creator from Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan who specializes in rhythmical animation with illustrations and figures that move to music. He was commissioned by the Foundation for Ainu Culture to create an animation about the Ainu. The purpose of the foundation is to preserve the stories and myths passed down orally by the non-literate Ainu through music, language and animation. This episode explores the appeal of Ishiguro's portrayal of the Ainu culture, which has slowly been disappearing year by year.

Yashiro Takeshi mainly works as a director on live-action commercials. At 43, he began working on original stop-motion animated works. In addition to writing and directing, he also works with art, animation, puppet-modeling and more. He's a nature-loving Akita Prefecture-born creator who currently lives in Karuizawa. He aims to create textured visuals unique only to stop-motion animation.

The up-and-coming creator has made the cover art for various novels, created music videos, and put together image boards for animated shows, all while attending university. Okada has gained the attention of international animation fans because of the detailed, beautiful worlds he creates and his ability to tell a story in every single cut. Watch and find out why the animation world has high expectations for this young 20-something creator.

Coming from a live-action film background, Iwaisawa is almost entirely self-taught in animation production. He continues to move up in the animation world and separate himself from other animators through self-developed techniques. Iwaisawa specializes in rotoscope, an animation technique that is based on tracing over live-action footage. The painstaking work leads to highly detailed images that come to life in ways not seen in traditional animation. We will introduce you to the one-of-a-kind, internationally-acclaimed world of Iwaisawa Kenji.