itoso

I not in disagreement with their statements to be sure. It may just be the older generation vs the younger generation type debate, but the target for most animation nowadays stands with the adult demographic and the animes themselves are made to be very easily understood.

That is the fate of what it takes to make animation as a product to sell rather than a work of art to be appreciated.

I agree that there are far too many animes that are there just to make money and have nothing to say about the state of the world we live in today. There is no message. Directors, I believe should be using their work to make a statement. That is why I believe in crowdfunding. That is really the only place that a creator can be completely independent.

The biggest challenge is having to do everything yourself. On a more traditional project I only had to worry about the anime production itself. With a Kickstarter you have to be not only the animation studio, but also the whole production company,　which means doing the physical product manufacturing and all that is included with that.

I actually backed an animation project before I did Santa Company. When the disc arrived, the box it came in was rather bland and I must say I was a bit disappointed. I did not want my project to end up the same way, so I decided for Santa Company I would splurge on the packaging, to actually make it feel like you were getting a Christmas present. It was a lot of work, but there was a sense of satisfaction that came with it as well.

Yeah, I have been following along and really enjoying Shirobako. It is the realest anime I have seen in a while, because all the people in there are based off of real people. The former president of Madhouse, Maruyama-san whom I had the pleasure of working for, is the president of the studio in the anime, so I get a kick out watching it. The real Maruyama-san also is a big foodie and loves to cook!

Well, I am working on that! Let's see how good I get!

Since I was born in Hiroshima, that would be number one! A close number two would be Kyoto for its temples and beautiful scenery.

That's great! I heard they cutting down on their staff. What does she do?

I got into the business when I did an audition for assistant director with Mr. Miyazaki.

Things that have helped out? Animation to me about the pictures (a picture is worth a 1000 words.) I can get my message across without the use of language. That has been particularly helpful as I have been trying to bring my work abroad. The pictures speak for themselves, while I myself can only speak Japanese.

I really wouldn't have done anything differently. I am happy where I ended up and am excited about what the future holds.