Produced for the re-release of dj newtown’s early work on streaming services. Centered on the concept of what youth is, it was defined as a state in which one can pursue, to an excessive degree, a value system that leaves objective standards behind. As one example of the direction, it creates an overloaded state by excessively packing in techniques such as audiovisual synchronization, which are said to provide pleasure. To express a positive sense of resignation toward quotation and sampling, it was composed entirely of assets obtained from the Unity Asset Store.

【OPEN HUB Monoliths】 An entrance that recognizes visitors as partners in co-creation and welcomes them in. Seven life-size displays stand around the entrance space, linked to the check-in system, and project immersive visuals featuring personal graphics (OPEN HUB Personal Logo) generated from each guest’s initials, profession, and other details, welcoming them as members of OPEN HUB. The generated “OPEN HUB Personal Logo” becomes a symbol of communication that bridges the real and virtual, changing in response to online and offline activities at “OPEN HUB.” 【OPEN HUB Visualizer】 A massive display where you can experience the Smart World through data visualization. Data held by companies engaged in co-creation is collected, stored, and analyzed using the “Smart Data Platform,” then visualized on a huge LED display measuring approximately 3 m × 10 m. Through this dynamic, data-driven installation experience, it encourages the creation of new value.

“3D Giant Cat” appeared on the large curved screen at the east exit of Shinjuku Station. Designed as a landmark character, the giant cat was made to look as if it lived in the building, and this fictional urban creature, unique to Japan for its distinctive sense of humor, was also covered by overseas media. This work brought a major evolution to DOOH (digital out-of-home advertising) expression.

I was in charge of the animation for NHK Minna no Uta’s “Boku no Naka no Guitar Case” (“Me Inside the Guitar Case”). The image that came to mind was of a humble, steadfast me, living each day while carrying worries and anxieties. Turning the various thoughts and realizations that arise in everyday life into music, and that music enriching my life. I wanted to depict that adorable little life. I also felt that this song was not only for those who dream of becoming musicians, but for everyone who is pursuing different kinds of dreams. So I decided to make the animation feel like a collection of pieces from an ordinary, simple life. This time, the protagonist is me, carrying a guitar case, but I think many of you may find your own lives reflected in it as well. I hope your everyday lives will come to feel dear and precious to you. *The video shown is silent due to licensing restrictions.

We produced a brand film for ALPINE, a premium car audio brand from Japan with fans around the world. The concept is “SOUNDWARDS / Toward Better Sound.” A simple yet powerful brand message — that where the best sound resonates, the best people gather and the best spaces are created — is expressed through dynamic visuals and music. An amazing live performance, and the ultimate space created by the audience gathered there. The feeling of being drawn toward that space is portrayed through dynamic camera work, making extensive use of drones. The music is by KAITO, also known as Hiroshi Watanabe, who is internationally recognized for releases on Germany’s largest label. The video direction and DP were handled by Senzo Ueno, and the overall planning and production were done in collaboration with the creative agency Drill.

Description: We were approached by the TV Tokyo baby educational program “Shinapshu” with a request to create an animation for a song that portrays a child growing up healthily, in the manner of a role-playing game’s character development. When I listened to the music, I suggested creating it with an abstract, picture-book-like visual world, and it took its current form.

This is the promotional music video for the third original animation by Studio Nanahoshi. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we began drawing illustrations and manga of “U-Nyan,” an innocent kitten delivery worker, on Twitter in an effort to create a work that would lift viewers’ spirits and bring them comfort. Once the concept had taken shape, we created a storyboard for a short animation. To let viewers enjoy the process of the work coming together, we released it one cut at a time, then added the theme song to the completed cuts and unveiled it as a PV. Using this PV as a basis, we are currently producing a roughly six-minute main feature through crowdfunding with supporters. We aim to create an animation that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, putting our heart into portraying U-Nyan as he learns that “it may not be a big deal, but it is an important role for that person.” ＜Synopsis＞ The kitten “U-Nyan” is overjoyed to be starting his first delivery job! However, he ends up smashing the pizza to bits and trying to sneak a taste of the donuts, and things just don’t go very smoothly... The carefree, innocent U-Nyan starts to feel anxious too. The residents of the town he is delivering to can’t help worrying whether U-Nyan will make it there safely, and before they know it, they’re lending a hand and watching over his growth. This work is a heartwarming story about “the interactions between small children and the adults who watch over them.”

This work is an animation based on my past experience of confronting death for the first time, set on the Shimanami Kaido. In some regions across Japan, there is a custom called “honekami,” in which, after cremation, one eats the bones of the dead in an attempt to take them into oneself and overcome grief. Whether I wanted it or not, my family in my hometown had this custom. The first death I experienced was my father’s, but when I was made to try “honekami” as part of the ritual, I could not bring myself to chew the bones. That became a childhood trauma: an experience of being unable to face my father’s death directly, and not knowing how to accept it. Like an imaginary bone stuck in my throat, it could not be put into words, nor could it be forgotten. More than ten years have passed since I left my small, distant hometown at the age of 15. Fireworks storage buildings still remain along the island’s coast. The fact that there were fireworks magazines, rather than air-raid shelters, in my neighborhood made me feel that death and merciless violence existed for me not as something to be endured, but as something to be inflicted. When I think about these things as an adult, I came to link my father’s bones with the fire in the fireworks magazine, and decided to face “honekami” once again. The island’s landscape and sea are full of life, and within their calmness there is an unchanging severity. The shadows of the dead still exist in the same space and time, both now and in the past. Through this project, by blurring the boundary between life and death, I sought to create a confrontation with the bones I could not chew. The visual concept of this project was to merge natural landscapes with childhood memories, and to visually bring memories to life through the accumulation of dots. For this reason, I used colored pens to layer pointillist dots on paper, then filmed the paper under a camera while placing it over transmitted light. In doing so, I hoped to entrust the haziness of memory and the emotions of childhood to the technique as particles of colored light.

I was in charge of the animation for the September song on the baby program “Sina Pushu” (TV Tokyo).