Works by nim up to now.

Produced the opening video for TGS2023 × CR CUP Street Fighter 6. This event was held offline as a special main stage event at Tokyo Game Show 2023. Centering on the fist monument that symbolizes Crazy Raccoon Cup Street Fighter 6, this cinematic video was created around the theme that “one’s own pride, along with the feelings of teammates and supporting fans, is too heavy to bear alone, but only by turning that pressure into strength can one reach the top.” It tells the story that, because the first tournament drew such tremendous excitement, the memories of that moving event gave rise to the floating land in the sky. For the typography, the goal was to fuse the rawness of street culture with the formality of a grand stage. As an element of street culture, we created team tags and other tags using a graffiti technique known as tagging. In the animation, the overall look is elegant and chic, based on the design concept and the atmosphere of the typefaces used, while the tagging is given a sense of speed to serve as an accent. For the music, Trap EDM forms the foundation in order to incorporate the modern atmosphere of the game itself and its street-culture sensibilities. In the opening, fragmentary synth sounds inspired by the game’s BGM create tension, while deep reverb effects evoke a spacious environment suited to the visuals. In the scene where the floating land rains down upon the city, melodic dubstep elements are added while retaining the Trap EDM feel to express supernatural power, depicting the determination and passion of those taking on the tournament through pounding rhythms and melodies that surge violently up and down.

Created a trailer announcing the alpha test for the VR competitive action game “Brazen Blaze.” Brazen Blaze is a new VR game developed by MyDearest under the concept of “fulfilling desires that are forbidden in real life, but that you’ve always wanted to try.” This piece is structured in two parts. In the first half, the game’s world is expressed through full-cinematic 3DCG. While respecting the game’s overall image, the visuals make use of cinematic expression to create shots that heighten the viewer’s excitement. For the ambient sound, multiple layers of audio with different perceived distances were used so that changes in the subject’s distance between cuts can also be felt through hearing. Sounds for gauntlet activation and destruction effects were designed by concentrating slightly excessive peaks in volume at the height of the on-screen motion, then distorting them with distortion and delaying the signal phase with an all-pass filter, resulting in a crisp sound often heard in weapons and other effects in recent games. The short story of “a rebel protagonist destroying a stone statue that symbolizes authority” was inspired by the protagonist’s desire to become president and change the world, as well as the gameplay that allows players to smash everything on the map with their fists. To emphasize the exhilaration of the concept of “smashing things apart,” the buildup from tense cuts toward the punch scenes was especially important. In the second half, motion graphics introducing the game’s overview and the creators were combined with mockup footage. Centering on the violence where everything is decided by strength, the video was produced to convey a rough, edgy impression while also incorporating the digital feel of VR games and the sporty energy of esports. In impactful cuts, changes in tempo and dirty, distressed effects were used to depict the violent world of Brazen Blaze. The music was also crafted to feel rough and aggressive, with a Trap-based EDM sound that emphasizes heavy bass. For the segment introducing the staff involved in development, the track shifts into energetic, distorted sounds. By incorporating melodic phrases there, it reflects the ambition to make a great game, as well as the invincible superstar-like aura created by the gathering of such talented creators.

Produced the music video for V.W.P’s “Sadame” (Fate). V.W.P is a virtual artist group brought together by five cyber witches from KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO: KAF, RIM, Harusaruhi, Isekaijoucho, and Koko. Built on a narrative, cinematic 3DCG foundation, the piece incorporates typography at key moments, such as striking dialogue-driven sections and inserts. For the 3D compositing and character setup, we pursued a look that would harmonize the photorealistic background CG world with V.W.P’s characters. Based on the song’s content, we conceived it as a battle against oneself. The story unfolds through exchanges between witches in the present and the past, existing on different worldlines. In the first half, they physically confront another version of themselves; in the second half, the focus shifts to scenes where they face their own inner selves. Masks and hoods are used to distinguish the worldlines, with some scenes representing the past and others the present. Drawing from the concept of characters who exist across two worldlines, the present and the past, as well as a world where stable and collapsing states coexist, we also emphasized contrast in the composition and scenes. The logo and graphics were finished in a solid style to match the feelings of the witches resisting fate. In the logo animation, we added distorted afterimages with broken edges to express a world in collapse, while the dynamic in-and-out animation embodies V.W.P’s determination to defy fate.

Produced the opening video for the 8th Crazy Raccoon Cup Apex Legends. By reconstructing the event theme song “Kien” through both its music and visuals, the piece elevates the original work into something with greater artistic appeal. Inspired by the song’s cutting-edge, underground imagery, the video incorporates the “acid graphics” style that has recently gained attention mainly on social media. The lyrics were translated into English and Chinese, allowing typography to be presented from multiple angles using a variety of typefaces and techniques. Using the character from the previous tournament’s winning team as the protagonist, the work expresses a strong will to rise higher by freeing them from a petrified state that has robbed them of their freedom. The graphic for the chorus line “YOU ARE THE CHAMPION” is引用ed from the graphic displayed when players win in Apex Legends. The tournament maps were incorporated into the design to create a unified overall impression. *Some of the materials used in this work are protected by the trademarks and copyrights of Electronic Arts Inc.

Produced part of a promotional video accompanying the sponsorship agreement between the pro gaming team “ZETA DIVISION” and the credit card company “JCB Co., Ltd.” Within a live-action-led video work, I was responsible for the insert cuts expressed through motion graphics. Although ZETA DIVISION’s creative style is associated with being “cool and stylish,” we aimed for a refined yet warm and personable piece, placing emphasis on the “joy of shopping” depicted in the live-action sections. The three colors that symbolize JCB are expressed as beams of light: blue abstractly represents J, red represents C, and green represents B. The composition was designed so that, rather than being swallowed by the darkness of the background, the beams and colors would convey a sense of warmth. The text animation was created with the buildup in the latter half in mind, gradually increasing its impact. For the music, we gave it a light, lively finish so that color would seem to emerge from the sound, enhancing the colorful graphics. The sound effects timed to the animation were crafted to gently complement the work without disturbing the softness of the gradients, serving as a bridge between the visuals and the music.

Produced the logo animation for creative studio nim. Inspired by the keywords “simple,” “neutral,” and “mechanical,” we envisioned “a collective that can transform and adapt into any form.” Using the spaces within each letter of the word “nim” as a motif, we designed the logo with five distinctive objects transformed from rectangles. As individually independent shapes come together and can form various figures depending on the viewer’s perspective, the design conveys the idea of a collective of unique individuals. The motion in which the five quadrilaterals transform expresses nim’s flexibility. By layering a motion reminiscent of opening doors with sacred and majestic sound, we created a sense of anticipation, as if something significant were about to begin. The synth sounds, created from recordings of analog instruments, are designed to resonate with everyone’s heart.

Produced the opening video used for the 9th Crazy Raccoon Cup Apex Legends. For fans of the event, audio from the previous tournament was incorporated into the footage, creating a piece that lets viewers relive the excitement of the competition. To heighten anticipation with a movie-trailer-inspired style, narration reminiscent of a tale being passed down through history was paired with the visuals. For the typography, Gothic typeface was used for kanji and Mincho typeface for kana. A bold, ultra-thick font was chosen with the intention of powerfully conveying manga-like, message-driven words. By displaying comments posted on social media during memorable scenes, the viewers’ “words” were visualized as “cheers” and “support,” together with the voices of the players.

We produced the opening video used for the 2022 VALORANT Champions Tour Challengers Japan Stage 2 – Playoff Finals, the official tournament for the tactical FPS game VALORANT, held at Saitama Super Arena. With Japanese teams achieving success on the world stage and the first offline tournament with a live audience being held, we aimed to create a work that evokes the “dawn” of Japan’s esports scene. In addition, drawing from “time,” an important element within VALORANT, we built anticipation for the start of the event with a countdown timer modeled after the in-game UI. By using footage and audio from past tournaments in chronological order, the piece suggests that time is gradually moving toward the present. As for the sound design, because this was a shooting game filled with intense exchanges and a large-scale offline tournament realized after overcoming the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, we placed greater emphasis than usual on aggressive sounds. Since this was the deciding match to determine Japan’s representative team, we incorporated chords that evoke a sense of Japanese harmony, as well as sounds sampled from instruments of gagaku, traditional Japanese court music.

We were responsible for the rebranding of Crazy Raccoon Cup, an eSports entertainment show with one of the largest viewer bases in Japan. In particular, as the popular “Crazy Raccoon Cup Apex Legends” tournament reached its milestone 10th edition, we refreshed the logo design, on-screen design, video direction, and BGM. In line with the tournament concept of aiming for the top together through team bonds, we designed a rocket-like logo by combining the letters “C” and “R” with triangular shapes representing a team. Its form was also designed to be usable as a component of the broadcast screen and as part of transitions. The broadcast screen was designed throughout with an emphasis on being “easy to see, beautiful, and cool.” The 3DCG used throughout the background and elsewhere was inspired by “the brilliance of the top, on a scale worthy of being one of Japan’s largest,” as well as “a rainbow of seven colors,” reflecting the wide range of people from different genres taking part. The waiting BGM was crafted to build anticipation and tension like a theatrical film trailer, while the commentary and champion BGM combined a diverse range of musical styles to express the tournament’s prestige and its power to reach audiences around the world. For the sound effects in the champion sequence, we deliberately made the audio feel as if it might distort, in order to convey the exhilaration of accomplishing something truly momentous.

Created the opening video for the 10th Crazy Raccoon Cup Apex Legends. Built around the catchphrase “Until the day we meet again,” it tells the story of a new humanity that left Earth due to climate collapse and came to live in space colonies, only to reunite with the old humanity left behind on Earth after 1,000 years. The piece is presented cinematically, with CG animation inspired by movie title sequences, credits that cast the participating teams as the stars of the film, and sound design that evokes the dynamic atmosphere of a movie theater. Inspired by the world of the battle royale FPS game Apex Legends, it incorporates many unreal environmental elements such as a barren surface, red lightning and blue volcanoes, and abandoned massive artificial structures floating in outer space. The giant object is formed by combining two Apex Legends logo marks vertically, and its texture was inspired by the logo text.