This is a small bakery in town. One night, the owner, Riku, kneads the dough as usual, lets it rest, and then finishes work and leaves. Clatter, clatter... Suddenly, an unsettling sound echoes through the shop. A thief has slipped inside and is picking the register lock. The cream bun dough, left to rest in the refrigerator, is startled awake by the sound and bursts into tears, crying, “Waaah!” And that cry is heard by the thief... a close call!? Will the “baby buns” be able to get through this crisis...?

The Akanko Ainu Craft Cooperative, which is engaged in awareness-raising activities to promote Ainu culture, and the NPO Akan Tourism Association Town Development Promotion Organization, which works on destination development as a Japan-style regional DMO, have revamped the lineup at the Akan Lake Ainu Theater “Ikoro*1.” A new program, “Akan Yukar*2: Lost Kamuy,” which combines digital art and traditional Ainu dance, began public performances on March 19, 2019. WOW was responsible for the stage video direction and production. This program was created to introduce the traditional culture inherited by the Ainu people of Akan Lake Onsen, including their songs and dances, to the many visitors who come to the area from Japan and abroad. Creators attracting attention in fields such as photography, digital art, and sound design, including Nagi Yoshida, Kuniyuki Takahashi, UNO, WOW, and Daisuke Sakamoto (JTB Communication Design), gathered in Akan Lake. Combining traditional Ainu dance, contemporary dance, 3DCG, and 7.1-channel surround sound, they produced the new performance “Lost Kamuy,” which brought the stage to life through five projectors. In the work, a story themed on “the coexistence of the Ainu and the Ezo wolf” is dynamically brought to life through digital technology and dance, allowing audiences to fully experience the Ainu worldview, born from the songs and dances of a people who have revered nature and lived in harmony with it. In addition, the performances “Ainu Traditional Dance” and “The Iomante Fire Festival” have also been renewed, introducing Ainu culture through both traditional and innovative staging. *1 “Ikoro” means “treasure” in the Ainu language. The small “ㇿ” represents an Ainu sound. *2 “Yukar” is a word meaning “epic poem” passed down among the Ainu people.

Music video for the song (outro) by the band Portuguise I first turned the worldview of the lyrics into a script and then created storyboards