Saori Watanabe, a stop-motion animation artist, directed and wrote the screenplay for the Idemitsu Kosan 105th Anniversary Special Movie, “Papercraft Movie The History of IDEMITSU,” which is now available. Idemitsu Kosan is a leading Japanese energy company founded in the Meiji era. The released movie is a stop-motion animation that depicts, in papercraft, the history of Idemitsu Kosan—which continued to take on various hardships—and Japan, which achieved remarkable growth in the postwar period. All of the objects that appear are made entirely of paper. We created a film with a flat yet deeply dimensional look. It is a painstaking work shot over 18 days, with thick craft paper cut out by laser cutter and replaced frame by frame, while the camera work, as well as the position and distance of the craft paper, were adjusted little by little. The sunrise scene, a major centerpiece of this work, was also animated by gradually moving the actual sun (lighting) little by little. Please also pay attention to the atmospheric music and sound effects. A making-of movie offering a glimpse into the filming process and papercraft production is also now available. Please take a look as well↓ “The Making of History [Idemitsu Kosan]” vimeo.com/199440756

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I was in charge of directing and producing the “NARUTOP 99” promotional video.

Two girls who love sleeping. A dream world that combines “Sleeping Beauty” and “Sailor Moon.” It’s okay for a girl to meet another girl and go on a trip to the moon, instead of a prince. A spell to bring me to meet you.