This work was released as a collaborative music video between YOASOBI and a Naoki Prize-winning author, and is an adaptation of “Yūrei” from Hajimete no (published by Suirinsha), a novel by author Mizuki Tsujimura. Built around YOASOBI’s brisk horn sound and lyrics based on a sentimental novel, this film is an audiovisual work that greatly expands upon the song. It was produced as a fully remote, fully digital animation project, led by director Asuka Toka, producer and assistant director Shiko. The concept of the film is to express the beautiful night seen by a teenage girl. The aim was to draw viewers into the world of the story by delivering a film that consistently maintains a high level of artistry, drama, and entertainment value. To capture the delicate imagery of the lyrics, and under director Asuka Toka’s vision of bringing the whole piece closer to the delicate texture of an illustration, the characters are drawn with many special line treatments not typically used in standard animation. This became a section that strongly reflects the production theme of maximizing the creative work of Asuka Toka, an animation creator and illustrator. This work also embodies Kiko, the animation studio’s statement of pursuing the freedom inherent in animation expression and delivering a piece that will remain in the heart.

I captured as a documentary on film the events from the artist (mejifunny)’s college days. The death of a friend and a breakup with his girlfriend. I infused the direction with a sense of transience, using chaotic emotions as the theme. Through many discussions with the artist, I created this work while also processing my own past memories and experiences. ~The feelings I put into it~ My girlfriend, whom I broke up with three years ago. The days I spent with her in my student years—faint, painful, childish, yet somehow happy. I’m sure I will forget these feelings someday. But there is still a nostalgic, sad feeling somewhere inside me. During the preparation period for this work, I thought about those things as I made it. My first MV work, created in my 10th month since I started filming.

After returning to Japan, the short film “The Moment of Beauty,” released in 2014, was completed. It tells the story of a protagonist guided by light on a journey through an imagined world adorned with particles and lines. The project began from a desire to complete a single short film and, based on it, introduce the production process cultivated in Los Angeles. It was my first attempt at producing a short film that included live action, and after returning to Japan, it was brought to completion thanks to various connections. The work mainly used After Effects and Particular, with Cinema 4D used for the spatial settings and diamond fragmentation. It was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Details of the production process: Behance: The Moment of Beauty