Japan’s first national facility dedicated to sharing the history and culture of the Ainu people, Upopoy, opened in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Sunday, July 12, 2020. It consists of a folk museum, an interactive field museum, and an Ainu coexistence park, and has drawn attention as a base for reviving and developing the fading Ainu culture. What JKD was in charge of this time was the highlight of Upopoy’s nighttime program starting on Saturday, July 18, 2020: a large-scale show combining projection mapping and lighting. It depicts the Ainu creation myth through a delicate yet dynamic hand-drawn full animation running for just under 14 minutes, synchronized with soul-stirring music and sound design. The visual work is projected mainly onto the walls of the dome-shaped Experience Exchange Hall, as well as the surrounding hills, river, and statues. Lighting placed throughout the vast grounds is tightly synchronized with the music and mapped visuals, creating a mystical spatial experience that draws viewers into the story. Among the audiovisual works JKD has produced so far, this is one of the top three. The music is by OKI, a musician internationally acclaimed for his work with the OKI Dub Ainu Band, and Kuniyuki Takahashi, also based in Sapporo and known worldwide for his activities. To pursue truly authentic expression, the four animators, Ryoji Yamada, Hana Ono, Yutaro Kubo, and Tatsuhiro Ariyoshi, took part in this serious collaboration. The opening and ending motion was handled by Shotaro Tomiyama and Ko Kudo of the JKD visual team, and the overall visual direction was by Shane Lester. The story unfolds through the Ainu creation myth in a vast site facing a beautiful lake. We believe we were able to create an experience that draws viewers in. If you ever have the chance to visit Hokkaido, please be sure to see it.

Third Trial MV for the viewer participation music project “MILGRAM.” The tense relationships and emotional states among the students are woven together in nostalgic-toned animation.

Flash animation × Synchro Vox — an anime packed with ad-libbed improvisation. We composited live-action footage of Chocolate Planet’s mouths onto the characters’ mouths to create animated characters. We had wanted to make a work using Synchro Vox for some time, so I think this approach worked out well. [Story] The little goblins “Pīchiki” and “Pāchiki” come from Herupipota Town. They chatter away so much that, for some reason, only their mouths have turned out like this. Why not take a peek at the slightly unusual everyday lives of these goblins as they chat about all sorts of things? A brand-new character with only the “mouth” performed by Chocolate Planet, rendered in live action. Their appearance is a little... unusual, but once you get used to them, they’re cute!? A new-style “narekawa” anime! This work uses the limited animation (Synchro Vox) technique. It employs a method in which live-action footage of Chocolate Planet’s mouths, who provide the voices, is composited onto the characters’ mouths. →https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/リミテッド・アニメーション Improvised performances by popular comedians, including Chocolate Planet, have also drawn attention. In addition to the anime, the work has also been shown as manner movies in Aeon Cinema and Yoshimoto Kogyo theaters.