2025 Asia Digital Art Award FUKUOKA Award Winner Mitaka no Mori Animation Festa 2026, 24th Indies Animation Festa Award Winner "The Seed of Stars" One day, these words casually spoken by my daughter gently planted a seed within me. Drawn in by their tenderness and a poetic afterglow, I began to imagine stars descending into a quiet forest, and the landscapes where small creatures live. The story begins with stars drifting softly down from the night sky into the forest. There, the stars become tiny seeds on the ground, eventually sprouting and blooming into “star flowers.” The creatures living in the forest quietly keep them company, making music and watching over the flowers. I wanted to portray a serene, warm world filled with light, sound, and the slow flow of air in the night forest. For the visual production, I used Blender, which I have been using for many years. I expressed the natural elements I love—forests, stars, flowers, and small living creatures—in a simple, unadorned style, and by focusing on light, shadow, and texture, I created a landscape that seems to drift between reality and imagination. Rather than aligning the music and visuals perfectly, I aimed for a relationship in which they gently resonate with one another while remaining quietly close. The music was composed by cokiyu, a musician with whom I have long collaborated, and who has also provided music for the film Confessions (directed by Tetsuya Nakashima). In this work, her transparent vocals gently layer over delicate piano melodies suited to a forest at night. The lyrics carry the theme of this story, and each word resonates softly, as if speaking directly to the listener. The presence of the voice subtly deepens the visual atmosphere, conveying the depth of the imagery, time, and the world of "The Seed of Stars" more richly. I would be delighted if "The Seed of Stars" could quietly take root in the hearts of viewers as well, allowing free imagination and feeling to gently spread from there. This work was selected as an award-winning entry at the 2025 Asia Digital Art Award FUKUOKA and the Mitaka no Mori Animation Festa 2026, 24th Indies Animation Festa.

This video work depicts a surreal world based on the theme of “dreamscapes.” One of the characteristics of dreams is that scenes suddenly change. Strange scenes just before waking, memories connected in fragments—I visualized the experience of dreams I have had so far as a video. The tool used was Blender, which I have been using and loving for many years. Taking advantage of the free viewpoints unique to 3D animation, I created a world that exists somewhere between reality and fantasy. The music for this work is an original composition by musician no.9, who provided a song for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. The sound design, synchronized with the visuals, further enhances the sense of floating and uncertainty that dreams possess. Please enjoy this new dream experience, where sight and sound intersect.

Deep in the forest, a tiny creature gently plays music――. Each time that sound echoes through the woods, seeds sprout, plants are born, and the world comes alive with color. This work is a magical, heartwarming animation centered on the connection between music and life. It portrays the power of sound and the miracle of life born from harmony with nature. The film was created using Blender and expressed through a charming low-poly visual style. By adopting a simple yet warm design, we aimed to create an atmosphere that gently envelops viewers in the world of the story. We also paid close attention to the subtle direction of light and movement, carefully depicting the forest awakening each time the music resonates. The music is an original composition written by cokiyu, a musician known for creating many fantastical pieces and for contributing music to the film Kokuhaku, starring Takako Matsu. The delicate, dreamlike melodies breathe life into the visuals and add deeper color to the story. Please enjoy this gentle tale of magic, where a small sound can change the world.

[Concept] “Spheres of Life” is a video work that portrays the story of a sphere born from water as it undergoes a series of transformations, with its energy eventually nurturing a tree. While maintaining a constant shape, the sphere continues to change organically. Through the accumulation of these transformations, it ultimately leads to the birth of new life, and in the end, a tree begins to sprout. I visually expressed the universal process in which life is passed on through changing forms and gives rise to new beings. [Backstory] Life is in constant flux, continually connecting to the future. In this work, I depicted a sphere transforming into various forms, with every stage of that process eventually becoming an element that nurtures a tree. The themes of the cycle and chain of life, and the idea that changes in existence lead to the birth of new life, are expressed through symbolic visuals. [Method] This piece was created using Blender, the 3DCG software I have used and loved for many years, making full use of physics simulations and procedural modeling techniques. I focused on the sphere’s organic metamorphosis and the delicate depiction of the moment the tree begins to sprout, translating the dynamism and fragility of life into the video. [Music] For this work, the musician no.9, who provided music for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, composed an original piece especially for this project. Its delicate yet dynamic sound resonates with the visuals, accentuating the beauty of life’s transformation and rebirth.