Under a program funded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, experienced animators worked with novice candidates to show them the ropes for "key animation," a crucial element of anime production. The results of their efforts were shown in a collection of short anime clips screened in theaters in eight cities around Japan earlier this month. Key frames, which define pivotal points of motion in a work, are at the core of artistic expression in animation.
But outsourcing of production processes to overseas countries could weaken the Japan anime industry's ability to produce such crucial work, industry officials said. The animators who participated in the "Young Animators Fostering Project 2010" said they found it useful to collaborate with veteran animators.$HOME4
The agency provided 38 million yen ($461,400) in subsidies to production companies for each short, on the condition that at least five young animators in Japan would work on the key frames. The project was worth roughly 210 million yen ($2.6 million), including screening and other expenses.
Japan's animation industry is facing a crisis. Outsourcing of the production of in-between frames, painting and other processes to foreign countries with cheap labor costs is accelerating. Japanese anime studios are finding it harder to cultivate the next generation of animators.
"Anime production is labor-intensive work. Production budgets have been slashed because of the economic slump, and young workers on the margins are bearing hard burdens," Hisako Sasaki, head of anime studio Wish, said. The company provides finishing touches and supervises animation frame production.
"Young workers have fewer chances to accumulate experience and improve their skills," she added.
Under the program, young animators worked on key animation frames under the guidance of veteran animators.
Akihiko Sano, 25, said he was advised to try making exactly the same movements as the character he was attempting to draw in his story. So, before drawing a scene of a character frying "tonkatsu," he made the Japanese-style pork cutlets at home himself.
The process made him realize how unrealistic his previous drawings were. "I can't find this kind of meticulous advice in my routine work. It gave me a chance to go back to the basics again," Sano said. Another participant, Hikaru Suzuki, 26, said he learned how to draw basic movements that appeared more natural.
"If I can't draw innate movements well, I can't convey a character's emotions," he said. "I feel like I have acquired a handbook for my work."The four short anime can be equally enjoyed by children and adults.
Child protagonists are featured in the chop-socky anime "Kizuna Ichigeki" (Kizuna's Blow) and "Banno Yasai: Ninnin-man" (All-around Vegetable: Ninnin-man), a short anime that features carrot and green pepper monsters.
"Ojiisan no Ranpu" (Grandfather's Lamp) is about a young man who makes a career as a lamp seller in the Meiji Era (1868-1912) during Japan's push for rapid Westernization.
"Tansu Warashi" (Drawer Hobs") is about a single woman who discovers that goblins are living in a "tansu" chest of drawers in her house. Anime critic Ryusuke Hikawa gave high marks to the four anime shorts, describing the technological standards and final results as outstanding. "These works are rich in context, breathing life into the characters and their emotions directly," Hikawa said.
However, he had a few suggestions for future works produced under the program. "Overall, these films were somewhat subdued, and that may be because they were state-funded. If some were a bit wilder and aimed at commercial success, it would be better," Hikawa said. "What is important is to continue supporting the program until young artists hone their skills and come up with their own projects," he added.