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Sunrise to Launch Animator Training Program in April 2018

Animation studio Sunrise revealed on June 1 that it will establish an animator training program named "Sunrise Sakuga Juku" (Sunrise Animation School) beginning in April 2018, and running until March 2019. The new program is a revival of the company's "Wakagi Juku" hands-on animation program, which ran from 2005 to 2011.

Trainees under the program will receive one-year hands-on animation training to develop basic skills. After the one-year training, the program will prepare trainees to work as animators for Sunrise. Hiroshi Koujina (Grenadier, Hunter × Hunter) is in charge of the program. The program's lecturers will include actual Sunrise animators and line directors.

The program is aiming to have trainees receive a monthly living expense of 100,000 yen (about US$900), and to have the program cost no tuition fee.

Trainees will undergo training every weekday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the duration of the program. The program is accepting applicants between 18-25 years old, or high school students who will graduate by March 2018. The program also accepts foreign applicants, but stresses that conversational-level Japanese language skill is required. The program is aiming to accept around 10 trainees.

The deadline for application is July 25. Sunrise will screen the applicants, and will evaluate their skills and conduct interviews. The studio will notify the applicants in late August whether or not they were accepted.

Source: Anime! Anime! Biz (Katsunori Takahashi)