From The First Slam Dunk to ELECEED: DandeLion Animation Studio CEO Kazuhiro Nishikawa

DandeLion Studios has been around for almost 20 years. You may know them as the production company responsible for the critically acclaimed movie The First Slam Dunk or the Oscar-nominated film Magic Candies. The studio's CEO, Kazuhiro Nishikawa, was present at Anime Expo, and he took the time to speak about his passion for the medium, as well as share some history that laid the foundation for the studio's creative process. He also shared some insight into the studio's upcoming anime adaptation of the webtoon ELECEED, set to release sometime in 2026.

First off, happy 18th anniversary to DandeLion Studios! Can you share the journey of how the studio first formed with just five members and expanded to over 100 members?

Kazuhiro Nishikawa: After I left Toei Animation, there were only five of us, including me. But then directors, animators, and technical people started coming in one by one, year after year. Approximately five to six people were added per project. That's how we added so many people over time.

What led you to leave Toei to found your own studio?

NISHIKAWA: The reason I left Toei Animation about twenty years ago was that, at that time, CG was used in a similar way to visual effects. CG was used in movie scenes for groups of people or background scenes. However, I had other ambitions to create characters and explore more creative possibilities with CG animation. I left Toei to pursue those ambitions.

I see. What was it like to take the next step from assisting other studios on their projects to producing the studio's own feature-length films?

NISHIKAWA: We actually started by creating the 2D visuals for some projects. Then, as the project progressed, more requests came in. People began using our techniques and drawing on our experience, which led to us being called in for more projects. First, we had requests from 2D production companies. It was partial CG work in animation. But later on, we started getting direct requests from production committee company members for more CG work. We had the opportunity to create more characters on screen. So, for example, like band members or characters dancing. Those are the characteristics that we really became good at.

You're talking about fine-tuning specific techniques and different character movements? What project would you say incorporated all of these techniques together?

The First Slam Dunk is a notable example because that's the reason I established the company: to utilize CG to make the movie. It took more than 10 years before the timing finally came for us to make a film. Our challenge was whether we could create a film using CG in a way that would truly resonate with the audience. We spent about seven years making that film, and having that kind of opportunity to take our time and create something carefully was quite rare. So, for us, it's a very groundbreaking and notable project for our company.

The other notable project that I recall is Magic Candies. It's a short film, yet it was nominated for an Oscar. And it's not as if we intended to win the Oscar. The Academy just called us, and we were surprised but also very happy to have been nominated. That actually made us realize that our work was being recognized not only in Asia but also in other countries, such as the U.S. and Europe. We like having that determination to we should keep doing what we're doing. That's how we perceived this project as groundbreaking.

Because those two films have very distinct styles, not just compared to other anime films but also compared to each other, how do you settle on the style of a film that you're making?

During the pre-production stage, we discuss among the staff what kind of style we should adopt. We ask the director how we should proceed, create a plan, and discuss how to move in that direction. We then use that as a basis to develop new technologies and carry out test productions.That's how we take the time to make a decision. So it depends on the title, what kind of worldview, or what kind of characters we're playing with. What I really want to set as a goal is how the audience will realistically perceive the character. So that's how we make the more important decisions about the finer details.

When I was researching, I saw that one of the studio's mottos is that you want to provide “a gift to children around the world.” What do you think makes the ideal children's anime?

What I meant about the kids or children around the world, I also meant teenagers and grown-ups who still have the imagination of a child. When we talk about a child's mind, it's about curiosity or how to enjoy things. We would like to produce and present projects to kids around the world that keep them in mind. We want to leave them something memorable or to inspire them to change their values. That's something that we'd like to aim for, so that's the motto, I think.

Now, about your upcoming project, which is based on the Korean webtoon ELECEED. What can you tell us about this production? I understand it will also have some unique visual techniques. Would you mind elaborating on the look, feel, and production of this project?

As I mentioned earlier, the production and appearance of a project vary. The First Slam Dunk and Magic Candies have a firm separation between their hand-drawn parts and CG parts. But for ELECEED, we would like to actively produce a hybrid of these visual styles.

You're talking about doing a 2D-CGI hybrid?

Yes, but it goes further than that. First, there's no drawn storyboard. The scenes are visually set up using CG. This way, we can keep changing the camera angle. We do this for the whole story. Then we start drawing over the CG. That's the unique part about this anime. When the news was released that DandeLion is the production studio, everyone said it was going to be like CG animation. I fully understand this reaction, but actually, it is not just going to be CG animation. It's going to be like a fully mixed 3D experience with 2D character animation. However, we utilize 3D CGI for the background techniques, while the characters can move more fluidly thanks to that CG base. We don't have to start from scratch; we'll always have a basis for where the characters are and what angle we want to show them from. So it's a very unique hybrid animation.

So, to confirm my understanding, you're creating the storyboard and laying out the scenes using CGI to capture the movement and scene transitions. That ultimately becomes the basis for the 2D animation. I assume that's not typically done compared to most other anime productions.

It's far more expressive than what's usually done. You could say it's similar to what some people do with mocap, where they will draw over realistic imagery, but we're just replacing the realistic imagery with CG models and scenery.

Could you provide an example of some of the things you can accomplish with this type of technique? Like, something to look forward to in terms of what this type of production can do that you can't really find elsewhere?

This approach means we won't have to worry about in-between frames. It'll all be one smooth, fluid moment. Then we can edit or cut the scenes afterwards. We can experiment during the production instead of needing to visualize everything from the beginning. Usually, once we set the storyboard, we cannot change it.

That's fascinating, because I do know that when going for 3D, you're allowed freedom with camera movement and other elements. Okay, that's interesting. I'm very curious what that would look like. What specifically made you pick this webtoon to work on and apply these techniques to?

When I was first introduced to this webtoon, I resonated with the characters. Sometimes, there are anime where I don't understand why the characters are fighting. But in this story, I could understand why those characters needed to battle. So that makes me feel like I can resonate with each character's feelings. Describing the subtle nuance of the characters is the key. That's what I thought. That will make the action seem more interesting when animated. That's why I chose this webtoon.

Is there a particular character that appeals to you the most from the series?

Kayden!

The cat? May I ask why?

Sometimes it's cute. So that's why I like it. But there is a gap. I enjoyed the character, and Kayden himself changes his character after becoming a cat. That's the difference after he became a fat cat, and then he communicates with Jiwoo, and then his character changes through the cat's character. That's something that I really enjoy.

Any final thoughts you would like to leave with fans, or any final message for your upcoming new series?

Please look forward to ELECEED! I think we did a good job highlighting the importance of the world, the setting, and the worldviews of the characters.

Thank you so much.

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2025 is sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!