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Khara's Japan Animator Expo Posts 'Gundam Key Animation' Short
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Japan Animator Expo, the project of weekly anime shorts from Hideaki Anno's Studio Khara and the media company Dwango, began streaming the full fifth short titled Yoshikazu Yasuhiko & Ichirō Itano: Collection of Key Animation Films" from Mobile Suit Gundam on Friday.
The website describes the short:
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM series are still favored by various generations [and] passed its 35th anniversary. The animators who played the core roles in the memorable first series MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM are Yoshikazu Yasuhiko [and] Ichirō Itano. We would like to leave the key animations [of] the film production to posterity to praise their achievements, which influenced not only the audience but also the current anime industry.
The site also announced this week's short is "20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station, 2 Bedrooms, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, 2mos Deposit, No Pets Allowed." Takeshi Honda (character designer on Dennō Coil, Blue Submarine No. 6, Millennium Actress) directed the short with Mahiro Maeda (Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Blue Submarine No. 6, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo), and Honda also designed the characters. The video will debut on the website on Friday, and Niconico is streaming a preview.
The website describes the story:
"20 minutes walk from Nishi Ogikubo Station, 2LDK, key money and security deposit required for 2 months, no pets allowed"
Rika woke up on the sofa in the usual room.
She feels the unusual atmosphere…
The previous four shorts in the project include Otaro Maijo and Kazuya Tsurumaki's "The Dragon Dentist," Azuma Tani's "Hill Climb Girl," a music video titled "ME!ME!ME!" featuring the musician Teddyloid (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) and rapper daoko, and Akira Honma's "Carnage."
Anno himself is serving as executive producer of the initiative with Dwango President Nobuo Kawakami, and he also designed the image character mascot "(Tor)-kun." Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki created the title logo, and fellow Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki colored it. The shorts, animated at Studio Khara, feature the voice talent of Ranma ½ and Cowboy Bebop co-stars Kouichi Yamadera and Megumi Hayashibara.
One new short will stream every week for a planned total of 30 shorts, ranging from original projects and spinoffs to promotional videos and music videos. The episodes will be streamed for free via a dedicated iOS/Android app and on the web. There are no plans for a commercial release at this stage.
