Studio 4°C, Public Arts, Picona, Gorilla, Ekura Animal Launch Kickstarter Campaigns for New Anime

JETRO (the Japan External Trade Organization) announced on Thursday that it will collaborate with animation studios Studio 4°C, Public Arts, Picona Creative Studio, Gorilla, and Ekura Animal to launch Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns to produce their new anime projects. Studio 4°C has not yet revealed the details of its planned film project.

Public Arts' original anime project is titled The Last Diviner Hana. Hiroki Taniguchi is in charge of the project. JETRO describes the story:

Hana, the Last Diviner is an original anime project follow the story of Hana, a young “onmyoji” living at the end of the Edo Period (during the 1860's). This was a time of turmoil in Japan, as the feudal shogunate government was losing its authority as opponents fought for reinstatement of Imperial rule. In old Japan, Onmyoji were a special class of diviners who worked for the Emperor and were said to possess magical powers to ward off evil spirits.

The company further states that "Taniguchi studied with a professor of history at Kyoto Women's University as he wrote the script."

Picona's "cell-look 3DCG" anime project is titled Samurai Pirates. The television series is based on an original concept by Ken Yoshida (Chō Soku Henkei Gyrozetter, Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Dinosaur 2006), who is the the creative producer for the project. JETRO describes the anime series aimed at children:

The story follows a girl named Enne, a popular singer on the island of Takarajima who, through a strange turn of events, receives a pirate eyepatch bestowed with magical powers from a spirit called an “ometsuke” and is entrusted with the mission of purifying the hearts of people who have been transformed into evil beings called “oni.” Enne sets out on this quest together with 4 of her friends, forming a group called the "Samurai Pirates."

Instead of fighting with weapons, the Samurai Pirates use song and dance to purify the hearts of the oni they confront along their journey. The show is fun and filled with music, color, and action, but is suitable for kids of all ages as there is no violence or inappropriate content of any kind.

Gorilla's 26-episode animated anthology project is titled The Top Loft. The company's CEO Noko Yukawa is in charge of the project. The project, described as a "moving picture book," will have episodes that are each 5-7 minutes long. JETRO describes the anime series aimed at preschool-aged children:

The story will follow the adventures of 3 young children who accidentally wander into a mysterious universe filled with friendly "kaiju" (monsters). The main characters Tatta, Tette and Totto each have a unique and realistic personality—flaws and all—so a child watching the show will naturally be able to relate to and feel an affinity towards their favorite character. Although the story takes place in a fantasy world, the challenges that the children solve each episode are based on real-life scenarios that will teach kids viewing the show important and relatable life lessons. It will be a fun and valuable work that Yukawa and her team hope will stay with kids who watch it as they grow up and face challenges in their own lives.

Ekura Animal's animated project is titled Heike Monogatari Emaki. The studio will animate the project in an experimental art style that utilizes papercut artwork combined with music and voice acting. JETRO describes the project's narrative as "the true story of the rise and fall of the Heike Clan."

The studio has contributed to anime such as Sword Art Online, Tokyo Ghoul, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

Sources: Tsunagu Japan, JETRO Executive Naofumi Makino's LinkedIn account via @WTK