“When I ask Japanese animation creators about their motivation for producing work, many say they want to do ‘omoshiroi’ things.
Japanese animation creators’ themes and motifs, storytelling, animation techniques such as drawing and art, staff composition, production systems, music, performers, etc., are their modes of expression. Their motto is to pursue ‘omoshiroi’ at every stage of production and as a result, the Japanese animation scene is ‘a state where there is a wide variety of unique things all together.’ Japanese animation producers create a diverse range of work, for all audience groups from adults to toddlers, from boy and girl heroes to robots to unique characters and micro worlds, from traditional culture to sports to music, and from artistic expression to 3D, and recently, VR. Up until this point in time, all kinds of creations are made and accepted in Japan. Moreover, the animation scene continues to change dynamically every year.
I think that this state in which all kinds of creations are welcomed is Japanese ‘ANIMATIONISM’.”

Director OKAMOTO Mitsuko (Producer / Vice President, Tokyo University of the Arts/ Professor, Department of Animation, Postgraduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts)

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