Young Animator Training Project

The Young Animator Training Project (若手アニメーター育成プロジェクト Wakate Animētā Ikusei Purojekuto) is an annual project launched in 2010, and funded by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs in order to support training animators. The project culminates in a series of anime shorts produced by various animation studios each year called:

• Project A, released in 2011
• Anime Mirai (アニメミライ, lit. "Anime Future"), released in 2012–2015
• Anime Tamago (あにめたまご, lit. "Anime Egg"), released since 2016

History

The project was launched by Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) in 2010. The animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (about US$2.27 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios to train young animators on-the-job during the year. One of the reasons for the support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs is the concern that more of the Japanese animation process is being outsourced overseas—thus leading to a decline in opportunities to teach animation techniques within Japan. In 2011 the Agency once again provided funding for JAniCA to select more young training projects under the same budgets.^[1][2][3][4]

In April 2014, JAniCA announced that they are no longer running the initiative. Later it was announced that The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) will run the project.^[5]

Animations

The following animations were created out of the funding provided by the Young Animator Training Project. Animation studios bid for funding, and each year, four studios are selected to produce short films. All short films air in theaters each year in March.

Project A

The following shorts were produced in 2010.^[6][7]

• Kizuna Ichigeki (キズナ一撃, lit. Bond Strike) - Ascension
• Ojii-san no Ranpu (おぢいさんのランプ, lit. The Old Man's Lamp) - Telecom Animation Film
• Bannō Yasai Ninninman (万能野菜 ニンニンマン, lit. Versatile Vegetable Nininman) - P.A.Works
• Tansu Warashi. (たんすわらし。, lit. Wardrobe Dwellers) - Production I.G

Anime Mirai 2012

The following shorts were produced in 2011.^[8][9]

• BUTA - Telecom Animation Film
• Wasurenagumo (わすれなぐも, lit. Little Spider Girl) - Production I.G
• Shiranpuri (しらんぷり, lit. Minding My Own Business) - Shirogumi
• Pukapuka Juju (ぷかぷかジュジュ, lit. Dudu the Floatie) - Answer Studio

Anime Mirai 2013

The following shorts were produced in 2012.^[10][11][12]

• Ryo (龍 -RYO-) - Gonzo
• Little Witch Academia (リトル ウィッチ アカデミア Ritoru Witchi Akademia) - Trigger
• Aruvu Rezuru - Kikaijikake no Yōsei-tachi (アルヴ・レズル -機械仕掛けの妖精たち-, lit. Alv Rezul - Mechanical Fairies) - Zexcs
• Death Billiards (デス・ビリヤード Desu Biriyādo) - Madhouse

Aruvu Rezuru replaced an intended short, TV Kazoku Channel Jacker, that was to be produced by Pierrot.

Anime Mirai 2014

The following shorts were produced in 2013.^[13][14]

• Harmonie (アルモニ Arumoni) - Ultra Super Pictures
• Ōkii Ichinensei to Chiisana Ninensei (大きい一年生と小さな二年生, lit. The Big First Year Student and the Little Second Year Student) - A-1 Pictures
• Paroru no Miraijima (パロルの未来島, lit. Parol's Future Island) - Shin-Ei Animation
• Kuro no Sumika -Chronus- (黒の栖-クロノス- lit. Black Nest -Chronus-) - Studio 4°C^[15]

Anime Mirai 2015

The following shorts were produced in 2014.^[16][17]

• Aki no Kanade (アキの奏で, lit. Aki's Rhythm) - J.C.Staff
• Robotto Kāsan (ロボットかあさん, lit. Robot Mother) - SynergySP
• Ongaku Shōjo (音楽少女, lit. Music Girl) - Studio Deen
• Kumi to Chūrippu (クミとチューリップ, lit. Kumi and Tulips) - Tezuka Productions

Anime Tamago 2016

The following shorts were produced in 2015. This is the first year after The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) took over this project and renamed it to Anime Tamago.^[18][19]

• Colorful Ninja Iromaki (カラフル忍者いろまき Karafuru Ninja Iromaki) - Signal.MD
• UTOPA - Studio 4°C
• Kacchikenee! (かっちけねぇ!) - Tezuka Productions
• Kaze no Matasaburō (風の又三郎) - Buemon

References

1. "Janica" (PDF). c. 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
2. "TOPICS：日本アニメーター・演出協会（JAniCA）". www.janica.jp. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
3. "Japan to Spend 214.5 Million Yen to Train Animators" Anime News Network. 04 May 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
4. "4 Anime Selected for 2011 Young Animator Training Project". Anime News Network. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
5. Green, Scott (23 June 2014). "Anime Mirai Accepting Proposals Through June 27th". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
6. A, PROJECT. "若手アニメーター育成プロジェクト PROJECT A". animemirai.jp. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
7. "4 Anime Selected for Young Animator Training Project". Anime News Network. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
8. "アニメミライ［ animemirai ］". animemirai.jp. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
9. "4 Anime Selected for 2011 Young Animator Training Project". Anime News Network. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
10. "アニメミライ［ animemirai ］". アニメミライ［ animemirai ］. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
11. "Gonzo, Trigger, Pierrot, Madhouse Make Anime Mirai 2013". Anime News Network. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
12. "ZEXCS's 'Aruvu Rezuru' Replaces Pierrot Short in Anime Mirai". Anime News Network. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
13. "アニメミライ［ animemirai ］". animemirai.jp. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
14. "Ultra Super Pictures, A-1, Shinei, Studio 4°C Make Anime Mirai 2014". Anime News Network. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
15. "anifav.com - anifav Resources and Information.". anifav.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
16. "アニメミライ［ animemirai ］". animemirai.jp. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
17. "Anime Mirai Announces Projects for 2015". Anime News Network. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
18. "作品紹介". AnimeTamago. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
19. "Anime Mirai Returns as Anime Tamago, Announces 2016 Projects". Anime News Network. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2016.

External links

• Project A official website (Japanese)
• Anime Mirai official website (Japanese)
• Anime Tamago official website (Japanese)