The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) announced the studios and anime shorts chosen for the coming year's "Anime Tamago" (formerly "Anime Mirai") project on Monday. As in previous years, the anime shorts will train young animators on-the-job part of the Japanese government's Agency of Cultural Affairs' "Young Animator Training Project."

All six companies involved in the 2018 projects are new to Anime Tamago. Half of the works will be 3DCG works.



Imagica Image Works, Robot

Title: TIME DRIVER: Bokura ga Kaita Mirai (temporary title, translates to TIME DRIVER: The Future We Draw)

Director: Junichi Yamamoto (3D animator for your name.)

Producers: Akiko Isobe, Ryousuke Mamiya, Tomoya Iwasawa, Hideki Kanō

The two companies are also working together on the live-action/CG hybrid "Luna" project

Studio Nanahoshi, Usagi.Ou

Title: Engimon (temporary title) 3DCG work

Director: Kodai Sato (CGI director for Freedom, Hipira: The Little Vampire)

Producer: Kōta Yamaguchi

Tomason

Title: 12 Busters (temporary title)

Director: Shinnosuke Numata (sound director for Folktalkes from Japan, director and sound director for Furusato Meguri Nippon no Mukashi Banashi)

Producer: Tomonosuke Numata

Picona

Title: Midnight Crazy Trail (temporary title) 3DCG work

Director: Shinichi Watanabe aka "Nabeshin" (Excel Saga, The Wallflower)

Producer: Ken Yoshida

This year's selection committee consists of:

Kenji Uchida (former president of Sunrise)

Seiji Okuda (executive producer for Shochiku)

Tomoyuki Saito (producer at Dentsu)

Tadashi Sudo (anime journalist)

Masao Takiyama (president of Animax Broadcast Japan)

Mitsuru Hongo (anime director)

Hiroo Maruyama (assistant director at Mainichi Broadcasting)

Masahiko Minami (president of BONES)

As before, all the shorts will be shown next year.

The Japanese government's Agency of Cultural Affairs launched its "Young Animator Training Project" in 2010 with the aim of fostering the growth of domestic animation studios, and tackling the concern that more of the Japanese animation process is being outsourced overseas. The project has spawned such works as Little Witch Academia and Death Billiards (which inspired the Death Parade television anime). The Anime Tamago 2017 shorts all screened in theaters in Tokyo in March and April.

[Via Ota-Suke]