Written by By Michala Sabnani, Tom Booth Scott Clotworthy Japan

The Japanese are master animators. Their beloved anime characters walk the streets, transcend generations, and have multi-million dollar fan bases.

But while the animation industry globally is trending towards ever more advanced forms of computer generated images, in Japan hand-drawn animation is still a prized art form.

John Shiota, studio head of one of Japan's oldest animation studios, explains what makes Japanese anime so popular and unique.