Yoshimi Yamagata Aoyagi

August Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. This is Watanabe.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for August.

Recently, the heat’s been waking me up in the morning. The closer it gets to noon the hotter it becomes, so I try and get to the studio as fast as possible. The studio is air conditioned which has been a live saver. My electricity bill’s gone up, so I’m really trying to cut back on the AC though…that is, as much as I can without getting heatstroke.

I’ve seen a lot of people walking around with a kind of fan(?) strapped arou...

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Early Access : Episode 22 - Those I've Met at the Animator Dormitory (English Dub)

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July Dormitory Diary Entry - Aoki

Thank you for your support, this is Aoki Yuto with my dormitory diary update for the beginning of July.

I went to the House of Councillors election for the first time the other day. I’ve always been indifferent to politics and the economy, but I decided to go vote due to recent uncertainties in today's climate.

As for my work, my studio held a social gathering for the animation department. It was cool learning about the lives and backgrounds of our animation directors. One of them was an animator on a show that I used to watch ...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Kuroda

Hello everyone, it’s Kuroda.

Apologies for the late update. Here’s my dormitory diary entry for July.

I’m doing my second round of study through my anatomy book. I’m trying to get to the point where I can draw with a deeper understanding of the concepts. This is something I’m trying to do with a bunch of different reference materials.

My work is getting better, though I was told that I need pay more attention to the details of my drawings.

I’ve also had the feeling that I haven’t been thorough enough in ...

Early Access: Ask Japanese Animators - The First Month of Training at an Anime Studio (Tomo Edition)

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Ura

Hello,

Ura here. I got sick after getting my blood drawn as a kid which left me with some childhood trauma. Yesterday, I got my blood drawn during a medical exam which made me remember that trauma and I freaked out.

This is my dormitory diary entry for July.

June was packed and was the month that I finally finished my training. Moving forward, I don’t just do a cut and turn it in anymore. My studio is set up so that, once a senior animator decides that I’m good enough to animate basic character movement and dynamic obje...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Shimai

Thank you for your support. This is Shimai. Here’s my dormitory diary entry for July.

On Friday, I couldn’t help myself and went to the theaters to watch the new Dragon Ball Super movie and a Doraemon movie…! Let’s just say it was my cheat day.

Here are my thoughts:

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will have you on the edge of your seat with action scenes that are only possible with 3D. My mind and eyes were kept busy the whole time. It was also nice to see not just Goku, but Gohan and Piccolo take the spotlight for a ...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Kimura

Hello and thank you for your support. Kimura here. This is my dormitory diary entry for July.

The season of sunflowers has arrived; Summer is now in full-swing. The other day, I went to Tama Zoological Park to do some sketching. The heat and many hills completely sapped me of energy so I was only able to see about a third of the animals, but the sketches themselves went well. I’m very satisfied with how they turned out. I wanna draw the giraffes next time I go.

Also, I’ve been super into morning workouts on the pull-up bars a...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamamoto

Hello, Yamamoto here. This is my dormitory diary entry for July. My work's been consistent and going well. Though, I have noticed that I’ve been doing so much illustration practice lately that I haven’t made any animations. I just wanna animate something, even if that something is short! Specifically I’ve been meaning to try my hand at actions scenes and effects and stuff! Also, I never gave you guys my opinions on Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero…! If I had to put my feelings into a phrase, it would be “I can’t believe how far CG h...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamaguchi

Thank you for your support.

This is Yamaguchi.

We always have the AC on in the studio, but it’s still hot enough to make my hands sweat as the day goes on.

I’m worry that it’ll leak into the page and ruin any good work I’ve managed to get done.

That said, I’ve always preferred the heat to the cold so I feel more energetic in the Summer.

I feel like I’ve been able to draw much more efficiently because of this,

or maybe it's just placebo.

My fellow co-workers and dormitory residents have be...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Kim

Hello, this is Kim.

Here is my dormitory diary entry for July.

It’s gotten so hot since last week that I can no longer afford to live without an air conditioner.

Yesterday, I don’t know if it was because of the heat or what, but at a cafe close to my studio, an elderly person collapsed and was carried away by an ambulance. That prompted to be extra careful about my hydration and staying healthy.

3 months after staring work, I’ve gotten a pretty good feel for how long it takes me to draw a single frame.

Key...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Sakamoto

Hello, Sakamoto here.

This is my dormitory diary entry for July.

The temperature’s been getting higher and higher, and recently, I’ve become unable to sleep at all without the AC on. I hear that air conditioning can really rack up an electric bill though, so I’m not looking forward to seeing what mine comes out to…

At the end of June, my training finally ended and I became a fully-fledged in-between animator. Though, I’m still doing a lot of the same stuff I did before, so I’m mainly focused on breaking last mon...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. This is Watanabe.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for July.

I finished all of my training and am now working in production for real. The hard part has been animating cuts containing dynamic motion like hair or clothes fluttering in the wind. Where it really got hard though was drawing facial movement while accounting for said dynamic motion. I still don’t fully understand it yet, but I’m trying my best to learn!

Change of subject, but I saw a movie called Inu-Ou the other day. My quick revi...

July Dormitory Diary Entry - Nakamura

Thank you for your patronage. This is my July dormitory diary entry.

I finally started using my air conditioner at the end of June as temperatures have been rising.

Tokyo Summers are hot.

At the studio, I’m still working on basic in-betweens as usual.

My drawings aren’t quite as clean as those of my peers, but I’m hoping to get better soon.

Ever since I’ve started in-betweening, I’ve become more attentive about making sure there’ll be no color leakage when my frames go in for coloring.

I used t...

Early Access: Ask Japanese Animators - The First Month of Training at an Anime Studio (Yuri Edition)

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Kimura

Hello, this is Kimura.

Here is my dormitory diary entry for June.

Last week, I went overseas with Animator Supporters to Animazement, an anime convention held in North Carolina, USA. It’s like Comiket but overseas and it was my first time going outside of Japan.

There were 3 people there including the CEO of Animator Supporters, a fourth-year production assistant, and myself. We hosted an hour-long panel at the event, during which we reported on the progress of the music video we’re currently working on and preparations...

Early Access: Episode 28 - Working During Crunch Time as a Japanese Animator

Ask Animators: Choosing an Art School as an Aspiring Animator

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Shimai

Thank you for your continuous support. Kyoko Shimai here.

This is my dormitory diary entry for June.

My days haven’t changed much from the last month or two. I’d like something to break the monotony.

In-between training will be over in a month, and I’m still getting called out for the precision of my clean-ups…

I feel like I haven’t improved much lately, and I'm starting to get afraid that even my mentor might give up on me soon...! I spend a lot of time worrying about this even though they’re still very e...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Kuroda

Thank you for your continued support. This is Kuroda.

Here is my dormitory diary entry for June.

This month will mark the end of my training. I’m wondering if I should really be moving on from training though as I don’t feel like I’ve grown much as an animator.

In university, I asked one of my seniors how many frames they drew during their first month of training and I don’t feel like I’d be able to keep up with their output even now. So, I’ve decided to start drawing with a focus on speed starting tomorrow.

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Aoki

Thank you for your support! Yuto Aoki here!

This is my dormitory diary update for June.

It’s been 3 months since I joined my studio. I feel like it’s getting easier to talk to the seniors in my department as I get more of an understanding of their positions, tastes, and the ins and outs of their jobs.

I’ve been feeling unsatisfied with my work recently and I have developed a habit of staying at the office too long. So, this month, I’m gonna try working in shorter, more focused bursts!

The other day, I went to ...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Takazumi

The other night, I went outside and tried sprinting at full speed and found that I’ve goten slower since coming to Tokyo. I felt a remarkable loss of stamina. 

Hey, Ura here.

This is my dormitory diary entry for June.

Recently, my seniors have been inviting me out to dinner. We've been getting lost in long conversations that go over an hour. I feel like I’m finding my place in the studio.

My work has been more involved. My seniors still need to check my work before I send it in and I can’t draw all that man...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Sakamoto

Hello, Sakamoto here.

This is my dormitory diary entry for June.

I’ve finally finished all of my training assignments, and I’ve been working since 5/31. However, my training period still lasts through June, so instead of taking a big bag of cuts and getting to work, my animation inspector picks out cuts that I can do as a newcomer which I’ve been working on.

I’m really happy that I can finally work now. Every day has been really fun.

I’m trying as hard as I can to draw carefully so that I don’t have to do ...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamamoto

Hello! Yamamoto here!

May has ended and now we’re halfway through 2022! I feel like time has been moving so fast it’s crazy.

I think new hire training will be ending soon. I’ve gotten a good handle on the software, and I feel like I’ve gotten faster at drawing.

It’d be great if I could keep this pace up and learn how to draw even faster.

Oh! Also, the new Dragon Ball movie releases on June 11th and I’m so excited about it!

I pulled some strings and got tickets, so that’ll be really fun.

June ...

Early Access: Ask Animators - How Should I Practice Drawing?

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamaguchi

Hello.

Thank you for your support. This is Tomona Yamaguchi.

My days are still being spent training.

While I still receive a lot of corrections on my work daily, sometimes I submit something that makes it through.

I don’t really feel it, but I think I’m improving.

That makes me happy.

However, I’ve got so much on my plate between training, other drawing obligations, and personal projects that I’ve felt a bit down recently.

I’ve never been good at multitasking, and I might have a small, late...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. Watanabe here.

This is my dormitory diary entry for June.

I’ve been studying the ins and outs of in-between animation in training. Something we did that stuck with me recently was animating fluid motion. That’s stuff like making someone’s hair flow naturally and it was really hard. Though it was super fun to study references and experiment with how to make things look right!

Also, I went to a company sketching party. I usually draw from photos, so it was nice to draw while looking at an act...

June Dormitory Diary Entry - Nakamura

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for June.

I’ve gotten a good feel for the area. I’ve had so much that I wanna do that I’ve been prioritizing them over things like chores. Not good.

I’m fitting in at my company though and I’ve made good friends with my co-workers, it’s really fun!

It’s really cool when a project I’ve been interested in makes its way around the studio, or when I get to have dinner with the animation directors!

My lines are still messy, but I’ve finally broken free from tracing and in...