Yoshimi Yamagata Aoyagi

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Kuroda

Thank you very much for your support. This is Kuroda.

Here is my dormitory diary entry for January.

I sincerely apologize for posting so late.

Happy new year!

I hope to earn your support in 2023.

How did everyone spend their New Year's holidays? I returned to my hometown on December 30th and spent time with my friends. Although, I never got a chance to visit a shrine for the first of the year (as is the tradition in Japan). My reasoning was if I caught COVID from...

Meet Our New Resident, Yuna Ueno!

It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yuna Ueno, and I’ll be working as an animator come April.

I’m very anxious, to be honest, but I hope to make this a fruitful year by absorbing as much as possible from my peers.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Also, I’m a big fan of the hands in Mob Psycho.

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初めまして。4月からアニメーターとして働く上野夕夏です。

不安な気持ちでいっぱいですが、周...

Meet Our New Resident, Kanaho Okabe!

Nice to meet you. My name is Kanaho Okabe, and I will be working as an animator starting in April.

I recently graduated from high school and moved to Tokyo from Kumamoto Prefecture. I attended a four-year high school, so I am currently 19 years old. Now that drawing in my full-time job, I know I’ll have to work hard and avoid being complacent. After watching some of the anime that my future employers have made, I’m doubtful that I’ll ever be able to draw as stylishly and effortles...

March Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. This is Watanabe.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for March.

Cherry blossoms are blooming around me, which is really starting to make it feel like Spring. The desks at my studio have been arranged to accommodate the new hires, though I don't feel like I've become a proper senpai just yet.

The other day, I watched "Digimon: Our War Game," which was really good!

When I have time, I try to work on my backlog of classics. Recently, I watched t...

March Dormitory Diary Entry - Ura

Hey everyone, Ura here, and I’ve been struggling with hay fever recently. This is my dormitory diary entry for March.

I've been sneezing and getting runny noses constantly since last month, making it difficult to concentrate on work. So, after a trip to the otolaryngologist, I got some medicine, and now I can function again.

My studio’s seen a lot of change this month. I mentioned that we were doing a seating change in an earlier post, but it turned out to be more extensive th...

Early Access : Livestream Q&A Archive #1 Why Start Animator Supporters

March Dormitory Diary Entry - Sakamoto

Hello, this is Sakamoto with my dormitory diary entry for March.

As the weather gets warmer, it’s getting easier to stay comfortable. However, it's also the season for pollen, and my nose is constantly running, making life difficult.

Starting in April, new hires will be joining the field! The keyframe test is also available to me whenever I’m ready to take it, and I’ve decided that this is the month I’m gonna try and pass it. From what I've heard, our test is different fro...

Early Access : Ryoko's Life as a New Animator All Episodes

March Dormitory Diary Entry - Aoki

Hello, this is Yuto Aoki.

Here’s my dormitory diary for early March.

I've been experiencing some discomfort lately as my tonsils have swollen, making it difficult to swallow food. I've been putting off seeing a doctor, but I should really get it checked out soon!

Speaking of things to do, I almost forgot about filing my tax return, which is due on the 15th of this month. I hope you guys are already on top of your taxes, but if you haven't, make sure to file before the dead...

Early Access : Anime Speed Drawing January Livestream

Early Access : Back to You Cut 22 Animator Commentary

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamamoto

Thank you for your support.

This is Yamamoto!

Here’s my dormitory diary for February.

Out of January and into February…man does time fly.

Recently, the anime me and my studio made started airing, so I've been looking back at the cuts I worked on and finding all of the highlights and mistakes in my work, as well as the work of my peers. It’s really cool to see all of our individual animation styles.

Also, I've been watching a lot of anime lately, and I’ve ...

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you very much for your support. This is Watanabe posting my dormitory diary for February.

It snowed in Tokyo the other day. I went outside with a coworker to see the snow. Unfortunately, it‘d melted and turned into rain.

At work, I primarily do in-between and clean-up animation, but recently, I've started participating in the final checking process too. I’m guessing each finished work gets checked once or twice before it goes to QA, and when my seniors check it and see m...

Early Access : Episode 31 - My Life in 2023

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Sakamoto

Hey, Sakamoto here.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for February.

I’ve been continuing work on the same project I mentioned in my last entry, and I’ve been able to work on in-between animation with amazing, veteran animators. When I got the materials for the cut, I had no idea who made them, but when I took a look at them they were so beautiful that I was shaking! After a bit of research, I come to find out there that they have quite a following of people who make animation ...

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Ura

Hello everyone, Ura here with my dormitory diary entry for February. I recently started watching NARUTO again after listening to “Hero Come Back” by nobodyknows+.

I'm not exactly new to NARUTO, but now that I'm re-watching it closely, I'm surprised by the number of details I missed before. Episode 30, in particular, blew me away with the battle between Orochimaru and Sasuke and its seriously impressive animation. Not only that, but when I looked at the end credits, I couldn't believ...

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamaguchi

Thank you very much for your support. This is Yamaguchi.

I can’t believe it’s already February. This month marks my one-year anniversary since moving into my current place, which is conveniently located near my studio.

It’s also close to my old school.

Around this time last year, I felt a mixture of loneliness, anxiety, and excitement about starting a new life and entering society.

I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at drawing since then.

Okay… mayb...

February Dormitory Diary Entry - Kim

Hello, this is Kim with my Dormitory Diary entry for February.

Recently, I've been watching an anime called "Bocchi the Rock!" and it's been fascinating. The direction is the best part; They did a great job showcasing the story in an entertaining way. The animation also had some really great moments that I'd like to use as a reference in my own art.

The new hiring season will be upon us in about 2 months. I’m kinda worried because I’m not sure I’m good enough yet to guide my...

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Early Access : My Last Video - 2 Years as a Japanese Animator!

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January Dormitory Diary Entry - Yamaguchi

Thank you very much for your support.

This is Yamaguchi.

I’ve finally settled into my daily work routine and can operate a bit more on auto-pilot.

With that mental load off, I’ve decided to practice key animation more seriously.

It’s difficult to define the key point of each movement and create a natural flow but even harder are the background layouts.

I guess backgrounds in anime are drawn as if they were shot with a telephoto lens. While this isn’t the ...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. This is Watanabe.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for January.

I went back to my parents' house for the New Year holidays, so I got to watch anime on their big TV, which I hadn’t done in a while. I usually watch anime on my phone (except for movies), so I was able to see way more detail and get a fresh perspective on the medium.

I realized how many details had probably been missing in my frames and that I needed to draw more carefully.

I...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Nakamura (2)

Sorry! This is a continuation of my last post.

Recently, I’ve been animating a lot of walk cycles, and it’s been very challenging.

Right now, we’re getting so many in-between requests for walk and run cycles, so the in-between animation director has been tutoring me on them with great enthusiasm.

I feel bad that my growth has been so slow; I’d like to get to the point where I feel I’m not just making a mess of each page.

Most animators will speak passionately...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Aoki

Happy New Year, this is Aoki.

I apologize for my absence during the last entry period.

This is a bit personal, but I’ve been suffering from COVID since the end of 2022 and had to take New Year’s to recuperate…

Physically I feel fine, but my sense of smell and taste are still dull; it looks like I’m gonna have some lingering after-effects for a while.

On a different note, I did the ED for Oniichan wa Oshimai, which started airing this January. Though, the credit...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Ura

Hello, Ura here, and I got a fortune that said I’d have great luck this year. I apologize for being so late, but Happy New Year.

Here’s my dormitory diary entry for January.

I spent New Year back home watching movies and seeing my friends. They all seemed to be doing well. We had a lot to catch up on, and it was a nice change of pace. I understand now why talking to people you’ve known for a long time is so relaxing and easy. One of my friends is a barbers assistant, so they...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Nakamura

Thank you for reading,

and thank you for your support, as always!

It’s been so cold lately that it’s hard to get out of bed. I’m barely making it out the door sluggishly each morning.

I’ll wake up earlier starting tomorrow.

It’s been a while since I started doing in-between animation.

The things I struggled with before I still struggle with now, but overall, I can see myself improving bit by bit.

It’s challenging to capture the nuance of each li...

Early Access : Episode 29 - Busy Times in February

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Sakamoto

I appreciate your support. Sakamoto here.

Happy New Year!

I didn’t go back home for New Year but instead spent it cleaning my room and reading some novels.

Last year was fun; I felt like I was learning something new daily.

This year, I want to get faster at animating and produce more frames, of course, but I’m also doing everything I can to prepare for my upcoming key animation exam.

Sometimes while I’m doing in-betweens, I can’t shake the feeling that I ...

January Dormitory Diary Entry - Watanabe

Thank you for your support. Watanabe here.

Apologies for my late post.

Here's my dormitory diary entry for January.

How was your New Year's holiday? I spent it with my family at home. It's been a while since I saw my family, so I was relieved to see that they'd been in good health.

I was so busy learning other things last year that I barely had time for my main hobby, drawing. (I hope to have more time this year to draw, not only for work but just for fun).

I hea...