PROGRAM

SCHEDULE

Aug 21st (Fri) 14:45～ @JMS Aster Plaza Large Meeting Room

Program Overview

At Hiroshima Animation Season 2026, we welcome Naoyuki Asano and Kazuya Kanehisa as guests for a special featured program titled "Animation and 'Modern' Linework," exploring the nature of drawn lines in animation.

Both artists operate with a deep awareness of the historical nature of linework in animation (and its related cultures) while actively practicing ways to engagingly connect it with contemporary audiences. Amidst a modern media landscape where everything tends to be consumed strictly in the "now," the charm of the "retro" is being rediscovered even within the mainstream scene. This special program was conceived to delve into their practices, encouraging audiences to reflect once again on the rich history and future possibilities of animation.

This talk, featuring Naoyuki Asano, will focus heavily on his character design work. Looking at his recent career alone, he has distinctively and compellingly redesigned a diverse range of "original works" spanning different eras and contexts: "Saint Young Men" (2013), "Mr. Osomatsu" (2015), "Mobile Police Patlabor REBOOT" (2016), "Magical Circle Guru Guru" (2017), "Mr. Osomatsu: The Movie" (2019), "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" (2020), "Urusei Yatsura" (2022), "Chimpui: Princess Eri's Good Luck" (2025), "SUGAR SUGAR RUNE: Les deux sorcières" (2025), "Evangelion 30th Anniversary Special Screening" (2026), and "Hirayasumi" (2027), which is slated for broadcast next year. In this session, we will explore everything from the philosophy behind his craftsmanship to concrete guidance on his actual linework.

*Please note that the titles listed above are examples of his body of work and are not guaranteed to be discussed individually during the talk. Thank you for your understanding.

Guest

Speaker: Naoyuki Asano
Interviewer: Daisuke Tanaka