Tomohiro Tokunaga, CEO and president of Comix Wave Movies (your identify, Suzuki, Weathering with you) opened up about his place throughout the animation studio, how the studio has grown, and the way he’ll deal with future tasks.
Tokunaga initially entered the anime trade by Telecom Animation Movie. Lupin third: Half IV, Half v and Tower of God. In 2020, he joined Comix Wave Movies because the Chief Producer of Makoto Shinkai’s Suzuki After that, they continue to be within the studio. He moved into his present position final yr as president and CEO, and regardless of his reasonably quick tenure within the studio, he has labored lengthy sufficient to see some main adjustments within the anime subject itself. As revealed in a current interview with the Anime Information Community, this consists of the intensive retools wanted to work throughout the 2020 pandemic, with the trade growing working circumstances and wages not too long ago.
“Your Identify” Anime Studio’s president is being suggested by newcomers within the trade
Particularly when requested to present recommendation to anybody seeking to enter the anime trade, Tokunaga known as out how a lot the trade as an entire has accepted and the way a lot better it has grow to be. The trade can be altering, and extra studios are actually simpler to work with. “He additionally stated that newcomers have to have the ambition, abilities and talents to work within the anime trade, but when somebody can enter it with confidence, there are many people who find themselves prepared to assist these newcomers discover their footing.
Tokunaga additionally mentioned how Comix Wave movies work otherwise from most “conventional” animation studios. Many well-known studios throughout the anime trade will obtain manufacturing charges and hope to work primarily with exterior IPs to make a revenue for all concerned, particularly those that maintain the unique IP rights. Typically, the studio itself makes up a big portion of the income from the manufacturing charges it receives when it’s employed to do the work. Nonetheless, when Comix Wave Movies was created by former CEO Noritaka Kawaguchi, it was designed to not solely pay manufacturing charges, but additionally use its personal IP to create movies.
Comix Wave Movies Anime Studio is in search of the subsequent Makoto Shinkai
This strategy will be seen clearly in the best way that studios typically deal with frequent collaborations with New A, the place they create fully unique works and new IPs earlier than they make the movie. This model of manufacturing provides Comix Wave Movies nicely and Tokunaga needs to proceed this workflow sooner or later. To that finish, the studio continues to work with different administrators and creators to benefit from its targets, saying, “It initially began out as an unbiased producer. There’s a proverb that historical past repeats itself, so I need to keep that pattern.” The brand new challenge was nonetheless unannounced and Tokunaga had nothing extra to say than “stay up for it.”
The studio’s 2018 manufacturing will see the identical plans for brand new IP productions. The style of younger individualsthis was created in collaboration with a number of worldwide workforce members, together with administrators Li Haoling and Joshua Yi. When requested about pursuing extra tasks The style of younger individualsTokunaga stated, “It has not been determined whether or not to work with a international director sooner or later. Shinkaisan is a success maker. For individuals who can usher in as a lot income as he does in a single job, he isn’t the individual you typically discover it (million), in that sense it’s effective to rely as a sale of 1 film.
In accordance with Tokunaga, the studio would not have a very robust desire for Japanese administrators, and the employees continues to be making an attempt to broaden their horizons and work with many gifted individuals. “If somebody abroad needs to make Japanese animation in Japan, I feel the widespread language ought to be Japanese,” he added. “Language is a tradition and we will embrace that tradition and work with individuals from abroad who need to make animation right here in Japan.”
The most recent function works coming from Comix Wave Movies are nonetheless from Shinkai SuzukiIt was launched in 2022, however the studio has been engaged on it not too long ago. Dragonite and the postman ONA created for Pokémon Day 2025.
(tagstotranslate)Anime
