Fulfilling the dream of creating anime, leading to days filled with "absolute joy."

I currently work at an animation production company as an "in-between animator," responsible for tracing key frames and creating in-betweens. I go to work at 10 AM every morning and concentrate on my work, and I absolutely love it.
I did some animation production during my university days, but I've realized that working on a commercial project with a large team is a completely different experience. The division of labor is far more detailed than I imagined, there are many points that require attention to detail, and there are many techniques and processes I didn't know about before, so I'm constantly making new discoveries every day.

What I remember most vividly is watching the broadcast of the first project I was involved in. The moment I saw my name in the end credits of the TV anime "Ikoku Nikki," which I participated in after completing my training, I truly felt, "I'm really involved in this world." I was involved in an anime that I had previously watched as a viewer. That fact made me very happy, and I also have strong memories of being involved in the production of the background posters used in the show.

On the other hand, I also feel the demands of the job every day. There are many challenges to overcome, such as production volume targets and detailed revision instructions, and I can't say that I'm consistently producing results yet. In order to increase work speed, it's important to reduce waste. For example, when working with pencils, I try to reduce the number of times I use the eraser. By shortening the time I spend hesitating and continuing to draw without stopping, I feel that the accumulation of these efforts leads to both the quality and speed of my work.
Lately, I've been able to respond to revision instructions while understanding their intent. I feel a sense of personal growth in these small changes.

I find the most rewarding parts to work on when there's a lot of character movement. Scenes with significant changes, like body movements or turning around, really give me the feeling that I'm "creating animation," and that's what I enjoy most. It's challenging because even slight differences can drastically change the impression, but that's what makes it so rewarding.
Furthermore, anime production is never something that can be done alone. It's a job that can only be completed through teamwork. I feel a great sense of responsibility for my lines being used as the final image, and I also feel great joy in being a part of the work.

My future goal is to become an "action director." I'm drawn to the role of specializing in fight scenes and dynamic movements, and supporting the intensity of a work. Eventually, I'd like to challenge myself in a position to create an entire production.

I chose Otemae University because I was attracted to the environment where I could learn animation and video from the basics. Until high school, I was considering a career path that wasn't in the arts, but my desire to be involved with art grew stronger, so I decided to go to university. I was also drawn to the fact that I could learn step by step from the basics to advanced techniques, even without being constrained by practical exams or having studied art professionally before.
After enrolling, I focused on learning animation production, but I also took painting classes through the crossover program. Experiencing things I wouldn't normally do, such as oil painting on large canvases, was very refreshing, and I actively pursued learning in areas that interested me.

In my third year seminar, as part of a community collaboration project, we received a request from a company and worked as a team to produce a video. Our year group produced a video to be shown in the lobby of a credit union. For me, who had mainly worked on individual projects up until then, "producing something to meet a client's demands" was a completely new experience.
The process of dividing roles and aligning our direction while leveraging each member's strengths was by no means easy, but it was an invaluable experience. I often took on the role of summarizing opinions within the team, and I feel that this experience is relevant to my current work.

Otemae University x Amagasaki Shinkin Bank "Hanshin Beauty Memoirs"

Meeting animation artist Jun Wada was also a major turning point. I received advice from him on how to proceed with production and how to approach my work, but what left a strong impression on me was that he taught me the feeling that "animation is fun."

The most significant experience of my university life was my graduation project. I spent about a year creating an original animation. I went to university almost every day, working on it from morning till night, and continued working on it even after returning home.
The time I spent working on my own projects in the same space as my friends remains in my heart as something irreplaceable.

Initially, I envisioned a story-driven piece, but considering the production time, I changed it to a digest format. I condensed the scenes I thought were "cool" and created a work that fully reflects my own sensibilities.
The production process was much more challenging than I had imagined, but there was great joy in seeing it gradually take shape, and through this experience, I came to strongly feel that I want to continue being involved in animation.
Looking back on it now, there are many areas for improvement, but it was a work in which I gave my absolute best at the time, and it's a very important piece to me, something that I consider my starting point.

[Otemae University Channel] Enokoro: Hiroto Yamabe, Terunata Yoshimine

One of the skills I acquired during my university life was the ability to communicate effectively. I had many opportunities to give presentations and speak in front of large groups of people. I had the impression that university was a place for individual learning, but in reality, there were many opportunities for group work and presentations, which was a pleasant surprise.
This experience is still useful in my current job. While anime production might seem like a solitary, work-intensive process, in reality, communication with others is essential. I later learned that this skill was highly valued during my job search.
Furthermore, being exposed to other students' work during group critiques allowed me to encounter perspectives and expressions I hadn't considered before, which I consider a great asset. I feel that these experiences have broadened the scope of my own expression.

I'm still relatively inexperienced and sometimes feel I lack the necessary skills, but I do feel a sense of fulfillment knowing that I'm doing what I love for a living. Going to work isn't a chore; in fact, it's a source of daily motivation for me.
Of course, there are difficult times, but I feel that there is meaning in being able to face this job, including those challenges. I would like to continue to gain experience and get closer to the ideal form of expression I aspire to.

And I want to become someone who can deliver the excitement and emotion I've received from anime to others. I will continue to work hard to be involved in works that reach as many people as possible and to make my name known.