Tokyo Animation Business Accelerator:
Project Outline
Tokyo is home to a thriving animation industry, but much of its highly creative output is unknown outside of Japan.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government wants to change all that. And that's why we have been supporting the efforts of these very creative teams and promoting the Tokyo animation industry to join MIFA.
We can open the door to an entire rainbow of Tokyo talent that is not represented in the global animation market. Unique and technically outstanding, they have so much to offer. We do hope you'll take this chance to work with them!
Tokyo Animation Pitch Grand Prix: Outline
Results from the 18th of Feb, 2021
In the Tokyo Animation Pitch Grand Prix, participants showcased the advanced know-how and skills, that had acquired through a series of seminars and workshops.
Entrants competed for prize money and the opportunity to exhibit their animation work in overseas markets. The winning companies have now taken their first steps toward gaining global recognition.
Top Prize Winner
| Name of Company | Address | Project/Production Title |
| JET SET GO LTD. | Chuo-ku | Republic of Cats |
Prize Winners
| Name of Company | Address | Project/Production Title |
| Kanaban Graphics, Ltd. | Nakano-ku | Papara & Anni |
| PICONA, Inc. | Shibuya-ku | SAMURAI PIRATES |
| UK&M Limited Liability Company | Komae-city | Mariko's UK Sketchbook：A Japanese Expat's Experiences |
| Recommendation, Inc. | Nishi-Tokyo-city | The travel of Fu and Sasuke to the East |
(Note) Companies are listed in the order of Japanese syllabary.
Top Prize Winner
Prize Winners
Top Prize Winner
Republic of Cats
Synopsis
A tiny island in the ocean that was once a luxury resort has been abandoned by humans and has fallen into ruins. The island’s only inhabitants are the majority cat colonies and other small animals. The Chinchilla cats control the food supply which puts them in constant conflict with the stray cats.
One day Apollo, a timid stray cat and talented pianist working at the “Catnip Bar” finds out from a terrified mouse who is running to escape off the island, that the island will sink on the night of the next full moon! Together with his friends Momo the flying squirrel, his roommate cat Arte, and other strays, they begin building a getaway ship by collecting and using leftover human scraps, only to run out of materials at the last minute. Meanwhile, civil war breaks out with the rebellion of the stray cats reaching its peak against the dominant Chinchillas. Will Apollo and his friends manage to escape off the island safely and in time…
Comment
This animation is a fantastical look into a community of cats and other small animals who are confronted with environmental problems and social inequality. Led by the main protagonist Apollo, a sensitive young pianist, the film’s unique worldview, which combines art-and-fantasy with light humour, is further enriched by nostalgic and sentimental music. The film contains a message for the Earth of tomorrow and all its inhabitants, and we hope that adult audiences will enjoy it as well.
Credit
Story/ Screenplay/ Director/Producer：Miki Kuretani
Co-screenplay/Producer：Taryn Lourens
Music：Toshifumi Hinata
Art Director：Brian Fitzgerald
Storyboard：Mamoru KONOE
Chief Animation Director：Florent Mounier
Editing：Nicolas Laumondais
Layout Posing & Background：Karim Turbez
Head Animator：Frank Bonay
Produced and copyright by：JET SET GO Ltd.
Creator Profile
JET SET GO LTD.
We are a creative agency and production company mainly involved in branded content for both the domestic and overseas market. In recent years, we have been actively developing original contents (IP) for overseas markets through our own network.
Company Contact
Prize Winner
Papara & Anni
Synopsis
Papara and Anni live happily in a world of dolls.
They have been best friends for as long as they can remember and this bond influences the dolls, themselves, to develop feelings. As Papara and Anni grow up, however, differences in their personalities appear. They cease to understand each other’s thinking, which leads to a quarrel and the breakup of their friendship.
This incident causes the dolls to start worrying and creating problems, but Papara and Anni use their respective strengths to solve the dolls’ problems one after another!
Papara solves the dolls’ problems in a cheerful, fun way by changing their perspectives while Anni solves their problems by spending time with them and getting close to their feelings. But then a creature with malicious intentions arrives to interfere.
Will Papara and Anni, with their completely different personalities, by getting know each other better be able to become best friends again?
Comment
I believe children, as they grow up, need, like Papara and Anni, to experience and overcome difficulties as well as having fun. I want them to turn problems into opportunities for personal growth by changing viewpoint on problem-solving and seeking their friends’ opinions and getting to know them better.
I also want to convey a message that when people have trouble with friendships and group-problems, “you can always understand each other by getting to know each other.”
Credit
Director/Author/Screenwriter/Character design : Masashi Matsuoka
Creator Profile
Kanaban Graphics, Ltd.
Kanaban Graphics is a computer graphics animation studio known for a wide range of work such as “Usavich,” “Yan Yan Machiko,” “Inazma Delivery,” commissioned TV series, games, and commercials. The studio’s expertise ranges from planning, script writing, staging, storyboard making, art direction, to the entire process of 3D CG production. The studio has successfully negotiated numerous licensing and distribution contracts in Japan and overseas.
Company Contact
Kanaban Graphics, Ltd.
Daishin NS Building 9F, Honcho 1-13-18, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0012
http://www.kanaban.com
Prize Winner
SAMURAI PIRATES
Synopsis
In the world of this story, when a person’s heart is assailed with negative emotions such as sadness, that person becomes a monster called an Oni.
The protagonist of this series is named “EN”, a Treasure Island pop-star idol. She has never seen her father’s face. One day, unexpectedly, she and her four friends gain the power to purify peoples’ hearts.
Comment
The theme of the series is “people are tempted to act wrongly from time to time. But by overcoming such impulses, we want you live strong.”
There is an expression “The devil made me do it”. That happens to many little children. What should they do in case of such temptation? With samurai sprit the Samurai Pirates are there with just hearts to wipe away the confused feelings of little children!
『Magical girls X Music X Love！』
With these wonderful girls, we hope to convey purity of heart, compassion, and friendship through catchy songs.
Credit
Planning/Original/Producer: Ken YOSHIDA
Script/Series composition: Munenori MIZUNO
Character design/Artwork: Sayaka SHIMADA (REDHOUSE)
Logo design: Jun SUZUKI (REDHOUSE)
Director/Storyboard: Yoshiharu ASHINO
@PICONA, Inc.
Creator Profile
PICONA, Inc.
As an animation studio, we specialize in 3D Computer Graphic animation, graphic design, original animation, character planning/development and production. Known for our excellent use of ‘Toon/Cel Shading’ technique for 3DCG and children’s animation, we have been focusing on developing original works for the overseas market in recent years.
Company Contact
No.5 Sky Building 311, Sendagaya 3-3-8, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051
TEL: 03-6384-5966 FAX: 03-6384-5965
http://picona.jp
Prize Winner
Mariko's UK Sketchbook：
A Japanese Expat's Experiences
Synopsis
Mariko is a Japanese working woman who has never in her lifetime had the opportunity to live abroad. Finally, she is able to go overseas, achieving her dream. She spends a total of six years in the UK and in the US. After working for a video game company in the UK, she applies and is admitted to and attends film school. After graduation, her dream to become a filmmaker comes true. This series is based on a non-fiction, comic essay which looks at the differences between Japan, the UK and the USA through the eyes of a working woman who encounters and observes “people”, “life”, “culture”, “customs”, and “herself as a foreigner”.
Comment
In a world where people are only connected by internet, how do they communicate across countries separated by COVID-19?
Now, I want to convey, realistically, the warmth and mutual understanding which can arise through accidental encounters between people, something we tend to forget. With this in mind, I launched an animation project.
With a comic touch I depict the experiences I have gained through my encounters in the UK, looking at Japan from the outside as I construct a new life in a foreign land.
Credit
Creator・Production Designer: Mariko Umeda
Japanese Logo Design: arcoinc
Creator Profile
UK&M Limited Liability Company
UK and M Limited Liability Company (UK & M LLC) is a Tokyo-based creative company which works on high-quality concept illustration for film, animation, picture books, graphic novels, graphic design, and game products. Co-founder, Mariko Umeda, has worked as a professional artist in the UK, the USA and Japan for over 15 years.
After leaving a game company in Tokyo, Mariko Umeda moved to the UK where she worked for a local game company before completing her MA in production and design at the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS).
She then worked as a concept artist and a set designer for “Moon and Me”, an animation series currently running on BBC CBeebies.
Company Contact
Prize Winner
The travel of Fu and Sasuke
to the East
Synopsis
Fu, a dog living happily in Shanghai, is helping his owner, Zhuye, with his work. But Fu is sent away to Yokohama by Nianshou, a monster who wants to control China. Because Nianshou has a weakness for the light from the flower lanterns that Zhuye makes, Nianshou wants to stop Zhuye from making them by separating him from Fu. After arriving in Yokohama, Fu wants desperately to return to Shanghai, but it is not easy because the director of the public health center, Kitami, is cracking down on stray dogs. Then one day Fu meets Sasuke, a former fighting dog. His struggle to find a way to return to Shanghai begins.
Comment
“Never give up promoting mutual understanding no matter how deranged the world becomes. This is the only way to achieve peace.” With these words as our motto, we created an animated, adventure film about dogs. This film enables the audience to enjoy cultural differences and similarities through the dogs’ adventures and to leave the movie theater wanting to know more about each other. As the creator of this film, I, myself, am a big dog lover, and I study dogs by watching dog videos every day. I want to show, through animation, how cute and even complicated dogs are in the way they express themselves. I hope that this film will enable people around the world to relax and enjoy themselves through these dog adventures and friendships.
Credit
Director : Yosuke Tani
Story/ Screenplay : Hiroki Taniguchi
Producer : Yuma Takahashi, Hiroki Taniguchi, Daichi Nakata
Associate Producer : Momo Houjo
PR：Hideo, Lyla Hayakaze, Shun Okuda, Masuda
Promotion planning : Motohisa Yamada
Promotion planning design : Asaka Namishima, NORICOPO, fumi, ituka
Creator Profile
Recommendation, Inc.
A video production group founded by Yuma Takahashi in 2010. Using our extensive network in the animation industry, we plan and produce videos for animations and games. Currently, we are involved mainly in the production of Japanese TV animation series, but have launched initiatives for overseas expansion, especially in China, Europe and the United States.
Company Contact
Our exhibitors in 2021
MIFA 2021 Tokyo Virtual Booth Outline
The venue (2019) 
Territory Focus (2019) 
Business meetings at exhibition booth (2019)
| Exhibition: | Marché international du film d'animation (MIFA) |
|---|---|
| Date: | June 15-18, 2021 |
| Location: | Online exhibition on Annecy Festival website (https://www.annecy.org/home) |
| About MIFA Tokyo virtual booth: | At MIFA 2021(online), In addition to exhibiting properties, the Tokyo Animation Business Accelerator facilitated business progress by arranging negotiations, offering pitch session support and more. |
| About MIFA: | MIFA 2021 was held on-site and online(hybrid). MIFA supported the development of the global animation business while providing various programs like a virtual exchange platform, virtual pavilions, etc. |