Well, this is a first. I have an article on Anime News Network! Deb Aoki from Publisher’s Weekly had an interview scheduled with Japanese animator/director Koji Morimoto at the J-Pop Summit in San Francisco this summer, and asked me to join in and contribute a few questions.
Morimoto is a renowned artist in the anime industry, with credits on Akira, Robot Carnival, Memories, The Animatrix, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Fist of the North Star, among many others. His work in the past two decades has become increasingly experimental, such as the dreamlike “Dimension Bomb” short from Genius Party: Beyond. Deb and I asked him about the environment at Studio 4°C (which Morimoto co-founded), his stance on 3-D animation, and the future of anime crowdfunding, among other subjects.
Big thanks to Deb, the J-Pop Summit, and Anime News Network for the opportunity to speak with Mr. Morimoto!