japanamerica

<<1:54 AI can help maintain the anime boom, says Roland Kelts, Professor and 1:58 Japanese culture expert. 1:59 He has written a book about anime. 2:02 "They call it 'in-betweener work,' when you draw frames in 2:07 between the keyframes. 2:09 And that kind of work can be done by AI very effectively and save the 2:13 studios money and time. 2:16 A lot of people think of anime as these big hits, etc. 2:20 But there are thousands of anime produced every year. 2:23 And many of them are just for late-night TV. 2:25 They are pretty cheap, so those can probably easily be produced by AI." 2:33 Technology isn’t seen as a threat in Japan, says Kelts. 2:37 This openness is rooted in the country’s indigenous 2:40 religion, Shinto. 2:41 Shinto is centered on worshipping kami, or spiritual entities. 2:45 They inhabit all kinds of objects, manmade or not, and everything is 2:49 accepted to be part of nature. 2:52 "Japanese creativity is quite fluid. 2:54 The very first a...

Shot live at International House of Japan , here's the live event video from Asia Society Japan of my presentation with veteran anime industry pros Geoffrey Wexler, formerly of Studio Ghibli and now with Studio Ponoc, and Shuzo Shiota of Polygon Pictures.  The Financial Times says that the export value of Japan's content industry now exceeds its steel, petrochemicals and semiconductor sectors . Leading the content industry is Anime, Japanese-created animation that is both unique and outrageously popular. Overseas sales tripled during the last decade and are beginning to dwarf the domestic market. Financial analysts predict that its market size will grow at 9.8% CGR and surpass $30 billion by 2033. But what exactly is Anime, creatively and culturally? And why are its series and features booming abroad while the Anime industry in Japan is weathering a series of severe crises, including labor shortages, overworked and underpaid staffers, and antiquated technologies? Join us at A...