Interview with KANEKO Isaku – Selected Artists (Phase 1) of the NeW NeW project.

First, could you tell us about your background? You graduated from the School of Creative Science and Engineering in the Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering at Waseda University. So you come from a mechanical engineering background, not a fine arts background?

KANEKO Isaku (hereafter, Kaneko):
When I entered university, I wasn’t thinking of pursuing animation; I just vaguely wanted to do something creative. I’ve always been a person of curiosity, and was interested in many things besides animation—robots, machines, biology, English, and so on. Among those, I particularly enjoyed studying physics, which led me to choose mechanical engineering. Since I wanted to build something fun and interesting—like humanoid robots—I chose Waseda University, which is known for that field.

At university, I studied the four main areas of mechanics: materials mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and mechanical dynamics, as well as drafting, metalworking, electronic circuit design, and C programming. My graduation thesis was on robotics.

How did you go from studying mechanical engineering to creating animation?

Kaneko:
I started making animation in earnest after entering graduate school, but I had actually been interested in it since I was little and had even made some myself. In my third year of junior high, I played around with stop-motion animation using a children’s educational software called CLAYTOWN. Later, I came across a Blender textbook at a bookstore and was deeply moved by the fact that I could make 3DCG like Toy Story all by myself. I even exhibited works made with Blender at my high school’s cultural festival.

The main reason I decided to seriously pursue animation was because I became enamored with the idea of creating something on my own. In mechanical engineering, building something involves multiple steps and is a team effort. But I wanted to create something all on my own. Also, I chose hand-drawn animation over CG because it allows me to draw what I want with fewer steps. With CG, adding new elements requires complicated tasks like modeling.

After graduating from university, you entered the Graduate School of Art and Design at the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University. Why did you choose that school?

Kaneko:
When I decided to pursue animation and started researching schools, I came across a website called “TamaGra Animation Theater,” which showcases animation works created in the Graphic Design Department at Tama Art University. The works were all full of freedom and energy, and I thought this might be a place where I could create freely, so I chose to apply. Also, coming from a background of mechanical production, I enjoy working with my hands; another reason for which I was drawn to the design course where people hand-draw their art.

The graduate program didn’t follow a fixed curriculum. Instead, we were expected to propose ideas, develop projects, and see them through ourselves, so I never really learnt the theoretical aspects of filmmaking. For the most part, I gathered practical production techniques by making films and experimenting with them by myself.

What kind of teachers and classmates did you have in graduate school?

Kaneko:
I owe a lot to my advisor, Professor NOMURA Tatsutoshi. When I first joined the program, I was anxious because I came from a completely different field, but Professor Nomura was very supportive and made me feel like I belonged there. In terms of instruction, he would openly express when something was interesting and would patiently teach practical methods to improve aspects that didn’t work well. Thanks to that, I was able to proceed with my projects with peace of mind.

All of my classmates were international students, and among them, Zhou Xiaolin, who used a cut-out technique, had a major influence on me. During the production of her work Half of an Apple (2019), she was extraordinarily particular; from drawing in extreme detail to the level of a single hair on a bear’s back, to extensively experimenting with water texture to achieve the perfect nuance. Her attitude toward creation taught me a lot. Fay Heady, who creates works combining animation and performance, also taught me about the freedom of animation.

Which of your own works was a turning point for you as an artist?

Kaneko:
That would be LOCOMOTOR (2019), which I made during my first year of graduate school. It was the first time for me to make a film by hand-drawn technique with full frame. 

Which of your works do you feel most confident about?

Kaneko:
My graduation work, The Balloon Catcher (2020). While LOCOMOTOR featured only a single character, The Balloon Catcher develops its story through interactions between two different types of beings: one whose face is an axe, and one whose face is a balloon. I also think I successfully executed unexpected story developments, such as the axe-faced character climbing a wall using its face.

Next, let’s talk about your creative process. Can you tell us how you go about making a film?

Kaneko:
When I start a project, I usually first envision a striking scene or a visual appearance of a character. For The Balloon Catcher, it began with the image of a person whose face is an axe. From there, I imagined situations like climbing a wall with an axe-face or combining that character with something fragile like a balloon. I simulated various scenarios and gradually shaped the key scenes.

I don’t think much about continuity when creating individual scenes—I draw them freely and then connect the dots later. I don’t write a full script. I start by drawing storyboards for the scenes that come to mind, then create an animatic. During this stage, I adjust things so the scenes link together smoothly.

What aspects do you value or emphasize most when creating a work?

Kaneko:
I place a lot of importance on ideas and settings that spark imagination—things that make you want to simulate various scenarios. In LOCOMOTOR, the main character’s head is a train; in Magnified City (2022), it’s a magnifying glass. When you transform a human face into an object, it completely changes how you think about the character. A human face leads you to think about expressions and emotions, but a train or magnifying glass makes you imagine entirely different types of movement and behavior.

On a technical level, I also care about achieving a visually satisfying experience. For example, LOCOMOTOR emphasizes the texture of hand-drawn lines and a sense of energetic roughness.

Could you tell us about the tools and materials you use?

Kaneko:
I draw the background and characters on separate sheets of paper and then composite them digitally. I scan the drawings, extract them in Photoshop, and use After Effects for compositing and colour adjustment. Effects like incident lighting are also added in After Effects.

The materials I use vary depending on the project. LOCOMOTOR was drawn entirely with sumi ink and a brush. For The Balloon Catcher, I used waterproof ink used for manga and a long-tipped brush called a script liner brush for outlines, and acrylic gouache for colouring. In Magnified City, I also used ink for the outlines but drew with a pen instead of a brush, and used Talens ink for colouring. In my current work-in-progress The Rabbit and the Crab (tentative title), I draw outlines with watercolour pencils and colour them with opaque watercolour.

Sometimes I choose materials based on an image I already have in mind, but usually, I experiment through sketching to make the decision. For LOCOMOTOR, I aimed for a rough and energetic feel, which led me to sumi ink and a brush. In The Balloon Catcher, the main character is sharp-edged and the relationships are tense, so I experimented with how to get appropriately sharp lines. In The Rabbit and the Crab, I use coloured pencils and opaque watercolour to create a soft atmosphere.

Which artists or works have influenced you?

Kaneko:
The Doctor Who series, which I watched in high school, influenced me a lot. I loved how it simulated various scenarios based on outlandish premises, like what would happen if aliens existed. In the same sci-fi genre, I also enjoy H.G. Wells’ novels like The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. I found the imaginative aspects very appealing—for example, the idea that an invisible man has to stay hidden while digesting food because the food would float in his stomach, or the problem of how to stop an out-of-control invisible man.

In terms of animation, I grew up watching the Wallace and Gromit series, as well as Toy Story (1995). In Japan, I’ve long been impressed by KUNO Yoko’s Airy Me (2013), even before entering graduate school. I also admire the pencil texture in KATO Kunio’s La Maison en Petits Cubes (2008).

Finally, please tell us about your new project currently in development, Rabbits and Crabs. 

Kaneko:
Right now, I’m working on a story set on an island, featuring rabbits that eat crabs. The plot revolves around the rabbit’s molting period—the fur that falls off connects the rabbit and the crab, who is its prey, in unexpected ways.

While this work features a protagonist with a more naturalistic head—unlike my previous ones whose heads were always objects—the process is the same. I imagine various scenarios based on unexpected settings: for instance, a rabbit, which should be herbivorous, becomes carnivorous, or the odd pairing of a rabbit and a crab. I simulate what kinds of events could emerge from such a premise.

When people ask why I chose a rabbit and a crab, I can only say that the image of a rabbit eating a crab just randomly popped into my mind. But perhaps there’s a visual link in its form between the two. After all, the pattern on the moon is said to resemble both a rabbit and a crab.