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Anime Tamago 2018 Video Reveals Anime Shorts' Visuals, Stories

The official website for the "Anime Tamago" (formerly "Anime Mirai") project began streaming a promotional video for this year's project on Friday. The video reveals each anime short's visual. The official website for the project has also revealed each anime's story.

All six companies involved in the 2018 projects are new to Anime Tamago. Half of the works will be 3DCG works.

IMAGICA Image Works, Robot
Title: TIME DRIVER: Bokura ga Kaita Mirai (temporary title, translates to TIME DRIVER: The Future We Draw)
Director: Junichi Yamamoto (3D animator for your name.)
Producers: Akiko Isobe, Ryousuke Mamiya, Tomoya Iwasawa, Hideki Kanō
Story: Yūto Matsubara is a 27-year-old man who works in the sales department of a major toy maker, but he isn't able to pursue his dreams, and he feels hollow every day. He's even given up on love with his childhood sweetheart Ai. One day a "Time Driver" robot that runs on the power of dreams appears in front of him, and he is forced into the cockpit against his will. Inside is a 12-year-old version of himself.

Studio Nanahoshi, Usagi.Ou
Title: Engimon (temporary title) 3DCG work
Director: Kōdai Satō (CGI director for Freedom, Hipira: The Little Vampire)
Producer: Kōta Yamaguchi
Story: In the children's room of the Amanogawa household in the neighborhood of Shichifukujin, there are five ENGImon: Haruo (a papier-mache dog), Kin-chan (a goldfish paper balloon), Hebikura (a bamboo snake), Chief Daruma (a daruma doll), and Koume (a Kokeshi doll). They are always watching over the siblings of the household, Himi and Yamato. One day, an Engimon from somewhere else appears, and Himi leaves the house to chase it. Haruo and his friends come alive, much to Yamato's surprise, and together they go to rescue Himi.

Tomason
Title: Milky Panic twelve (formerly known as 12 Busters)
Director: Shinnosuke Numata (sound director for Folktalkes from Japan, director and sound director for Furusato Meguri Nippon no Mukashi Banashi)
Producer: Tomonosuke Numata
Story: The town of Milky Town has a problem. All of the animals are drinking the milk from the company Milking, and are slowly turning into cats who have lost all motivation. The cat Milking hatched the evil plan in order to take over the world. By chance, Ippon, a tiger cowboy who used to work on the Charmy ranch, returns from his wanderings to Milky Town. There, he realizes the truth of what's happened to Milky Town, and works to save it alongside his friends.

Picona
Title: Midnight Crazy Trail (temporary title) 3DCG work
Director: Shinichi Watanabe aka "Nabeshin" (Excel Saga, The Wallflower)
Producer: Ken Yoshida
Story: Shout and Crunchy are "trash throw away-ers" who work in the dead of night. Makina is a 16-year-old witch who has come to the world of humans and to London to study for one year about how to become a proper bride. But Makina searches for Shout and Crunchy, and begs them to throw away her "Witch's Book." Truthfully, Makina wants to quit being a witch and become a normal girl, and the book is just a hindrance. But the book is not something one can simply just throw away.

This year's selection committee consists of:

• Kenji Uchida (former president of Sunrise)
• Seiji Okuda (executive producer for Shochiku)
• Tomoyuki Saito (producer at Dentsu)
• Tadashi Sudo (anime journalist)
• Masao Takiyama (president of Animax Broadcast Japan)
• Mitsuru Hongo (anime director)
• Hiroo Maruyama (assistant director at Mainichi Broadcasting)
• Masahiko Minami (president of BONES)

As in previous years, the anime shorts will train young animators on-the-job part of the Japanese government's Agency of Cultural Affairs' "Young Animator Training Project." As before, all the shorts will be shown next year.

The Japanese government's Agency of Cultural Affairs launched its "Young Animator Training Project" in 2010 with the aim of fostering the growth of domestic animation studios, and tackling the concern that more of the Japanese animation process is being outsourced overseas. The project has spawned such works as Little Witch Academia and Death Billiards (which inspired the Death Parade television anime). The Anime Tamago 2017 shorts all screened in theaters in Tokyo in March and April.