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Kemono Friends Director Tatsuki Works on Educational Program for NHK

NHK revealed on Monday that Irodori, the three-person independent animation group led by director TATSUKI (Kemono Friends, "Keifuku-san"), provided the design and CG production for the main character Funfun (seen below) on the children's program Yoroshiku! Funfun. The program will premiere on NHK's E Tele (NHK Educational) channel on Wednesday, and new 10-minute episodes will debut every Wednesday at 9:20 a.m. The program's official website is streaming the first "scene."

TATSUKI also produced the opening animation for the program, which will premiere with the second episode on April 25. The show marks the first time that TATSUKI has worked on an NHK program.

The program centers on three alien children who come to Earth to study Japanese society for homework. Chizuru loves looking at maps, Tokkī is interested in the flow of time and history, and Chizuru likes to hear the stories of people. The robot Funfun aids the alien children in their investigations of Earth.

The social studies program is aimed at children in fourth grade. The theme of the first episode is "water supply," and other topics will include "electricity" and "trash disposal."

TATSUKI and irodori's "Keifuku-san" anime short aired on Tokyo MX on March 27. TATSUKI released the short on DVD on February 19, delayed from its original February 5 release due to a larger amount of pre-orders than expected. The release topped Amazon Japan's anime DVD best seller and overall DVD best seller lists shortly after going on sale for pre-order. TATSUKI posted the full version of the five-minute short in December. He previously posted the beginning of the anime in two shorts.

TATSUKI and irodori are also working on a new anime titled "Hentatsu." TATSUKI debuted the first part in January after first posting an image of the two characters on the train platform of the Chūō (Rapid) Line's Nakano station in Tokyo. The first part features what appears to be a location from irodori's "Keifuku-san" anime short. TATSUKI and irodori teased a new television anime project with a flier at Comic Market in December.

TATSUKI reported in September that, per a notification from publishing and production company Kadokawa, he is no longer working on the Kemono Friends project. Soon after, the anime's official website announced that the studio Yaoyorozu would no longer be involved. Producer Yoshitada Fukuhara confirmed in December that Yaoyorozu will not return.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web