Air date: December 6, 2007

The amygdala is responsible for human emotional reactions including fear and the hippocampus plays the role of information interface within the brain. The two being close to each other form a neural network mechanism for memory that is called the limbic system. The limbic system is known as the peripheral part of the cerebrum. The term comes from Greek limbo, meaning "a remote region," "a border between this world and the other world". Or between the Apparent World and the Unseen World.

Script: Chiaki J. Konaka
Storyboard: Katsuhisa Yamada
Director: Takafumi Ando
Animation Director: Hitomi Matsuura

Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror has been selected for the official programme of the New York International Children's Film Festival 2010 (NYICFF 2010), to be held in New York, USA from February 26 to March 21, 2010. The screening at NYICFF 2010 marks the movie's USA premiere.

NYICFF was founded in 1997 to promote intelligent, passionate, provocative cinematic works for ages 3-18 and to help define a more compelling film for kids. Since its launch, the event has grown to become the largest festival for children and teens in North America, with a paid audience of over 20,000 attending the most recent event. Since 2000, all screenings have sold out in advance.

Screening Schedule at NYICFF 2010:

Date: February 27th (Sat)
Time: 10:30am
Place: Cantor Film Center

Date: March 6th (Sat)
Time: 04:30pm
Place: Symphony

NYICFF 2010 official website:
http://www.gkids.com/

© 2009 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK / Production I.G / DENTSU / PONY CANYON

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Haruka, as seen in Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is having its USA premiere at the New York International Children's Film Festival 2010. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 08 here.

January 2010: Week 4

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Mabarowa, as seen in Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is screening in competition at the Future Film Festival 2010. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 07 here.

January 2010: Week 2

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Cotton, as seen in Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is Animation of the Year at the 33rd Japan Academy Prizes. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 06 here.

December 2009: Week 4

Our New Year's Top Page is dedicated to Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror.

We would like to thank all the people around the world who are supporting Production I.G, and wish all of you a peaceful and prosperous 2010!

December 2009: Week 1

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Haruka as seen in Shinsuke Sato's 3DCGI animated feature film, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, selected in competition for the Anima't Section at Sitges 09.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror was nominated Jury Recommended Work at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival. Check the details here.
Eden of the East was nominated Jury Recommended Work at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 05 here.

September 2009: Week 3

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Haruka and Teo as seen in Shinsuke Sato's 3DCGI animated feature film, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, selected in competition for the Anima't Section at Sitges 09.

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror has been selected in competition for the Anima't Section of Sitges 09. Check the details here.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the Official Fantastic Competition of Sitges 09. Check the details here.

December 2008: Week 4

Our New Year's Top Page is dedicated to our forthcoming 3DCGI animated feature film, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, to be released in Japan in summer 2009.

We would like to thank all the people around the world who are supporting Production I.G, and wish all of you a peaceful and prosperous 2009!

Air date: November 29, 2007

In 1923, a 74-year-old French woman known as Madame D., suggested that many children were confined in Paris' underground by a secret society. Then she claimed the Director-General of the Police Agency, her husband, the children and many other people had been replaced by their doubles. Since then the Delusional Misidentification Syndrome was known as l'illusion des sosies (the illusion of the doubles) or the Capgras Delusion, named after the French psychiatrist who first described the disorder.

Script: Chiaki J. Konaka
Storyboard: Itsuro Kawasaki
Director: Itsuro Kawasaki
Animation Director: Mitsunori Nakamura

Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is one of the 10 feature films nominated for the Platinum Grand Prize at the 12th Future Film Festival, to be held in Bologna, Italy from January 26 to 31, 2010. The screening at the Future Film Festival is the movie's Italian premiere.

The Future Film Festival is one of the most prominent international film festivals in Italy, showcasing the latest trends of digital technology and animation (whether 2D or 3D) in modern filmmaking.

Screening Schedule at the 12th Future Film Festival:

Date: January 27th (Wed)
Time: 10:30
Place: Teatro Duse

Date: January 29th (Fri)
Time: 19:15
Place: Teatro Duse

Future Film Festival 2010 official website:
http://www.futurefilmfestival.org/

© 2009 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK / Production I.G / DENTSU / PONY CANYON

Air date: November 22, 2007

The Canadian neurologist Wilder Penfield succeeded in creating the sensation of an out-of-body experience by stimulating the cerebral neocortex with electrical probes. He was responsible for great discoveries about the localized functions of the brain, but he adhered to the Cartesian dualism of "the heart does not exist in the brain" to his final days.

Script: Chiaki J. Konaka
Storyboard: Katsuhisa Yamada
Director: Hiroshi Tamada
Animation Director: Joji Sawada

Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror was awarded Animation of the Year at the Japan Academy Prizes.

Started in 1978 and operated by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association with the mission of supporting the advancement and development of cinematic art, technique and science, the Japan Academy Prizes added the Animation Category four years ago, and Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror is one of the five animated movies awarded for this 33rd edition. The jury will confer the Best Animation of the Year Prize during the official ceremony on March 5, 2010 choosing among the five works awarded this time.

Selected for the Anima't competition section at the 42nd Sitges International Film Festival, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror was Jury Recommended Work in the Animation Division of the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival.

Japan Academy Prize official website:
http://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/

© 2009 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK / Production I.G / DENTSU / PONY CANYON

Air date: November 15, 2007

In 1966, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, there was a concentrated sighting of a moth-like creature, that became known as Mothman. John A. Keel, who surveyed the area, had abnormal experiences such as a mysterious voice speaking to him from a radio and he later reasoned that the existence of Mothman, UFO and fairies were transcendental terrestrial organisms that could not be sensed by humans.

Script: Chiaki J. Konaka
Storyboard: Yoshitaka Koyama
Director: Daisuke Tsukushi
Animation Director: Kyoko Kotani

Kenji Kamiyama's TV series Eden of the East has been nominated Jury Recommended Work in the Animation Division of the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival (2009).

Nine Production I.G works received recognitions in the past editions. In 2000, Blood: The Last Vampire (director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo) was awarded with the Animation Division Grand Prize, and in 2002, Episode 2 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (director: Kenji Kamiyama) received the Excellence Prize in the same category. In 2004, both Innocence (director: Mamoru Oshii) and Otogi Zoshi (director: Mizuho Nishikubo) were nominated Jury Recommended Works. In the 10th edition, I.G was double awarded with Solid State Society (Jury Recommended Work, Animation Division) and the bisque doll reproducing D'Eon de Beaumont (from Kazuhiro Furuhashi's TV series Le Chevalier D'Eon), appointed Jury Recommended Work in the Entertainment Division. In the 11th edition, Kenji Kamiyama was greeted with two Jury Recommended Work recognitions for Solid State Society (for the second consecutive year) and Guardian of the Spirit. In 2008, Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers was nominated Jury Recommended Work along with Naoyoshi Shiotani's Tokyo Marble Chocolate. This year, Shinsuke Sato's feature film Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror was also nominated Jury Recommended Work in the same Animation Division.

Started in 1997, the Japan Media Arts Festival is a "Contest" that praises creative media art works utilizing the latest expression technology, and it is also a "Festival" that supports creative activity and broadly presents various art works. At the same time, the event is promoting the development of media arts in Japan by providing the opportunities of appreciation, such as Exhibitions and Sanctioned Events.

Japan Media Arts Festival official website (English available):
http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/

© EDEN OF THE EAST

Shinsuke Sato's Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror has been nominated Jury Recommended Work in the Animation Division of the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival (2009).

Nine Production I.G works received recognitions in the past editions. In 2000, Blood: The Last Vampire (director: Hiroyuki Kitakubo) was awarded with the Animation Division Grand Prize, and in 2002, Episode 2 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (director: Kenji Kamiyama) received the Excellence Prize in the same category. In 2004, both Innocence (director: Mamoru Oshii) and Otogi Zoshi (director: Mizuho Nishikubo) were nominated Jury Recommended Works. In the 10th edition, I.G was double awarded with Solid State Society (Jury Recommended Work, Animation Division) and the bisque doll reproducing D'Eon de Beaumont (from Kazuhiro Furuhashi's TV series Le Chevalier D'Eon), appointed Jury Recommended Work in the Entertainment Division. In the 11th edition, Kenji Kamiyama was greeted with two Jury Recommended Work recognitions for Solid State Society (for the second consecutive year) and Guardian of the Spirit. In 2008, Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers was nominated Jury Recommended Work along with Naoyoshi Shiotani's Tokyo Marble Chocolate. This year, Kenji Kamiyama's TV series Eden of the East was also nominated Jury Recommended Work in the same Animation Division.

Started in 1997, the Japan Media Arts Festival is a "Contest" that praises creative media art works utilizing the latest expression technology, and it is also a "Festival" that supports creative activity and broadly presents various art works. At the same time, the event is promoting the development of media arts in Japan by providing the opportunities of appreciation, such as Exhibitions and Sanctioned Events.

Japan Media Arts Festival official website (English available):
http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/

© 2009 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK / Production I.G / DENTSU / PONY CANYON

Japan's leading animation studio Production I.G, Inc. and Singapore's Storm Lion Pte Ltd announced today at the Anime Festival Asia's Animation Asia Conference 2009 in Singapore a collaboration between the two companies in the creation, development and production of a full 3D CG animated feature film entitled Titan Rain.

Titan Rain marks the first ever collaboration between Production I.G and Storm Lion. It utilizes a unique 3D CGI technique and a cutting-edge anime creativity to appeal to the worldwide audience. "I can think of no better partners than Production I.G in such a groundbreaking project that will surpass both technical and creative standards in CG Anime feature production," says Storm Lion's CEO, Edmund Shern. Shern's own sci-fi racing creation, Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland is currently being developed as a major live-action Hollywood feature film with New Regency and producer Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) at the helm, with script by Mike Finch (who recently scripted Robert Rodriguez's Predators).

Shern's sentiments are echoed by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, President & CEO of Production I.G, Inc. Ishikawa says, "We believe that Storm Lion will bring a more international flavor to this collaboration and help give this anime a unique quality which will appeal to new audiences worldwide."

Work on the animated feature has already begun and the project is slated for a major theatrical release all over the world. Directing the animated feature is Atsushi Takeuchi.

Takeuchi has designed mechas and vehicles for most of Production I.G's big titles including the Patlabor movies, Ghost in the Shell, Innocence, IGPX and Venice Golden Lion-nominated The Sky Crawlers, for which he also drawn the storyboards of the air battle scenes. He is also the first Japanese creator to ever direct an episode of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars where he also designed all of the characters and mechas. "In order to survive in today's complexed society, the human race needs to be strong," Takeuchi explains. "Facing the harsh reality of life is one of the main themes of this project and I'm truly excited to be able to present this in the form of an anime to the world."

The story for Titan Rain is written by Tow Ubukata and Edmund Shern. One of the most charismatic young novelists in Japan, Tow Ubukata, who's written best seller titles such as Le Chevalier d'Eon, Heroic Age and Mardock Scramble; says, "I hope to bring something unique to the table for the new generation of anime fans while drawing influences from past Science Fiction shows."

Titan Rain is Shern's second foray in collaborating with a Japanese creator. Shern previously wrote the international edition of Yoshitaka Amano's Mateki: The Magic Flute for Radical Books.

Titan Rain will also feature characters and concepts will be designed by Takashi Okazaki, the world-famous creator of Afro Samurai.

Bear McCreary, one of Hollywood's most exciting up and coming composers and the man responsible for the soundtracks to Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, will be scoring the soundtrack to the animation. His work on the television series Battlestar Galactica has been described as offering "some of the most innovative music on TV today," by Variety. Bear says, "Science fiction and fantasy anime films were a part of my first inspiration to become a composer, so this opportunity to collaborate with the creative and talented artists at Storm Lion and Production I.G in this genre is a dream come true. The musical score to Titan Rain will be as original, dynamic and powerful as the story and visuals."

Bear also scores the series, Trauma, Eureka and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and will be scoring the upcoming CAPCOM video game Dark Void.

Titan Rain begins pre-production in 2010 and will debut in early 2012 internationally.

About Storm Lion
Storm Lion was founded by Edmund Shern as an integrated entertainment company with a dual core business as a publishing company for generating new intellectual properties that can be published, marketed and developed for graphic novels, video games, animated features, television and feature film, and a media company dedicated to developing film and television projects in Hollywood and Asia. Shern also serves as Chief Operating Officer for Storm Lion's sister company - LA based, Radical Publishing.
In March 2009, Storm Lion announced that Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland, a Singaporean-created comic book title written by Shern had been acquired by New Regency for development into a major live-action feature film that will be distributed by Fox.

© 2010 PRODUCTION I.G, INC AND STORM LION PTE LTD

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Shishido Nanigashi, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Production I.G and Storm Lion unveil Titan Rain, a new international animated feature film project to be directed by Atsushi Takeuchi. Read the details here.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival. Check the details here.
The movie is also screening at the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, Canada. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 04 here.

November 2009: Week 2

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Sasaki Kojiro, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival. Check the details here.
Musashi is also having its USA premiere at the 4th San Francisco International Animation Festival. Check the details here.
Finally, the movie is screening at the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, Canada. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 03 here.

November 2009: Week 1

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Blood+ director Junichi Fujisaku is working on Loups-Garous, his directorial debut in a feature film. We added the info page here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Ghost Hound Focus: 02 here.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival. Check the details here.
Musashi is also having its USA premiere at the 4th San Francisco International Animation Festival. Check the details here.
Finally, the movie has also been officially invited to the 13th Holland Animation Film Festival in Utrecht. Check the details here.

October 2009: Week 5

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival. Check the details here.
Musashi is also having its USA premiere at the 4th San Francisco International Animation Festival. Check the details here.
Finally, the movie has also been officially invited to the 13th Holland Animation Film Festival in Utrecht. Check the details here.

October 2009: Week 1

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Sasaki Kojiro, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the Free Spirit Competition of the 25th Warsaw International Film Festival. Check the details here.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai is having its North American premiere at the 38th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montreal. Check the details here.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the Official Fantastic Competition of Sitges 09. Check the details here.
Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror has been selected in competition for the Anima't Section of Sitges 09. Check the details here.

July 2009: Week 3

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai has been selected for the 62nd Film Festival Locarno. Check the details here.
We added the staff and cast of Oblivion Island here.

June 2009: Week 3

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai is featured in NHK World imagine-nation, the Japanese pop culture-focused TV program broadcast worldwide in English. Check the details here.
Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike feature film project unveiled! Read the details here.
We added the press conference report of Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai here.
The Japanese website of Oblivion Island is streaming a new trailer. Check the details here.

May 2009: Week 1

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in the forthcoming Mizuho Nishikubo's film Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai is featured in NHK World imagine-nation, the Japanese pop culture-focused TV program broadcast worldwide in English. Check the details here.
Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike feature film project unveiled! Read the details here.
We added the press conference report of Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai here.
The Japanese website of Oblivion Island is streaming a new trailer. Check the details here.
Kazuto Nakazawa's Asience: Hairy Tales has been selected in competition at the 16th Stuttgard Festival of Animated Film. Check the details here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Library War episode 12 here.
We added the synopsis of the TV series Blood + episode 41 here.

December 2008: Week 2

This week's Top Page is dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi, as seen in the forthcoming Mizuho Nishikubo movie Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai.

Check our info page of Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai here.
Naoyoshi Shiotani's directorial debut, Tokyo Marble Chocolate is Jury Recommended Work at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival. Read the details here.
Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers is Jury Recommended Work at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival. Read the details here.
Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers is premiering in LA and NY. Read the details here.
Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers is going to have its Near East premiere at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival. Read the details here.
Read the fourth and last part of our interview with The Sky Crawlers screenwriter Chihiro Ito here.
I.G announces Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (tentative title), its first 3DCG feature film. Read the details here.

Air date: November 8, 2007

If growing up inevitably involves pain, then in order to distinguish which moment in the past was the "rite of passage," one has to recollect the painful thorn prick from the fetters of memory. This process too should be regarded as a form of initiation as a human being, which must be gone through before the ineluctable coming of death.

Script: Chiaki Konaka
Storyboard: Yoshitaka Koyama
Director: Kenichi Matsuzawa
Animation Directors: Masahiro Hamamori, Minoru Ueta

Mizuho Nishikubo's Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai will screen at the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema 2009 (WFAC 2009), to be held in Waterloo, Canada, from November 19 to 22, 2009.

WFAC is a film festival dedicated to the celebration and promotion of feature-length animation, targeted at a mature audience. WFAC brings its audience to discover some of the very best feature
animation from around the world, without prejudice to technique, country of origin or the size of the budget.

Screening schedule:
Date: November 22, 2009 (Sun)
Time: 15:30
Place: The Gig Theatre (137 Ontario Street North, Kitchener, Ontario)

Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema 2009 official website:
http://www.wfac.ca/

© 2009 Production I.G/Musashi Production Committee

Air date: November 1, 2007

Some people have a strong fear toward something that others don't. This is a mechanism of the brain that is not controlled by consciousness. For what reason was this mechanism formulated? It seems there is no need to be persistently burdened with fears toward something that is no longer related to one's intuition to survive.

Script: Chiaki Konaka
Director: Ryutaro Nakamura
Storyboard: Taro Iwasaki
Animation Director: Minoru Ueta