- Originality trumps technically good, taps childhood mode to unlock creativity
- Supports the use of AI but still unsure where to implement it into his work
Acclaimed Japanese animator and director, Koji Morimoto, co-founder of Studio 4°C in Tokyo along with Eiko Tanaka in 1986, whose career spans over four decades, was another headline speaker at the second day of the ASEAN Digital Content Summit 2025 (ADCS 2025), organised by Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation in Johor Bharu last Thursday.
Renowned for his work in the 1988 anime movie, Akira, where he was Environments Designer and Second Chief Animator, Koji is equally known for working on animation anthologies and movies such as The Animatrix, Memories, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
The Animatrix is noteworthy because the 2003 adult animated science fiction anthology film consists of nine short films, produced by the Wachowsky Brothers, detailing the backstory of The Matrix film series. Koji and his Studio 4°C where one of four animation studios involved in the production, in charge of animating and directing four of the short films.
In 2011, Morimoto left Studio 4°C to embrace new challenges, launching Creative Team Φphy in Tokyo, becoming the Executive Art Director.
With Japanese anime films renowned for their innovative storytelling techniques, which often push the boundaries of traditional narrative structures, films like Akira, directed by Koji, explore complex themes and present intricate plots that challenge conventional storytelling norms. Yet, while Koji is recognised as being a director of anime productions in western compiled lists of animation leaders, on his own website, Koji states that he is also a filmmaker, visual creator, and art director. Not surprisingly, his session drew a rapt audience including animation students, hoping to pick up some tips and be inspired in their own creative journeys.
One key tip he shared for aspiring artists wanting to continually improve their craft, was to be sensitive and open to different perspectives.
“It’s actually the accumulation of little things, such as going to school 10 minutes earlier, or, rather than just walking with your typical posture, you lower it to change your perspective of things around you. When you can see different views and feel the differences, all these details matter for your creative training,” Koji said.
For example, when he looks at a picture book or the landscape, instead of looking the ordinary way, he would turn it around. In most of the pictures, the landscape will look more like a triangle, that the bottom side is bigger, and the more you go higher or the upper, it gets thinner, but when turned, the balance will be a little bit awkward or different.
Recalling how his interest in animation was formed while in school in the 1970s, drawing pictures frame-by-frame in his textbook, “When I was in junior high school, there was an animation movie called Space Battleship Yamato, which at that time was becoming very popular in Japan. That was the first time I became very interested in animation,” he said during his keynote session at ADCS 2025.
[Ed: As Koji does not speak English, his session was moderated by Takafumi Yuki, CEO & Producer of Throne Inc, who served as translator.]
“At the time, there were no animation schools or universities, especially in the countryside where I resided,” he said.
However, that did not stop Koji from accumulating certain habits. He was a keen observer of people in his youth, which gave him the reference he needed to study and sketch.
Besides this power of observation in the subtle and nuanced, keeping in touch with one’s inner child is a key link to fostering creativity and imagination without boundaries and rigid societal norms, especially in a conformist society like Japan.
On character design, Koji said, “Whenever I seek new ideas and designs, I sometimes try to recall my childhood where I would draw any kind of character with total freedom of creativity.”
Formal training and three-dimensional adoption
His formal training started when he became the first student at a new animation school. “I saw an advertisement for a school that had just opened to teach animation, and applied, becoming its first student.”
Upon graduation in 1979 he worked at some studios before launching Studio 4°C.
Instead of American comics and illustrators, Koji’s artstyle was more influenced by Bande Dessinée or Franco-Belgian comics, particularly works done by French animator, Jean Giraud, known by his artistic pseudonym Moebius.
During his time working on the anime movie Akira which was released in 1988, Koji shared that while he was conscious about the X and Y axis, yet he was also very conscious about putting the Z axis which represents depth and is the three-dimensional aspect of art.
“Computer graphics technology was not there yet, so that even background buildings that were drawn frame-by-frame needed to be three-dimensional,” he said.
By the time he was working on the animation movie Macros Plus (1994), computer graphics had become accessible and Koji had his first experience in using it. But he was only allowed to apply it sparingly. “During that time, 3D computer graphics were so expensive that I was only allowed to apply it to six or seven shots.”
Implementing AI into animation
Despite not touching on AI and its impact on animation, the audience questions to him were mainly around AI. Commenting on the shifting paradigms of digital and creative content development caused by AI, instead of being concerned of the potential negative impact on jobs in animation, Koji seemed to be supportive of the use of AI. “I’m currently looking into AI to see if I can implement it into my own works, because more individual artists are going to be able to make a film using AI.”
Explaining his practical rationale, he recalled how in his student days, it was impossible to make a film by oneself, but not anymore. “Nowadays, especially the young artists, they have these new tools and technology which even one person can use to make a film. I’m always searching on YouTube for these new, young artists.”
Not surprisingly he admits that figuring out AI in his world is a challenge for him, in particular since the speed of the technology is so fast. “I’m still figuring out where to implement AI into my work. At this moment, AI can assist in areas like script writing and design-wise, but it’s not reliable yet to be fully used in any animation work.”
His big concern however is that with new technology, the internet and smartphones, the world has become smaller and the distance has become shorter. As a result, “Many people are able to access the same kind of information; at the same time. Meaning, it’s getting harder for people to express their originality.”
“Therefore, rather than a nice, technically good image or visuals, strong originality would stand out more and survive,” he added.
Karamjit Singh contributed to the article.
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