The Young Animator Training Project (若手アニメーター育成プロジェクト, Wakate Animētā Ikusei Purojekuto) is an annual project launched in 2010, and funded by the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs in order to support training animators. The project culminates in a series of anime shorts produced by various animation studios each year called:
Project A, released in 2011
Anime Mirai (アニメミライ; lit. "Anime Future"), released in 2012–2015
Anime Tamago (あにめたまご; lit. "Anime Egg"), released in 2016-2020
Anime no Tane (あにめのたね; lit. "Anime's Seed"), released since 2021
History
The project was launched by Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) in 2010. The animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (about US$2.27 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios to train young animators on-the-job during the year. One of the reasons for the support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs is the concern that more of the Japanese animation process is being outsourced overseas—thus leading to a decline in opportunities to teach animation techniques within Japan. In 2011 the Agency once again provided funding for JAniCA to select more young training projects under the same budgets.[1][2][3][4]
In April 2014, JAniCA announced that they are no longer running the initiative. Later it was announced that The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) will run the project.[5]
Animations
The following animations were created out of the funding provided by the Young Animator Training Project. Animation studios bid for funding, and each year, four studios are selected to produce short films. All short films air in theaters each year in March.
The following shorts were produced in 2015. This is the first year after The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) took over this project and renamed it to Anime Tamago.[18][19]
Ometeotoru≠HERO (オメテオトル≠HERO, Ometeotoru≠Hīrō) - Speed Inc.
The Chronicles of Rebecca (レベッカ, Rebekka) - Vega Entertainment [ja]
Michiru Rescue! (みちるレスキュー！, Michiru Resukyū!) - Yumeta Company
Anime no Tane 2021
The following shorts were produced in 2020. While the name was changed, AJA is still in charge of the project. Shorts produced for Animenotane are 7-10 minutes, instead of the usual 24 in previous years.[25][26]
DELIVER POLICE/Nishi-Tōkyō-shi Deliver Keisatsu-tai (西東京市デリバー警察隊, lit. West Tokyo City Delivery Police Force) - Imagica
Hachimitsu Suicide Machine (ハチミツスーサイドマシーン) - Usagi ou inc.
The following shorts have been announced for production in 2022.[29]
NICO/AGONY - Usagi-ou
Wander Burabura Bakkamu - Echoes
MoshiMeta -Moshi Mesukōsei ga Metaverse de Miko ni Nattara- (もしメタ -もし女子高生がメタバースで巫女になったら-, lit. MoshiMeta -What If a High School Girl Became a Shrine Maiden in the Metaverse-) - Studio L
Tsuru ga Mau Yoru ni (鶴が舞う夜に, lit. On the Night When Cranes Dance) - Noovo, pH Studio
Anime no Tane 2024
The following shorts have been announced for production in 2023.[30][31]
^"アニメーション受託制作4団体 決定のお知らせ" [Announcement of the selection of four animation production companies] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-08-14.
^"制作作品情報" [Production Information] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2025-02-20.
