02: about my company

First of all, I’d like to share a bit about my company.

There are many animation studios in Japan, such as Studio Ghibli, Toei, Mappa, and many more.
These companies usually have the capacity to create entire animations
(though it might vary depending on the studio).

However, the company I work for isn’t technically an animation studio.
My company doesn’t produce entire anime; instead, we specialize in creating backgrounds for anime.
Only the backgrounds.

There are three main departments in my company:

1. Background Design
   This department creates the worlds in which anime takes place.
   It is the team that starts work early in the animation production process.
   This is the department I belong to.
2. Background Art
   This team focuses on deciding and painting the colors of the backgrounds.
   It’s the largest department in the company, and many people here aim to become art directors in the future.
3. 3D Department
   This team creates 3D-modeled backgrounds based on the designs created by my department.
   Apart from modeling,
   they also render images to match storyboard cuts.
   They mainly use software like 3ds Max, Maya, and Blender.

Creating anime involves contributions from many people.
Sometimes, I feel confused compared to my previous job in the Japanese manga industry.
I often worry about my skills and whether they’re sufficient.
While I generally enjoy drawing backgrounds, I don’t think I have a special talent for it.
However, I feel truly happy when I create a good piece and someone praises my work.

I’ve faced a variety of problems and challenges in my career so far, and I’d like to share them with you little by little.