Anime Innovation Tokyo/Atsuya Uki

ait-divider

Anime Innovation Tokyo (AIT) is a unique anime studio, as they don’t work in quite the same way as the others featured in this list. AIT, instead of producing solely theatrical films with big-name directors aims to encourage young and unique talent in the anime industry by finding sponsorship for and producing short (usually around half an hour) innovative anime films. Pilot films are first made to drum up support for the projects and then the films are more expensively produced and widely distributed.  While always visually and thematically striking, unless otherwise noted AIT films are not recommended for viewing with younger family members.

Atsuya Uki

Cencoroll  (2009)
Senkorōru (センコロール)

cencoroll

At a mere half-hour Cencoroll qualifies as the shortest anime movie featured in this guide, but there are a great many things that make up for what it lacks in length. Cencoroll was the first anime movie written, designed, directed, and animated by a single person (Atsuya Uki) that Anime Innovation Tokyo was able to get anime giant Aniplex to bankroll. It took Ukisan two years to make this half-hour movie by himself, but as with all AIT productions, its quality and uniqueness are second to none. The movie’s plot follows Tetsu, a male highschool student, and his blob-like, shape-shifting, psychically-controlled creature named Cenco as they battle another student named Shū who controls two such creatures and is hoping to make Cenco his third. Tetsu and Cenco get more help than they were expecting from an inquisitive girl named Yuki who is amazed by Cenco’s abilities and that Tetsu had been hiding him for so long. You definitely have the extra 30 minutes to spare to watch this superb little anime film and the only bad thing about it is that you’ll want to see more. Luckily for all of us a Cencoroll 2 is currently in production, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see more of Tetsu, Cenco, and Yuki’s exploits.