Under the Dog, Japanese anime funded through Kickstarter premiers at Baltimore Otakon

ENTERTAINMENT: Under the Dog Team Will Attend Baltimore Otakon Premier to Show Appreciation to Fans and Supporters 

BY KAZAD

Jiro Ishii: Game designer, story writer, and scriptwriter. Image: Otakon

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND– Lovers of indie anime are in for a good time at this year’s Baltimore Otakon Convention. The creative energy behind Under the Dog, the biggest budgeted Japanese anime project to date in Kickstarter‘s animation category, will be on hand at the premiere of their project in Baltimore.

ENTERTAINMENT: Menga and Anime Fans Converge in Baltimore for Otakon 2016

Under the Dog project was first announced two years ago during Otakon Convention. Now the project is ready, and members of the team that brought it to life are ready to showcase their success. Under the Dog is one of the first Japanese anime projects ever launched to be solely financed by crowdfunding.

Under the Dog

An amazing group of creative talents worked very hard to bring a high-profile project to life. They include Jiro Ishii, original story writer, Masahiro Ando, director, and Yusuke Kozaki (No More Heroes, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Fire Emblem If) as the character designer.

One of the members of the crew that will be on hand is Jiro Ishii, the scriptwriter. A game designer, story writer, and scriptwriter, Ishii was born in Hyogo, Japan, in 1967.  Filled with creative energy, his first job was in the advertisement/video industry. He soon after joined Chunsoft, a video game developer.

After years of working for others, Ishii seized time by the forelock and set up his own company Storytelling in 2015. Since then he has not looked back.  His prominent works include the video games Time Travelers, 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de, and Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. He has also worked on several anime titles including Under the Dog, Monster Strike, Bubuki/Buranki, and Canaan.

Ishii is excited about his return to Otakon and the opportunity to present their project to anime fans. He notes:  ‘We’ll be bringing the Under the Dog episode fresh out from the oven to celebrate the project’s achievement and share the premiere together with everyone at Otakon in Baltimore, where it was first announced!’

Koji Morimoto

Also expected at Otakon Convention 2016 is producer Koji Morimoto. Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1963, Morimoto grew up in the anime culture. For years, he worked at the Mitsubishi Electric and Bandai Visual. In 2013, he established his own company, Aurora. Morimoto has produced several anime titles including Under the Dog, .hack//SIGN, Please Teacher!, Canaan, and Tantei Opera Milky Holmes.

Like Ishii,  Morimoto is filled with joy by the success achieved by the exceptional team that worked on the project.  ‘Director Ando and all the staff/cast have put an amazing effort into making the original animation video, Under the Dog. And it is finally here! The animation turned out to be truly incredible, so I’m looking forward to watching the episode together with everyone on a big screen with the full-blast audio,’ he said.

On his part, Muneki Ogasawara is thankful for the support of Otakon members and is excited to show it at Otakon 2016.  An animation producer and the president of Kinema Citrus, Ogasawa is devoted to producing outstanding anime projects. Born in Ehime, Japan, in 1970, he grew up with the dream of becoming a major contributor to the anime industry.

Muneki Ogasawara

Working as a production desk and animation producer at Production IG, Bones, and Khara, Ogasawara devoted himself to excellence. In 2008, he decided to via out on his own by establishing his own company, Kinema Citrus. Ogasawa has worked on several anime titles including Under the Dog, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Black Bullet, Barakamon, Norn9, and Kumamiko.

At Otakon 2016, Ogasawara will acknowledge the immense contributions of the creative team that worked on the project and supporters.  He said: “I hope to bring and show to everyone at Otakon, Director Ando’s dedication and all the staff’s passion for making Under the Dog. I truly look forward to the opportunity of meeting those who supported us and would like to express my gratitude and appreciation in person.”

Otakon 2016 will be held August 12-14 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD.

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