Faculty of Manga
Department of Animation Animation Course アニメーションコース

Exploring the Power of Movement to Breathe Life into Art

At the Animation Course, what we emphasize most is the pursuit of expression in movement.Movement can convey not only a character's emotions but also things like their personality and their age.In class, students learn both theoretical and practical approaches to techniques that express all sorts of things through movement.In addition to hand-drawing and computer graphics, students also learn about direction, photography, and sound.A variety of specialists are involved in the production of animation.Some people draw backgrounds, some do the sound effects, and others create special effects with computer graphics.In this course, students learn the theory and practice behind these advanced skills to become professionals.Armed with these skills and expertise, students aim to become creators of animated works that move the hearts and minds of people around the world.

Subject Highlights

  • Applied Practicum in Animation (Year 2)

    In this animation analysis seminar, students will master digital drawing techniques while gaining an appreciation for pantomime and Japanese Noh theater and studying the elements of movement as expressed through diverse traditions. Students will produce a short animation based on a storyboard. The practicum also includes a directing course in which students learn how to interpret and produce their own storyboards.

  • Applied Practicum in Animation (Year 3)

    Instructor Kazuhiro Wakabayashi—sound director on animated features including Spirited Away, Ghost in the Shell, and Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms—invites voice actors, sound effects staff, and other guests to help students acquire a deep understanding of animation sound direction through hands-on sessions in post-recording, sound effects, Foley sounds, and more.

What You Will Study

  1. 1STYEAR

    Learning to draw movement

    Students acquire basic painting skills such as drawing, watercolor, and color composition.There are also classes where students learn the basics of animation production, such as video, timesheets, and rudimentary computer graphics.

  2. 2NDYEAR

    Gaining specialized expertise and skills

    Students gain expertise in areas of interest such as stop motion, sound design, and 3DCG,and understand the connection between stillness and movement by watching traditional performing arts like Noh and Bunraku.

  3. 3RDYEAR

    Practical training in planning and production

    Students learn how to plan and draw storyboards to create a full-scale animation.They also take on the challenge of planning, directing, and producing a live-action drama.

  4. 4THYEAR

    Completing a graduation project

    Students form teams and divide responsibilities between them, drawing and planning together to complete their graduation work.In some cases, the completed works are evaluated at art festivals.

What You Will Learn

  • Advanced drawing and industry-standard computer graphics skills
  • The ability to plan original works and share them with others
  • Professional expertise and animation production skills

Videos About the Department of Animation

Student Artwork from 2024

Facilities

Studios for each year level.

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  • Sound studio

    A sound studio with the latest equipmentwhere students can learn about sound effects production and direction.

  • Stop-motion animation studio

    A fully equipped studio for stop-motion animation, in which objects are moved one frame at a time to create moving images.

Academic Faculty

Careers

The Animation Course is acclaimed for its learning outcomes, with student work winning numerous awards.We have produced many creators who have successful careers after university as animation artists or at animation production companies.If you have solid drawing skills and expertise in computer graphics and sound design, you are set up to do well in various modes of creative expression.

 

  • Animation artists and directors who can create original works from scratch
  • Creators in the gaming industry who utilize the expressive power of movement
  • Careers at animation and video production companies
  • Computer graphics and sound technicians and directors

Voice

  • LIN Xuanwen Current Student

    Feedback from the instructors changed my world.

    I decided to enter the Animation Course at Kyoto Seika because I was attracted to the fact that I could learn everything related to animation, from creating movement to sound design.I always try to be proactive and show a willingness to learn on my own,and I want to take full advantage of an environment that allows me to utilize 3DCG and other professional software available.I've always been good at copying pictures, so I was confident in my ability to draw coming into the course.But in my third year, my teacher put it plainly: "Sure, you can draw, but your drawings have no personality.”For the next six months, I didn't dare touch manga or anime for fear of being influenced by them. Instead, I broadened my horizons through reading in an exhaustive search for my own style.In the process, I realized that I liked fantasy, which led me to establish an original worldview for my work.I am grateful for the frank and constructive criticism from my instructor at the time. Their feedback helped shape the personality of my work before I lost myself in perfecting my technique.After graduation, I am going to work as a background concept designer at a gaming company where I interned during my third year.My goal is to continue to draw pictures that express what I really want to convey without being bound by social conventions of beauty or taboo.
  • ISHII Norihito Academic Faculty

    Experience the joy of bringing characters to life.

    Animation is the art of breathing life into characters. To do that, creators draw on their physical memories, personal experiences, and individual sensibilities—first recognizing those parts of themselves, then channeling them into their work. The ability to create characters that move with energy and emotion is one of the most captivating aspects of this field. Engaging with this kind of expression can lead to a deeper understanding of yourself and enrich your life in vivid ways. 
    Animation is both a comprehensive art form and a craft, and creating it requires a broad range of skills and knowledge, from drawing and directing to sound design and 3D CGI. In other words, studying animation means building a broad foundation of expertise and techniques. The Animation Course is led by experienced faculty who will guide you in developing essential skills each step of the way. Along the way, I also hope you’ll cultivate a generous spirit through the relationships you build with your instructors and peers. More recently, animation has found applications across a wide variety of fields, including film, advertising, and contemporary art. Opportunities to share work with global audiences are expanding, and the possibilities for creative expression continue to grow. I look forward to seeing you use the experience you gain here to explore your passions and chase your dreams.
  • SHIMOMURA Koichi Academic Faculty

    Bringing characters to life through movement.

    Movement is what draws us to animation, and you are sure to feel immense joy when a character you’ve created moves for the first time. And as your ability to depict movement improves, your characters will become more realistic and will even be able to convey emotion. That is the moment when your work truly comes to life, and experiencing that excitement is the real thrill of animation production. I myself mainly produce videos using 3D computer graphics (3DCG). Using my experience working on many 3DCG projects for commercial animation, I have recently been involved in creating images and projection mapping for events. Animations are often produced by teams of professionals from a variety of fields, and I hope that students will find their own areas of expertise and develop them during their time at Kyoto Seika.
    The Faculty of Manga is a vibrant, stimulating place that brings together many students who all aspire to join the world of manga and animation. After coming here, students are encouraged to interact not only with other students from their course but with those from other courses and faculties. This environment allows our students to be of inspiration to each other as they expand their horizons and explore their own unique forms of creative expression.