"Hizukuri" is a 10-minute short anime film directed by Naoki Matsuura (Photo : YouTube/松浦直紀)
The short anime film "Hizukuri" launched on the crowdfunding platform MotionGallery in October 2016 has been fully funded. Its goal of 1 million yen ($8,500) has been met in late December.
The official website for "Hizukuri" describes its story, which takes place in a city of a parallel world. It tells of a boy who finds a pair of broken scissors among the earthly possessions of his father who just passed away.
The boy's mother then proceeds to tell him that his father used to be a gardener, and the scissors he used were made by an artisan named Sasuke, who lives in a foreign country. He takes off in a journey, traveling to the place where Sasuke resides in order to get the scissors fixed.
"Hizukuri" will become a short film that uses 2D CG animation as a medium, and it aims to be completed by November 2017, according to Crunchy Roll. It will be a 10-minute film directed by Naoki Matsuura, a member of the Japan Animation Association who worked for Production I.G. and ROBOT in the past.
The film will also feature music by UQiYO and it will feature the voice actors Yumi Yamamoto, Kenshirou Nakara, and Nyoko Mizuki. Basically, the film is based from Matsuura's real-life meeting with an artisan who still uses the traditional means of crafting scissors.
The artisan works in a blacksmith workshop SASUKE, which is based in Sakai, Osaka. The shop has been around for 150 years, and are in collaboration with Matsuura to make "Hizukuri" possible.
However, the crowdfunding campaign for "Hizukuri" is still running on MotionGallery, which will end after Jan. 27, 2017. There are plans to expand the effort for the animated film, so English-speaking supporters will be able to contribute through the IndieGoGo platform beginning sometime this month.
Here is a video of Matsuura talking with UNiQYO for "Hizukuri" music.
