One of the primary features that every anime fan notices in an anime is its animation. A good animation provides an extremely soothing experience. This is why people have started paying a lot of attention to the different animation studios. Animating an anime requires a lot of hard work and dedication. To get a closer look at the situation of the animators in Japan, Mipon conducted an interview with Ken Arto. Ken Arto is a very popular animator who has worked with several renowned studios, including MAPPA and Ufotables. The animator also has animated series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. In the interview, Arto talks about several important details related to Japanese animation.
Ken Arto is a very calm man who answered all questions with the utmost modesty. Everything that he said could prove extremely informative for budding animators who have a deep passion for the occupation. The interview with Ken Arto also gives us an idea about how the industry works from within, which is quite exciting to ponder upon. Ken Arto’s interview with Mipon, one that everyone should take a look at. Anime is a very popular industry that is still growing. Amidst this growing industry, several fans are curious to know what happens behind the scenes.
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Interview With Ken Arto
“When you’re doing difficult cuts, it’s the way you learn. It’s painful, but it’s important to push your limits and be a better animator.” – Ken Arto, 2021 (Source: Mipon)
Animation is a complicated business and requires an ample amount of hard work. Ken Arto conveys this by revealing that he missed several hours of sleep when he worked on Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Being an animator in Japan is quite challenging for non-Japanese aspirants since the profession requires expertise in Japanese animation as a priority. So, even if an animator has taken a course in animation in general, they might need to learn about Japanese animation from scratch if they seek to work in anime specifically.
On being asked the difference between working for an anime movie and an anime series, Ken Arto reveals that working for a movie gave the animators more time to work on the animation as compared to the time they got to animate a series. Moreover, the pay per cut is better when it comes to animating an anime movie. When talking about his experience with Jujutsu Kaisen, he reveals that animating emotional scenes are more difficult than animating action scenes. Emotional scenes require a constant precision in size and appearance of the characters in addition to working on delivering the right emotions. However, as he talks about action scenes, he concludes with a different answer. “Actually, animation is difficult,” Ken Arto says, laughing.
This was indeed a very interesting interview. Here is the complete interview with Ken Arto, where he talks about his experience with Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
About Ken Arto
Ken Arto is a 31-year-old animator who has worked on several notable anime. His mother is Japanese, and his father is French. This is why he spent most of his life in France. Although he often visited Japan to visit his maternal relatives, it was not until six years ago that he moved to Japan.
He graduated from the Academy of Clermont-Ferrand with a degree in Artistic Trades. In 2011 he interned as a ‘douga’ (in-betweener) for Telecom Animation Film. Later, he also worked for animation studios like Studio Graphinica and Yapiko Animation. Currently, he has been working for Studio 4°C as a key animator since 2019.
「#呪術廻戦」第16話
原画で参加させていただきました。
終盤の真希対三輪を描きました！
よろしくお願い致します！As key animator, I participated on [#JujutsuKaisen] episode 16.
I drew Maki VS Miwa at the ending !
Please look forward ! pic.twitter.com/rceYIgE8v6— アルト健｜Ken Arto (@KenArto) January 29, 2021
From his interview with Mipon, it is notable that Ken Arto can also be very critical of his work. When asked, he says that he does not really enjoy watching his animation on screen as he tends to see the parts he could have improved clearly. His down-to-earth personality gleams throughout the interview as he answers all questions with the utmost sincerity and honesty. We wish him all the best for his future and hope to see more of his work ahead in the profound world of the anime industry.
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