Japanese TV to film tenth Animex

A leading Japanese computer games illustrator and graphic designer is visiting the University next week, accompanied by a TV crew.

Susumu Matsushita will be sharing his expertise during Animex, our annual festival of animation and computer games, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.

A crew from Brosta TV, a Japanese TV channel, will also be attending to film his contribution to the international festival and other events.

Big in Japan Susumu is famous in Japan through his illustrations for the computer games Maximo, Golden Axe and Ghosts 'n Goblins. He also illustrates the front covers for the country’s highly respected games magazine Famitsu whose editor-in-chief Hideki Osada will also be attending Animex.

Brosta TV has a major animation awards competition each year, with a student section. Last year they invited Chris Williams, a Principal lecturer in Animation and Animex Director, to attend their awards ceremony in Japan. A partnership has now formed between Brosta and the Animex team, whereby students who enter Brosta’s student animation awards can enter the equivalent at Animex, and vice-versa.

Gabrielle Kent, Senior Lecturer in Computer Games Art and Design at the University and Animex Game’s Director, said: ‘It’s very exciting to have both Susumu and Brosta TV over for the tenth Animex. We’ve got a Japanese contingent of 13 over for the festival, it will really help us to promote Animex over there and strengthen this new partnership.

‘A lot of students are obsessed with the anime style of illustration. The most common forms of anime feature exaggerated character attributes and facial features such as large eyes, big hairstyles and elongated limbs. Susumu has his own quirky take on this style which has made him such a popular and recognisable artist in Japan. Susumu will be delivering a workshop to guests, showing how to draw a strong, attractive computer games character.”

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