The Minds Behind The Decision

Sho Hosokawa

Vice President, Studio ONI Inc. / Japanese Traditional Ink Painter & Art Director

Sho Hosokawa is a Kyoto-based Japanese traditional ink painter. At Studio ONI Inc., he oversees the Art Division as Executive Producer and works as an art director and animator specializing in Japanese traditional ink painting. He has worked on projects including Supercell’s official Brawl Stars animation and a Japanese traditional ink painting animation connected to the NHK Taiga drama BROTHERS IN ARMS, handling art direction as well as character animation and background art created in the Japanese traditional ink painting style.

Kinosuke Rakuga

Vice President, Studio ONI Inc. / Lead Animator / Chief Animation Director / Assistant Director

Kinosuke Rakuga leads the Animation Division of Studio ONI Inc. as Producer, Lead Animator, Chief Animation Director, and Assistant Director. For Supercell’s official Brawl Stars animation, she served as Assistant Director, Storyboard Artist, Lead Animator, and VFX Artist. She has also worked on a Japanese traditional ink painting animation connected to the NHK Taiga drama BROTHERS IN ARMS and the Graphinica music video Himitsu, handling storyboards, lead animation, and chief animation direction.

Yukina

Studio ONI Inc. / Illustrator

Yukina is an illustrator who graduated from Nara College of Arts. She specializes in carefully capturing the emotion and appeal of characters. Since 2024, she has been part of Studio ONI Inc. as an illustrator, contributing to its original Japanese traditional ink painting anime, Operation ONI.

Hiroshi Takane

CEO & Creative Director, Studio ONI Inc.

Hiroshi Takane is a Tokyo-based creative director, producer, copywriter and scriptwriter with over 20 years of experience in storytelling, advertising, and animation. As the founder of Studio ONI, he is known for blending Japanese traditional ink painting aesthetics with modern hand-drawn animation, creating a distinctive visual and narrative style. His work spans advertising and branded content for major clients including NHK, Canon Marketing Japan, LEXUS, SONY, DeNA, Wacoal, BABYMETAL, and Granblue Fantasy. He has also contributed to large-scale projects such as the immersive edutainment facility "Wonderia YOKOHAMA," where he led worldbuilding and narrative design. In addition, he served as Creative Director for an ink painting animation project linked to the NHK Taiga Drama "Toyotomi Brothers! (BROTHERS IN ARMS)." He has also written scripts for video games including Nintendo's Fire Emblem series.

LĒ Yamamura

Creature Designer & Illustrator

LĒ Yamamura is one of the most outstanding and in-demand creature designers and illustrators in Japan today. With a strong foundation in anatomy, she creates highly original creatures that seamlessly blend realism and fantasy. Her signature work includes the Netflix animated series "Leviathan," where she served as the creature designer and was responsible for designing all creatures featured in the production, demonstrating her exceptional ability to build entire ecosystems through design.

Her portfolio includes contributions to a wide range of internationally recognized titles across games, film, and global publishing. These include major projects such as Square Enix's "Lord of Vermilion IV," the globally popular mobile game "Puzzle & Dragons," and "FANTASIAN" by Mistwalker, as well as "Magic: The Gathering" and "Metaphor: ReFantazio." She has also contributed to high-profile animation and film-related projects, including the animated film "Belle" produced by Studio Chizu, as well as global publishing projects such as the internationally known "Wings of Fire" series.

In addition, she has collaborated with major international companies including miHoYo, further demonstrating her strong global presence and cross-cultural relevance. In addition, she is a lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts, further establishing her as both a leading artist and an educator.

Tehzeeb Khurana

Animation Director, Educator & Founder - Toon Club

Tehzeeb Khurana is an animation director, educationist, and cultural curator with over two decades of experience in animation filmmaking, visual storytelling, and creative education. She is the founder of Toon Club, an internationally recognized initiative dedicated to teaching animation filmmaking and storytelling to children and young adults aged 7 - 18.

Jazyl Homavazir

2D Animation Professional

The Indian anime-style art scene has been headlined by Mumbai-based 2D animator Jazyl Homavazir for over 13 years. He is also the creator of India's first and longest ongoing webmanga, The Beast Legion. His notable artworks include a series of works where he pairs up anime characters with Indian Gods who share similar traits, as well as other crossover artworks that leave people wanting more.

Nina Sabnani

Indian Filmmaker & Festival Director - AniMela

Nina Sabnani is an Indian animation filmmaker, illustrator and an educator. She is known for her films which blend together animation and ethnography. Collaboration with diverse ethnic communities as well as storytelling with words and imagery have been her research interests.

Anil NM Wanvari

Founder & Chairman - Animation Xpress

Anil NM Wanvari is the Founder & Chairman of Animation Xpress and Editor-in-Chief of India's leading media platforms covering the Animation, VFX, Gaming, and Comics ecosystem. With over four decades of industry observation and engagement, he has been a key voice documenting and shaping India's AVGC landscape.

Shambhoo Phalke

Consultant & AI Content Head at Rocket Reels Vertical Microdrama OTT Mumbai

Shambhoo Phalke has contributed to 6 theatrical animation films and over 20,000 minutes of TV animation, bringing decades of industry experience. He attributes his journey to the guidance of mentors and the support of his parents who shaped his path.