【Kawaii Anime×Ninja】The anime project “NINPO SASUKE” has been selected for the Asian Animation Summit 2024 and will be making a presentation!

©SUGIURA Shigeru

Fanworks Inc. is pleased to announce that the animation project “NINPO SASUKE” has been selected as one of the Japanese representatives at the Asian Animation Summit (AAS) 2024, Asia’s largest animation pitch event to be held this year in Taipei, Taiwan, in November, where we will be making a presentation about the project.

The animation project is based on “Sarutobi Sasuke”, a masterpiece by Sugiura Shigeru[*Mr Sugiura’s English notation is Sugiura Shigeru], one of the legends of Japanese gag manga, whom Hayao Miyazaki is a big fan of and of whom Osamu Tezuka said “I could never imitate [his work]”. Fanworks has teamed up with Moto Sakakibara, director of many masterpieces such as “Rudolph and Ippaiattena”, “Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure”, and “Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back!”, to recreate Sugiura Shigeru’s cute and popular characters in the world of anime. 

We will be presenting “NINPO SASUKE”, a one-of-a-kind adventure story that combines Japan’s world-popular Kawaii anime with the world of ninjas, to the media, content industry professionals, and anime fans from around the world.

“NINPO SASUKE” was also announced on the AAS2024 official website.

https://aas.kidscreen.com/2024/projects/

■What is Sugiura Shigeru’s “Sarutobi Sasuke”?

Hayao Miyazaki is a self-proclaimed big fan of Sugiura Shigeru, and Osamu Tezuka has said that he “could never imitate” his manga. Sugiura Shigeru is said to have influenced many legends of the Japanese entertainment industry. He led the children’s manga world before and after the war with his humorous ninjutsu, adventure, and action manga, and in later years he opened up new ground in surreal gags for adults, demonstrating his unique and original presence. His representative work, “Sarutobi Sasuke,” is based on the legendary figure Sarutobi Sasuke, who is said to be a master of Koganinjutsu, and the main character, who is skilled in ninjutsu and drawn by Shigeru Sugiura, became very popular among children. Sarutobi Sasuke, who serves Yukimura Sanada, travels around the country and goes on a rampage with his fantastic ninjutsu. The humorous characters of Sasuke’s companions, the Ten Braves of Sanada, and the Tokugawa ninjutsu users who work with him are also loved, and the work still attracts many fans today.