Animāre

The 1st Animāre Interdisciplinary Workshop

📅Date and time: September 7, 2026 (Mon), 13:00–18:00

📍Venue: Meeting Room 1, Academic Exchange Building (Gakujutsu Koryu Kaikan), Hokkaido University (Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan)

💴Participation fee: Free of charge

RegistrationAnimare Signature

For poster presentations, please apply here.

About the Workshop

Through case studies of research and development supporting anime production ("anime R&D"), this workshop addresses interdisciplinary research that goes beyond developing new information technologies, and instead asks what "good" technology even means by understanding the practices on the ground in anime production and the social context surrounding them. We warmly welcome anyone interested in anime production to attend.

This workshop is held in conjunction with Visual Computing 2026, which will take place in Sapporo beginning the following day.

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Schedule

TimeContent
13:00

Opening remarks

We will briefly introduce Animāre and explain the purpose of this workshop. (15 min)

13:15

Talks

Three experts will discuss the current state, challenges, and future of anime production from the perspectives of technology, industry, and production practice. Jun Kato will present recent examples of research and development supporting anime production; Nao Hirasawa will discuss the history and future of the anime industry; and Akiko Sugawa will address the importance of diversity in anime production and the challenges it presents. (30 min each)

  • Jun Kato, Chief Senior Researcher, AIST
  • Nao Hirasawa, CEO, Arch Inc. / Founder & CEO, Graphinica, Inc.
  • Akiko Sugawa, Professor, Yokohama National University
14:45Break (15 min)
15:00

Poster session

We invite poster submissions on anime R&D, practical work in anime production, and their broader social context. You need to apply for a poster presentation separately from registering for the workshop. For details, see Call for Posters at the bottom of this page. (90 min)

16:30Break (15 min)
16:45

Group discussion

Participants will form groups to discuss technologies and initiatives that can support the future of anime production. Each group will then summarize its discussion and present it to the audience. (60 min)

17:45Closing (15 min)
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Call for Posters

We invite poster presentations on anime R&D, practical work in anime production, and their broader social context. Poster submissions must be made separately from workshop registration.

Required information

Note: Under the VC 2026 submission guidelines, non-peer-reviewed presentations such as poster presentations at this workshop are not considered duplicate submissions. You may therefore present work planned for VC 2026 at this workshop for an interdisciplinary audience.

Poster format

Presenters are responsible for printing their posters and bringing them to the venue. Poster presentation applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tentative submission deadline: Wednesday, August 19, 2026

SubmissionAnimare Signature

Please register for the workshop separately.

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About the Venue

The venue is the second building on the left after entering through Hokkaido University's Main Gate. Please see the campus map for reference. It is about a 10-minute walk from the north exit of JR Sapporo Station.