---
title: 'Day in the Life of a Japanese Anime Director'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCPZzEbhNJw'
video_id: 'UCPZzEbhNJw'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 1502
---

# Day in the Life of a Japanese Anime Director

> Source: [Day in the Life of a Japanese Anime Director](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCPZzEbhNJw)

## Summary

This video follows Shu, a 35-year-old anime director in Tokyo, through a typical hectic day. It shows his work at a voice recording studio and at PA Works animation studio, highlighting the intense collaboration and long hours required to produce an anime episode.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Shu** [00:00] — Shu is a 35-year-old anime director living in the suburbs of Tokyo with his wife (an animator) and their cat. His wife often works overnight, common in the anime industry.
- **Shu's Background** [01:05] — Shu loved creating since childhood, watched anime like Galaxy Express 999, and was inspired by Studio Ghibli. He studied traditional Japanese painting at art university and started as an animator.
- **Freelance Work and Studio** [02:35] — Shu works as a freelancer, typical in Japan's anime industry (70% of workers). His primary studio is PA Works in Koda, but today he goes to a voice recording studio first.
- **Current Project: Mayo Naka Punch** [03:04] — Shu is directing 'Mayo Naka Punch' (Midnight Punch) for PA Works and Kadokawa. The anime is about a girl fired from a content creator group who teams up with a vampire to reach 1 million subscribers.
- **Voice Recording Session** [03:26] — Recording one 24-minute episode takes 4-5 hours on average, but can take up to 10 hours if issues arise. Shu ensures voice actors convey emotions correctly.
- **Perfection in Recording** [05:10] — The team re-records lines repeatedly until perfect, sometimes over a single word. The audio director instructs actors based on feedback from Shu and others.
- **Recording Studio Tour** [06:01] — The studio has no echo, cork stands, a giant screen, Q-lights, and specialized headphones. The script is shown, with each episode having unique cover art.
- **Roles of Episode Director and Audio Director** [07:02] — The episode director works closely with production members to achieve Shu's vision. The audio director handles auditions, directs voice actors, music composers, and sound effects.
- **Arrival at PA Works** [10:05] — After recording, Shu stops at a convenience store for food and drinks, then heads to PA Works, known for original anime like Shirobako and Angel Beats.
- **Storyboard (Ekonte)** [11:18] — The storyboard is a visual presentation of the script, crucial for communicating the director's vision. It shows shot direction, camera work, and scene framing.
- **Shu's Career Progression** [11:57] — Shu started as a Doga man (in-between animator), then became an episode director after 4 years. A producer noticed his talent and offered him his first director role for 'Paripi K'.
- **Key Animator's Role** [13:21] — The key animator creates layouts based on the storyboard, refining flow and drawing key frames. It takes skill to visualize motion from still images.
- **Production Units and Software** [14:36] — Different rooms house different production units. Software is used for framing and camera movement. The rooftop offers a view of Mount Fuji.
- **Design Meeting** [16:08] — Shu meets to review background design, character specifications, colors, and objects for an upcoming episode. This ensures consistency across episodes.
- **Teamwork and Scale** [17:06] — About 200 workers are involved in a single episode. Shu visits the office to check on production tasks and provide feedback.
- **Color Design Phase** [17:37] — Shu works with a color designer on costumes, eye color, and object colors. This is an early production step, and the director must multitask to stay on schedule.
- **Producer's Role** [18:12] — A producer explains their responsibility for planning, budgeting, and scheduling. They started as a production assistant and worked up. If an anime isn't successful, the company can be in the red.
- **Storyboard Work and Interruptions** [20:16] — Shu finally works on his storyboard but is frequently interrupted by meetings requiring his feedback. He eats his first meal of the day late.
- **Reviewing Finished Video Data** [21:40] — Shu reviews animation footage frame by frame, ensuring it matches his vision. He provides feedback for corrections.
- **Passion and Overwork** [22:11] — Shu loves his work so much he can go on forever. He once worked through New Year's until his hand shook, forcing him to rest.
- **Meeting with Key Animator** [22:57] — Shu discusses how to plan animation based on the storyboard, helping the key animator grasp the vision in detail.
- **Late Night Work** [23:36] — Shu works on his storyboard with minimal interruption, then uploads files. He reviews key frame drawings while waiting.
- **End of Day** [24:15] — Shu finishes work late, missing the last train. A staff member gives him a ride home. He expects to sleep between 2-3 AM after winding down.

### Conclusion

The video reveals the intense dedication and long hours required of an anime director, balancing creative vision with tight schedules and team collaboration. Despite the stress, Shu's passion drives him to produce quality anime.

## Transcript

this is a day in the life of a Japanese
anime director
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
this is Shu a 35-year-old anime director
living in the suburbs of Tokyo and he's
just waking up for
[Music]
work that's his wife they live in this
two-bedroom apartment with their cat his
wife also works in the same industry as
an animator currently working on the
same anime shoes directing and she is
just finishing up her workday it's
pretty common in their home as well as
in Japan anime industry to pull all
nighters which we'll see why as a day
goes on
yo I see a lot of games you play a
[Music]
lot dope Shu originally from Tokyo has
loved creating since he was a kid he
also watched all kinds of anime typical
of many kids in Japan one of his
favorites being the Galaxy Express 999
and after discovering Studio ji movies
he was further drawn into the world of
anime which inspired him to pursue his
career he
nice she's taking her finished drawings
known as ATI in the Japanese anime
industry to the
[Music]
office now he's headed to the train
station graduating from an art
university and equipped with a major in
traditional Japanese painting and a deep
passion for anime he was able to get his
first job as an animator and after years
years of tireless work to perfect his
craft he earned his way to become an
anime director good morning everyone I'm
back with another day in the life this
one is probably one of the hardest
videos I've ever had to make but I know
that many of you have been asking for it
so here it is today anyways that Shu
should be arriving shortly so just can't
wait till he arrives to get this thing
started good morning was M did you sleep
well
oh it sounds like it's going to be a
busy
day so Shu works as a freelancer which
is rather typical in Japan's anime
industry as they make up almost 70% of
its workers for Shu it means his work
location changes depending on his client
projects currently his primary studio is
in Corda which allows him to bike to
work but this morning he needs to head
directly to the voice recording studio
first
[Music]
shu is currently directing an anime
called Mayo Naka punch meaning midnight
punch working directly for the PA Works
Animation studio and the kado Kawa
publishing
company so what
[Music]
now recording with the voice dos is
called AO in Japanese AO meaning after
REO short for
recording today the team is recording
one episode which is 24 minutes long it
takes about 4 to 5 hours on average but
if there's an issue it takes as long as
it needs until they get it right sheu
mentions that his longest recording
session was about 10 hours hopefully
today it doesn't take that
long oh the actors left already
[Music]
nice the main voice characters have
started their test
run the anime is about a girl who was
fired from her content creators girls
group who then teams up with a vampire
with superhuman abilities to reach 1
million subscribers on their own
now she shares his feedback with the
team there are million ways to deliver a
line and it's his responsibility to
ensure that the SE voice actors
perfectly convey the character's
emotions in each
scene next other members like the
episode directors and producers will
also share their
opinions the audio director will take
all the feedback and instruct the voice
actors on how to re-record their lines
the process is repeated until it's
[Music]
perfect oh no they're having trouble
with one line it must record over and
over again apparently the issue could be
as little as one word not being
delivered correctly for them to re
[Music]
record nice they're taking a short break
so how did the recordings go
that's great so what do you think is the
hardest part about
recording so it looks like they're
taking a little break right now so while
they do that let's do what we do and
explore this place
let's go check out the actual recording
studio so I'm actually in The Sound
Studio right now and there's no echo in
here and even the stands are made out of
cork they've got a giant screen q-
lights all sort of sound equipment and
these are the headphones that the actors
wear and they even have a hygrometer so
check this out I actually got the script
this is what the anime scripts look like
think I got episodes 1 through 11 right
here it has all of the scenes you know
in Japanese books work backwards guess
all of them have different little
pictures on the back as well it's also
kind of pretty cool how each one is
different has their own little picture
here I like the little details they have
reception the battery life has all the
like buttons and everything on the
bottom as well quite
interesting that's a cool
shirt really where can I buy
it okay so what do you do
so while Shu controls the overall
direction and quality his responsibility
is to guide each episode working more
closely with each production member to
help achieve shu's Vision how long have
you been doing
this did you learn any of this at
school cool thanks hi what do you
do you been doing this for a long
time oh so what's the best part about
your
job that's amazing so how's this
anime okay thanks hi what do you do
[Music]
he's also responsible for auditions
directing the seu as well as directing
music composers and the sound effects
used and decides on how to organize and
structure all of these audio components
did you always want to be an audio
director that's
fine he was moved to the anime
department and started working as audio
director because no one else was able to
do it so how do you audition the voice
actors fing what
so how many addition for one
rooll wow and what's the most
challenging part about your
[Music]
job I hear you thanks excuse me what do
you do
in the studio he adjusts each voice
actor's volume as they speak at
different
levels you got the same system at
home okay how long have you been doing
this damn that's a minute and what do
you like about this
job so you got to tell me what's your
favorite anime you've worked
on perfect
answer now that the break is over they
work on the last part of the
[Music]
recording yay finally done
[Music]
next sh makes his way to the Anime
[Music]
Studio beforehand though he stops by the
nearest convenience sword to pick up
some food and drinks as he knows he
still has a long day ahead of
[Music]
him these are all for you right
this is PA Works an animation production
company famous in Japan for creating
very original anime including school
girl comedies and young dramas like
Shiro bako and Angel
[Music]
Beats and this is shu's main office
where he works with the production team
daily to create the anime Mayo naka
punch what are you doing
[Music]
now the Aon AKA storyboard is a visual
presentation of the script created by
the director and is a crucial tool that
he uses to communicate his vision to the
team such as a shot Direction in camera
work each member of the team uses this
as their base to direct them in their
individual production tasks so those are
the
cuts the storyboard shows the scene
framing the character's lines and
provides an explanation of the events
Sho what was the first anime you worked
on as a
director wow that's awesome awesome when
he first started in anime he worked as a
Doga man an in between animator meaning
that he cleaned up the drawings created
by the key animator in Japan it's
typical for most animators to start at
this position after 4 years of working
as an animator he was eventually given
the opportunity to work as an episode
director focused more than ever he
passionately took on this new role the
producer noticed his talent and offered
him the director job for his first ever
directed anime parip K do you recommend
going to school for anime
that's his first meal of the day he must
must be so hungry so it looks like sho's
going to be at his desk for just a
little bit longer so while he's doing
that let's see if he can draw something
up around
[Music]
here they got a kitchen sink right here
a microwave over here some trash right
here just down here they have the omag
and snacks
location hello can I ask what you're
doing right
now see work works as the gamon AKA key
animator based on the director's
storyboard she creates a layout refining
the flow adding more details as well as
drawing key frames in between each cut
it truly requires a unique skill and
trained eye to be able to visualize the
motion from a still image her layout
serves as a blueprint for the animators
to connect and turn the images into
motion so how long does it take to
create 5 Seconds of
anime oh and how long have you been
doing
this wow how do you keep motivated to do
what you
do hi can I ask what you
do oh like you keep a schedule and
stuff did you need to talk to her about
the deadline
so apparently in this building like each
room like here and there has like
different production units or teams or
something let's go in this one and let
me show
you so I think this room is where they
do some of the framing for the videos
looks like that software is where they
move the characters around or I gu move
the camera around looks like look like
they have some protection on top of the
monitor they also have some products
some Goods right here let's see what's
over here I'm not completely sure what
this room is but looks like maybe a
director's seat they planning I guess I
think everyone is in a in a meeting
right now that's why no one's
here H so it looks like this room is
focused on a different anime they got
cute little kitties right here and this
is actually another room looks pretty
similar to the rest oh I think this is
the guy with a t-shirt cuz you can see
the drawing right there and look at this
this one has a lot of
papers and then let's see what is up
here oh wow this is the rooftop you can
see all sections or all sides and look
you can even see Mount Fuji over there
the lens can't really really zoom in
that much but I can plainly see it from
here let's go back down and see what
sho's
[Music]
[Music]
doing now Shu has a meeting to discuss a
background design for an upcoming
[Music]
episode while a majority of the design
has been decided even before the first
episode the team needs to review that
design specification for the characters
background colors as well as objects
used in the anime and finalize any new
design specific to the episode this
critical step ensures consistency
throughout each episode especially when
multiple animators are
involved so is it hard to explain your
[Music]
[Music]
vision why don't you just draw and show
them
ah I
[Music]
see he has a little bit of time before
the next meeting so he visits the office
to GES where the team is on their
production task creating an anime such
as the one sho's directing requires an
immense amount of teamwork in one
episode alone there are about 200
workers involved to make it all happen
so Shu doesn't take his job lightly oh
that's a 2d materials it used in the
anime cute
[Music]
oh sh's next meeting started and he's
working with a color designer For an
upcoming episode providing feedback and
making changes on the
spot she works on various parts of
different episodes all at once this
color design phase is actually an
earlier part of the production process
as they are now deciding on the colors
for the character costumes eye color in
addition to things like the color of a
drink in Japan an anime director must be
able to multitask in order to keep on
top of the production schedule so I
think shu's going to be in that meeting
for a bit so while he's doing that let's
do what we do and explore this
place okay so this is the main office
area let's see what that guy's doing
over there hello can I ask you a
question so what do you
do what exactly is your responsibility
[Music]
ah and you started as a
producer damn you went through it so how
many producers are in the
company nice and what's the most
challenging so what happens when the
production is
delayed ah I see
so if an anime isn't successful will a
company be in the
[Music]
red understood thank you so
much so looks like there's some meeting
rooms down here this room right here
says Platinum let's see what's inside
[Music]
side oh wow look at this they have all
these Goods right here cool they have
some figurines here looks like they won
some awards Cheeto Buckle some stuffed
animals 3D hologram okay so let's see if
we can find out what else is going on
okay here's a room right
[Music]
here some Goods up right here they got
some figures they got some DVD
some manga got some stuffed animals and
they've got a bunch of computers and
stuff pretty cool nice he's done with
his meeting what are you doing
now finally he gets to work on a
storyboard for a little
bit how long do you think it's going to
take good luck as much as he needs time
to finish his own task everybody on the
team is also working towards their own
deadlines which frequently requires his
feedback and decision keeping him in
meetings throughout the
day nice he's finally getting some food
so tell me more about being a
[Music]
director don't you ever get stressed out
as a director he always strives for
Perfection but because of the tight
schedules and staff workloads he often
has to compromise as he knows pushing
too hard can lead to things falling
apart it's a delicate tight robe he
walks every day between the reality of
his resources and creating a quality
anime that both him and his audience are
satisfied
with jeez another meeting again but it's
whole part of a typical day for an anime
director What's Happening
[Music]
Now Rush Che is reviewing the finished
video data which is basically the
animation footage after motion is added
to the key frame drawings and today he's
reviewing short clips from various parts
frame by frame again it's his
responsibility to ensure that each part
is done correctly in his vision and if
not he must provide feedback on what to
correct oh what's wrong with this
one ah I
see then he continues to have another
review session he says that he has so
much passion and love for what he does
he he can go on forever never noticing
how much time has gone by he once worked
all the way through New Year's holiday
and towards the end his hand couldn't
stop shaking indicating to him that his
body needed to take a break so although
he can push himself he keeps in mind
that people do need him so he forces
himself to rest once in a
while right after the meeting finishes
he has another
meeting this meeting with the key
animator they discuss how to plan the
animation based on his storyboard
allowing the key animator to grasp the
director's Vision in more detail this
collaborative session helps bring the
storyboard to life with a right nuance
and
depth bro your day is
hectic so do you do overtime every
day do you have any days off
[Music]
you're so
busy now he finally gets a focus on his
storyboard with minimal Interruption so
how's your storyboard coming
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
my SC got to some
this before wrapping up he needs to
upload the file so while he waits he
uses this time to review the key frame
drawings even after a long day at work
he doesn't waste a
second y he's finally calling it a day
even though there's still so much work
ahead of him at the same time it's not
always like this but it's pretty typical
for a hectic day just before a
deadline unfortunately his last train is
long gone by now so one of the staff
working even later than him offered to
give him a ride
home so we're going to shu's house right
now and I'm going to drop him off and
probably he's going to go to sleep
between 2 to 3: before that I'll
probably play some games and just kind
of hang out and watch TV but that's
pretty much a day in life of a Japanese
anime director if you guys like this
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