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Santa Company's Kenji Studio Launches Coluboccoro Fantasy Anime Kickstarter

KENJI STUDIO, director Kenji Itoso's studio, and Awesome Japan launched a Kickstarter campaign for their Coluboccoro fantasy anime film on Wednesday.

The Kickstarter campaign is attempting to raise US$38,000 by Friday, May 1 at 11:00 a.m. JST (Thursday, April 30 at 10:00 p.m. EDT). Some of the pledge rewards rewards include the DVD, Blu-ray disc, and digital download versions of the film, a signed art book, unreleased footage with commentary, art prints, and bundles that include Kenji Itoso's previous Santa Company film. Eight people who pledge at least US$1,000 will be credited as "supervisor" in the film credits, while one person who pledges at least US$2,000 will be credited as "producer." One person who pledges at least $5,000 will be credited as "executive producer," and a character in his or her likeness will appear in the film.

KENJI STUDIO previously began streaming a trailer for the Kickstarter project on March 24.

The Kickstarter campaign describes the film:

It is a time not of the now. At the birthplace of culture and religion. Where science has evolved amongst a gathering of races and people both high and low. In a town, with a ruler. Like any other town, unlike any other ruler. Suzu, the girl's name is. Her parents lost to her at a young age, her days strict with an upbringing befitting of the now and future sovereign. But doubt had crept in for the life she lived. So out she stole one day, to that place one must never set foot, to the Forbidden Grounds. Far above the town the Forbidden Grounds lay. And there, Suzu finds a seed, the likes of which she has never seen before. What kind of seed could it be? Wondering, she wanders back and waters the seed… And there, it sprouts right before her eyes, a mysterious creature popping up from the dirt!

A startled Suzu timidly speaks, “…and you are?”

“Colu!” it peeped.

Suzu returns to the Forbidden Grounds, to find out just what the creature is. Beyond lays a world she has never seen, the secret of the town waiting hidden. And just like that, destinies are laid bare. All possibilities become one thread, spinning the ultimate truth. Will Suzu take hold and lead it to the end?

Coluboccoro was originally a fantasy short that Itoso produced with Anime Innovation Tokyo, and it won the grand prize in the Creative Market Tokyo 2011 event. (Itoso was the unit director on the late Satoshi Kon's dormant Yume-Miru Kikai film.)

Itoso conceived, planned, wrote, storyboarded, and directed the "Coluboccoro" short himself. Its grand prize led to Itoso receiving a go-ahead to make the Santa Company film. Norihiko Tsuru composed the music, Hanami performed the theme song, and the voice cast starred Emiri Katō.

KENJI STUDIO had already run a Kickstarter campaign for Santa Company in 2013, and it completed the film last year after meeting its fundraising goal.