Yoshitaka Amano, the legendary artist known for his iconic contributions to the Final Fantasy franchise, used this year’s Anime Expo to pull back the curtain on his latest venture: a new Los Angeles-based animation studio and a hand-drawn series titled ZAN.
During a panel at the event, Amano showcased a 90-second pilot film for ZAN, an adaptation of an artbook he published with Dark Horse Comics in 2013. The project is billed as a sci-fi action fantasy, and the production team emphasized that every frame of the pilot—totaling 2,700 individual pieces—was drawn by hand on paper before being digitally scanned.
A Commitment to Hand-Drawn Animation
The emphasis on traditional techniques is central to Amano’s philosophy for the new production company, Yoshitaka Amano Inc. Speaking through an interpreter, Amano drew a direct line between his early days at Tatsunoko and his current approach to animation. “When I started at Tatsunoko, you know, everything was hand drawn,” Amano said. He expressed concern that some modern creators have become “decoupled” from the physical act of drawing, noting that some cannot even produce art on a traditional Shikishi board anymore.
The production team behind ZAN brings significant industry experience to the table, including directors of animation Masashi Ikeda (Inuyasha, Gundam Wing) and Toru Yoshida (Armored Trooper VOTOMS, Gundam SEED), along with writer Yuya Takashima and art directors Kunio Ogawara and Minoru Nishida. The staff is notable for its longevity, with an average age exceeding 60 and several members over the age of 80.
Expanding the Brand in Los Angeles
While ZAN is the primary focus, the expansion into a California-based studio is part of a larger plan to scale Amano’s intellectual property into an international brand. The company revealed that, in addition to the ZAN series—which is currently slated for a 2028 or later release—there are two more unannounced animated productions already in development.
Amano explained that his choice of Los Angeles as a home base was born from an impulsive but positive experience visiting the Santa Monica Pier three years ago following a previous Anime Expo. Beyond the weather and the atmosphere, he noted the presence of many potential collaborators in the area, stating, “I’ve said it now, and breathed it into existence. Everything we talked about today—It’s my job to follow through and make sure it happens.”
For Amano, the goal of this studio is not just to produce new work, but to maintain the craft of hand-drawn art for future generations. “In 100 years, ZAN will have to be that guidance,” he said, adding that when young artists ask how to reach that level of skill, his answer remains straightforward: “You have to sit down and actually draw.”