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What are you waiting for?
Calling all otakus! Netflix has teamed up with WIT Studio, the anime house behind the likes of Attack on Titan and Ghost in the Shell, to offer aspiring anime artists the chance to enroll at one of Japan’s leading anime courses at the Sasayuri Video Training Institute in Tokyo with a full scholarship.
The scholarship program, called the WIT Animator Academy, is a six-month course and is designed and taught by none other than Studio Ghibli old-timer Hitomi Tateno. Across 25 years at the legendary animation house, he’s best known for his work on Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle.
On top of funding the course, the scholarship covers a big chunk of students’ living expenses during the program – that is, if you get in. Spaces are limited, with only 10 individuals chosen to join the course. To be eligible, applicants will need to be between the ages of 18 to 25, have at least graduated from high school by March this year, and be living in Japan (non-Japanese citizens can apply). You don’t need to be fluent in Japanese, but applicants should be “able to have everyday conversations”.
Studio Ghibli’s computer-generated, made-for-TV special Earwig and the Witch is due for UK release later this year. For those of you who might be less-than-enthused by the studio’s swing into CGI territory, there’s no need to fear just yet. Studio founder Hayao Miyazaki currently working on his forthcoming film How Do You Live?, which promises a return to the fantastical, 2D, hand-drawn animation style we know and love.
The deadline for the scholarship is February 28 and you can apply on the WIT Animator Academy website. What are you waiting for?
