About the director

Gisaburo Sugii is a veteran TV and movie animator. When he was in his early 20s, he worked with Osamu Tezuka, the 'father of anime', on a 30-minute TV animation.

'That experience still helps my work today,' he said.

Sugii has directed many popular animation series, such as Touch and Captain Tsubasa. His favourite work is Night on the Milky Way Railroad. 'I completed it after a long trip,' he said.

He is now preparing for his next project. 'I want to explore the appeal of animation and produce work that can touch people.'