Animax Recruit Big Names for LaMB

August 20, 2008 by linkinstreet

Animax-Asia today released the latest information on their upcoming project, LaMB. Securing Ryosuke Tei as the director and Yasufumi Soejima as storyboard artist for original multimedia, multiplatform animation production, they hope that LaMB can become one of the most talked about new anime when it’s finally aired. Apart from Ryosuke and Yasafumi-sensei, the entire creative division will be led by Tracy Wong, Director of Creative Services for Animax Asia and Executive Producer of LaMB. This coupled with the announcement of collabration with both Simple Plan and The Click Five makes it an exiting project indeed.

Ryousuke Tei and Yasafumi Soejima respectively

Ryosuke Tei
Director, LaMB

Born 1968 in Kobe, Japan, Tei went on to pursue a fine arts education in oil painting at the Tama Art University. Tei then went on to tour various Asian countries before he returned to Japan in 1993 and experienced the baptism of the new digital design wave as he joined the gaming industry which was in the middle of its first generation console movement.

In 1998, Tei founded creative design agency Furi Furi and served as President and Creative Director for 10 years where he led character, web-based, computer games, on-air, and flash animation design projects, as well as commercial production. His representative works include ‘GIFTPIA’ for Nintendo, ‘Monster 360’ for Nike, ‘Butazuka’ for Yahoo! Japan, ‘SWAG’ for MTV Asia.

In 2008, Tei started freelancing to seek more exciting opportunities and came on board as the director for Animax Asia’s multimedia, multiplatform original animation production LaMB

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Yasufumi Soejima
Storyboard Artist, LaMBFormerly with Japanese anime studio Gonzo, Yasufumi Soejima served from 1999 – 2007 as its Production Director and 3D CGI Director.Soejima is best known for his animation work on The Second Renaissance - part 2 of the Animatrix anime series spun-off from the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix trilogy from Warner Brothers, 3D direction for anime OVA Zaion: I Wish You Were Here and anime series Last Exile, and his collaborative work with Studio 4C on the anime-styled animated music video for US rock band Linkin Park’s hit single ‘Breaking the Habit’ which won the 2004 MTV VMA Viewers Choice Award.In addition, Soejima served as Creative Advisor for two-time Tokyo Anime Award winning OVA Yukikaze, and was Digital Director for Textile Design on anime series Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as 3D Director for computer game-based anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited.

Prior to joining Gonzo, Soejima held design, art direction and business direction roles with Japanese firms including SEGA, CIM and UZU.

Also Animax will be releasing the web manga for LaMB is conjunction with the anime. Peach Blossom Media will collaborate with Imaginary Friends Studios, a Singapore based comics and concept art studio for the concept art and designs.

Fact Sheets

Key information
• First-ever original animation production by Animax Asia (Astro, Channel 715) in high definition (HD)
• First animated program produced under the US$6million Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and SPE Networks – Asia Joint Production Fund
• First regional animation production to offer product and brand integration and placement advertising and marketing opportunities
• Based on award-winning script by Filipino amateur writer Carmelo Juinio who participated in the pan-Asia scriptwriting competition Animax Awards in 2007
• Multiplatform and multimedia animation project to roll out on-air, online and on mobile
• On-air: Two ½ hr shows and one 1hr finale premiering February 2009 on Animax channels across Asia
• Online: web manga rolling out from November 2008; online games debuting in October 2008
• On mobile: graphic novels available from November 2008; mobisodes launching January 2009
• Music: Simple Plan’s ‘I Can Wait Forever’ as title track to feature within show and all media rollouts across all platforms along with The Click Five’s ‘Summertime’
• Animax and Singapore based animation studio Peach Blossom Media producing animated music video for ‘I Can Wait Forever’ and live-action music video for ‘Summertime’, both to premiere on Animax Asia December 2008
• Animation and production of LaMB TV show by Singapore-based animation studio Peach Blossom Media and Animax Asia
• Directed by Ryosuke Tei, former founder, president and creative director of Japanese creative agency Furi Furi
• Star storyboard artist is Yasufumi Soejima, formerly from Japanese anime studio Gonzo and has contributed animation and 3D work to anime including The Second Renaissance of the Animatrix series, Zaion: I Wish You Were Here, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited as well as music video for Linkin’ Park’s hit single ‘Breaking the Habit’
• Singapore-based comics and concept art studio Imaginary Friends Studios to provide concept art and design as well as produce web manga

Press Release

19 August, Malaysia – An all-star creative team including Ryosuke Tei as director and Yasufumi Soejima as storyboard artist, as well as Singapore’s illustration and concept art studio Imaginary Friends Studios as web manga production house, are teaming up with Singapore-based animation studio Peach Blossom Media to produce Animax Asia’s (Astro Channel 715) first original animation production in high definition (HD) – LaMB!

Based on the award-winning script by Filipino Carmelo Juinio in the Animax Awards 2007 pan-Asia scriptwriting contest, LaMB is the first animated production under the US$6million Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and SPE Networks – Asia Joint Production Fund. Having unveiled Canadian band Simple Plan and American band The Click Five to provide songs for LaMB’s soundtrack, Animax Asia has put in place a very capable creative team to flesh out visuals of the project that will roll out across three screens – TV, online and mobile.

Definitely among the who’s who in the Japanese creative industry that continues to gain international recognition, Tei and Soejima take on both consultative and hands-on roles to contribute their valuable expertise and vast experience into all aspects of production for their collaborative work on LaMB.

Illustration, comics and concept art studio Imaginary Friends Studios is on board to contribute concept art and produce web manga for LaMB, while the animation production is handled by Peach Blossom Media. The entire team is being led by Tracy Wong, Executive Producer of LaMB as well as Director of Creative Services at Animax Asia.

As director, Tei works closely with the Singapore creative teams and fellow countryman Soejima to helm the making of LaMB on various fronts, overseeing the animation, production and creative processes of the project. Prior to joining the LaMB project, Tei was President and Creative Director at Tokyo-based creative design agency Furi Furi which he founded in 1998. During his 10 years at Furi Furi, Tei headed character, web-based, computer games, on-air, and flash animation design projects, as well as commercial production for clients including Nintendo, Nike, Yahoo! Japan and MTV Asia.

“I am very excited to direct Animax Asia’s inaugural original animation production. I hope to bring this beautiful story to life and offer Animax viewers a truly unique entertainment experience,” said Tei.

Star storyboard artist for LaMB, Soejima, formerly with Japan’s famed anime studio Gonzo, brings more than a decade’s experience and knowledge to the drawing board where he will define and refine the look and feel of the artwork as well as story development for the project.

“I am delighted to be working with Ryosuke Tei san to help create his vision of LaMB. It is a most interesting project given how the producers of the show, Animax, are trying to entertain viewers across multiple platforms,” said Soejima.

Highlights of Soejima’s glittering career include animation for The Second Renaissance - part 2 of the Animatrix anime series spun-off from the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix trilogy from Warner Brothers, 3D direction for anime OVA Zaion: I Wish You Were Here and anime series Last Exile, as well as collaborative work with Studio 4C on the anime-styled animated music video for US rock band Linkin Park’s hit single ‘Breaking the Habit’ which won the 2004 MTV VMA Viewers Choice Award. In addition, Soejima served as Creative Advisor for two-time Tokyo Anime Award winning OVA Yukikaze, and was Digital Director for Textile Design on anime series Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, as well as 3D Director for computer game-based anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited.

Led by Stanley Lau (Artgerm), Kendrick Lim (Kunkka) and Kai, Imaginary Friends Studios’ 50-strong team of artists will provide concept art and design for LaMB, as well as produce the web manga for the project scheduled to roll out from November 2008. The homegrown studio counts DC Comics, Radical Comics, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix and Ubisoft among its growing list of prestigious and world class clients.

“We are incredibly excited and proud to have such a powerhouse team of creatives collaborating on LaMB. Tei and Soejima bring with them vast expertise and deep knowledge of Japanese animation while Imaginary Friends Studios offers world class expertise in design and art. Combining their creative visions with those of Peach Blossom Media and Animax, I am confident we will produce an exciting new hybrid form of animation. One which will be experienced in a totally different way as the story of LaMB involves viewers and is unravelled across different platforms.” said Gregory Ho, Vice President & General Manager, Animax Asia.

Posted in Anime News