"BONES 25: DREAMING FORWARD", a documentary about the founding of the anime production studio "BONES" and its 25-year history, was screened at the 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival, an anime film festival being held in Niigata City on March 16th. This documentary, which originated in France and has never been released in Japan, was screened in Japan for the first time. It explores the appeal and history of Bones, which has produced such works as "Cowboy Bebop: Knocked Down on Heaven's Door", "Fullmetal Alchemist", and "My Hero Academia". Representative director and producer Minami Masahiko said, "We started with about nine people, and we hope you'll see how we've managed to make it through the last 25 years."
The documentary is divided into four parts: "The History of Bones," "Style and Originality," "Successful Adaptations," and "Metallic Rouge: The Future of Bones." It features more than 30 people involved in the project, including Producer Minami, ONE, the creator of the manga "Mob Psycho 100," director Shinichiro Watanabe of "Cowboy Bebop" and "Space Dandy," Kafka Asagiri, the original author of "Bungo Stray Dogs," director Horimoto Nobuyuki of "Metallic Rouge," and Izubuchi Yutaka.
The festival aims to be one of the largest festivals in Asia with a competition category for feature-length animation, with the aim of spreading the culture of anime from Niigata to the world. The first festival was held in Niigata City from March 17th to 22nd, 2023, and the second from March 15th to 20th, 2024. The third festival will be held from March 15th to 20th.
