Anime Supremacy!

Kohei Yoshino's 2022 Japanese film follows the production of two anime series airing in the same season. Hitomi is directing for the first time after years working on other people's teams; Chiharu, returning after nearly a decade away, heads the rival production. The film shows the industry from inside. Production meetings, delays, sponsor pressure, the working conditions of animators and competition over broadcast slots are its material; creativity alone is not enough here, and matters no more than the schedule. The rivalry is not staged as a fight. The two directors approach the work differently and the film does not say which is right. It is adapted from Mizuki Tsujimura's novel. Riho Yoshioka and Tomoya Nakamura lead. Who it's for: those curious about the anime industry and those who like workplace drama. Who it's not for: viewers who want to see the anime itself; the film stays with the process of making it.