Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

There’s never been a better time to pursue a career in the animation industry, and no one knows this like the Tokyo School of Anime (TSA), a former department of the Tokyo Film Center School of Arts (FC Tokyo). With a growing global interest in Japanese anime and animation techniques, the TSA is set to launch a unique two-year program that combines the best of animation and voiceover studies. Unlike other learning centers that have either animation or voiceover courses, the Tokyo School of Anime will be the first of its kind to offer both at the same campus.

The new school, scheduled to open in April 2011, will feature five vocational “worlds,” each with its own spotlight: voice actor and vocals; animation movie director and production; animation creator; visual designer; and integrated production and acting. In total, 21 courses are on the schedule. Besides the core classes covering the animation business, scriptwriting and character design, students can focus on clay animation, 3DCG animation, and song composition specifically for the animation market. There’s also figure design and costume design, with an emphasis on cosplay fashion. On the voiceover side, studies are not limited to just animated films, but incorporate the whole spectrum of media work, including TV commercials, announcing, radio DJing and dubbing for “suit actors”—think Ultraman and Power Rangers.

Utilizing the same successful hands-on approach used at FC Tokyo’s main campus, Tokyo School of Anime offers its students the advantage of studying with industry heavyweights. Scheduled to have their own studio space right on the campus are Studio 4C, creators of such anime hits as Animatrix and Tekkon Kinkreet, and production company DLE, of Taka no Tsume fame. Other well-known studios often rent out the TSA’s state-of-the-art facilities, allowing students to gain practical experience working side-by-side with industry professionals.

And that’s not all. The Tokyo School of Anime will also welcome a series of distinguished guest lecturers. Among the top-name talents to appear is Matsune “Matt” Suzuki, an anime whiz at Disney Studios who served as a visual development artist for the 2005 animated hit Chicken Little. Other guest lecturers include Eiko Tanaka, the head of Studio 4C, and actress Chikako Akimoto, a member of the Japan Voice Actor Association.

As the two-year program progresses, the Tokyo School of Anime will follow FC Tokyo’s lead in setting aside Monday as Team Production Day, when students are chosen by the faculty to create an animation project. On Saturdays—a.k.a. Independent Production Day—students can create their own teams and decide on a project of their choosing. Specialized extracurricular activities include designing and wearing cosplay fashions, singing anime songs, and creating original character goods.

The new campus features an extensive media center with over 10,000 manga, novels and gashuu (illustrated books), plus a study center with computers loaded with Autodesk Maya, the award-winning 3DCG software used in the film and TV industries. With the addition of a blue-screen and motion-capture technology suite, budding anime artists can essentially use the school to create their own Avatar.

“By the time students graduate, they will have received real-world experience in all areas of the industry,” says TSA spokesman Atsushi Itakura. “This will allow them to enter the workforce with confidence as animators, producers, directors or voiceover artists.”