#1: GENIUS PARTY

A barren desert filled with deep red and orange. A bird-like creature runs across the terrain in an awkward, primitive way. It looks hungry. Tribal/techno beats grow in intensity, like watching the sun about to rise on a 50c degree day.

Director Atusko Fukushima's got it, as she should. She's worked at some of Japan's most groundbreaking studios including Madhouse and Annapuru before going freelance in the late 80's. She's responsible for the key animation in AKIRA, among many other films, TV series and OVA programs that span over 25 years. No way could anyone achieve such long-term notoriety without a healthy well of creativity and that's clearly one of Miss Fukushima's strengths.

Back in the desert, the bird-like creature stops, spots an egg in the ground smiling back at it. With its wooden beak it cracks in and pulls out the glowing goodness, scoffing it down. The egg, all too happy to share, watches in amazement as the creature's wings shoot flames, propelling it violently like a rocket towards the sky.

Another egg takes notice, seeing the potential. It sacrifices itself, cracking its shell to expose its inner heart, and then re-eats it. What follows is the most intense, big-bang reaction I'm convinced words can't properly describe (lucky for me, I've got pictures!).Everything in sight sees it, electricity generates between thousands of eggs revealing what we all should know; everything is connected through inspiration.

I do apologize to Miss Fukushima for failing to describe her vision, but failure was as inevitable as the requirement that I have a crack. I don't think anyone could do it, but the message is clear enough; creativity, inspiration and collaboration is what the Genius Party is all about, and we're all invited.

Sit back and enjoy what's to come. Genius Party

Atsuko Fukushima - Biography:

Although she is now a character designer and illustrator, Atsuko Fukushima left behind impressive work as an animator in the 1980s. She remains one of the most popular creators, known for a distinctive style that is both vibrant and warm. Born in Osaka, she left a textile design firm to join Madhouse, where her career as an animator began. As one of the original members of the animation studio Annapuru (home to fellow Genius Party Beyond member Koji Morimoto), she made contributions in Ashita no Joe 2 and Space Adventure Cobra, among others. She then left Annapuru to become freelance. She is the animation director and character designer for The Golden Bird directed by Toshio Hirata, as well as Rintaro's Labryinth Labryinthos within the anthology Neo-Tokyo. She directed the opening and ending animation for Robot Carnival, and later teamed with the same production crew to create AKIRA, which she participated in as key animator. And we have seen her talent shine in the character design for the game series Popolo Crois and the background art for the NHK puppet show Drum Canna no boken.