The rise of anime's prominence over popular culture has inspired creatives to embrace their passions through endless forms of art. From cosplay to fan art, creators have found ways to incorporate their passion for anime into their own work, thriving off of the inspiration from their favorite titles or characters that have ignited a spark of motivation to follow their creative drive. For some, anime has stood as a source of inspiration for an overarching career in the arts, whether it be screenwriting, voice acting, animation, traditional art, or something more. Kinema Citrus and Anime Central are now giving aspiring artists an opportunity to earn a spot in the credits for Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress Season 3 through their Kinema Citrus Art Challenge.
Kinema Citrus and Character Designer-Animation Director Tomokatsu Nagasaku have joined forces with Anime Central for their 2023 convention. In addition to Kinema Citrus being one of the show floor's featured studios, they'll present exclusive programming that will promote the ongoing Kinema Citrus Art Challenge. Nagasaku and producer Eiichi Koshiishi will explain the contest in greater detail before a live convention panel audience. Additionally, their panel will overview the expectations, responsibilities, and requirements of a character designer. Over 50 prizes will be given away to ACen attendees at The Ins and Outs of Character Animation by Kinema Citrus, which will take place on Saturday, May 20th, in Live Event Room 5 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The conversation kicks off at 10:00 a.m. and is expected to conclude around 12:00 p.m.
The Kinema Citrus Art Challenge asks all applicants to submit cuts that demonstrate their ability to animate by using different mediums. In anime "cuts" are defined as a single shot to the camera. One party can submit entries from all three options, which include Clip Studio (.clip), Photoshop (.psd), and Genga Printout (.jpeg). Applicants should use the official Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress Season 3 character reference sheets and designs when working on their submissions, and completed files are to be submitted as unzipped downloads. There are no prerequisites or requirements for entries, except that all U.S. addresses should be valid so that participants can be given their prize - A "thank you" autographed, illustrated postcard drawn by Nagasaku. Grand prize winners will be selected by Nagasaku by Thursday, June 15th, 2023. All winners' drawings will be used in Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress Season 3, and grand-prize winners will be credited for their contribution as artists. They'll also receive an autographed Vanguard poster as an additional prize. The submission deadline has been set for Sunday, June 11th, 2023 (PST 11:59:59 p.m.). Every submission will be reviewed by Nagasaku and the Kinema Citrus team. More information and the Kinema Citrus Art Challenge submission form can be found here.
ACen returns from May 19th to May 21, 2023, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Attendee Registration for Anime Central can be found here. New updates about the convention leading up to its return will be shared through the convention's official web page, Facebook, and Instagram.