Top animators GOZ and La torche collaborate on the “100 Rings” animation project

Top animators GOZ and La torche collaborate on the “100 Ring” animation project ​
La torche Co., Ltd. Press Release: September 4, 2025 Top animators GOZ and La torche collaborate on the “100 Ring” animation project ~Visualizing the breath of life. Let’s all create an animation together, starting with a single circle! ~ La torche Inc. (CEO: Sanae Akima) is producing the creative unit “ANIMAUS,” centered around world-renowned animator GOZ (Haruna Gozu), and is launching a new project, “100 Ring Animation Project.” The breath of life within each and every one of us. This project involves drawing this “living miracle” in the simple form of a circle, and then collecting 100 circles to create a single animation. We’re redefining the etymology of animation, “ANIMA” (to breathe life into something), and working together to create new creations in a way that anyone can participate in.
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■ What is ANIMAUS? This unit was formed around top animator GOZ, who has served as key animator and animation director on the anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” and the film “Ai no Utage wo Hear Me.” “ANIMAUS” is a portmanteau of “animation” (to breathe life into something), “animator,” and “us” (us). We use the power of animation to breathe life into each individual, liberating their “power of feeling” and “power of expression” and expanding their individuality and creativity. On July 12, 2025, we held a digital animation workshop for children at the “Children’s Film Festival 16” held in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, with over 120 children participating. ■About the 100-People Ring Project Going beyond traditional concepts of animation, top creator GOZ will create a moving animation based on drawings by 100 members of the public. This time, participants will be asked to draw a simple motif: a circle. While it’s a shape that even the smallest children can draw, it carries powerful meanings such as “circulation,” “connection,” and “recycling.” A circle, drawn with a single stroke, has no beginning or end. We believe that it represents “perfection,” “infinity,” and “encounter = miracle.” The circle (ring) drawn by 100 people will be brought to life by GOZ’s hand, creating an experience of “a still image coming to life = the breath of life becoming visible.” Project Overview Period: Friday, September 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – Friday, October 31, 2025, 7:00 PM Location: Enter via the ANIMAUS “100-person Circle” special website https://note.com/animaus/n/n1bd94883a878 How to Participate: Take a photo of a circle drawn with any writing implement and submit the image from the special website. ■ Kickoff Commemorative Event To commemorate the launch of the project, we will be holding an online talk event with GOZ. We will hear about the thoughts behind the project and the future possibilities that animation opens up. There will also be a workshop where participants can draw their own “circle.” Event Overview Event Name: 100-People Ring Project Kickoff Commemorative Workshop Date and Time: Monday, September 15, 2025 (National Holiday), 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM (Scheduled) Location: Online (Zoom) How to Participate: Apply on the special website (applications open at 7:00 PM on September 12th) Participation Fee: 2,200 yen (tax included) ■ Message from GOZ
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/91745/24/91745-24-be9bd7003c70f68cb797427d894f2f38-1568×1044.jpg “Animation isn’t something that only special people can create. I believe that when we gather together each person’s ‘proof of living here and now,’ a new story will emerge. Please make your circle a part of this ring.” – GOZ Profile of Animator GOZ Haruna Gozu, also known as “GOZ,” is a world-renowned anime director and animator who has worked on anime such as “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” “One Piece Film Z,” and the official anime for the Tokyo Olympics. In addition to working on many of Japan’s most iconic anime masterpieces, she is also active in a variety of fields, including apparel and education. Believing in the power of animation to “breathe life into people,” she pursues expression that connects people across borders, cultures, and languages. In 2025, he founded “ANIMAUS,” an initiative aimed at redefining animation. Representative of GOZ-ANIMA LLC Official URL: https://goz-anima.com/ ■ About La Torche La Torche, Inc. focuses on three areas of practice: “Accompanying Change,” “Supporting
Transformation,” and “Producing,” and works to bring out the authenticity of people and organizations. This “100-People Circle Project” is being implemented as part of one of these areas, “Producing.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/91745/24/91745-24-044149800d1e6da07151bfe09a58c7ea-720×720.jpg ■For inquiries about this project, please click here Company Name: La Torche Co., Ltd. Address: Tokyo Sankei Building 27F, 1-7-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Established: May 18, 2017 Representative Director: Sanae Akima Business Description: ・Support for activating independent human resources ・Supporting organizational authenticity and
transformation projects ・Promoting Sustainability Transformation (SX) [Corporate Website]https://latorche.jp 【Project
Site】https://www.vida-academy.jp/p/ANIMAUS