Student’s challenge moves to the professional world! Fukuoka Design & Technology College x Aquastar to hold final presentation of
industry-academia collaboration project online on October 24th / 32 students competed, with the winning submission being implemented into Aquastar’s own content
Aquastar Co., Ltd. Press Release: October 14, 2025 To Members of the Press Students’ Challenges Go Professional! Fukuoka Design & Technology College x Aquastar to hold final presentation of
industry-academia collaboration project online on October 24th / 32 students took part, with the winning submission being implemented into Aquastar’s in-house content. Aquastar Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Harada Fukuoka Design & Technology College (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Principal: Toshitsugu Yoshinaga; hereafter “Fukuoka Tech”) is collaborating with the school to hold an online presentation of the results of a joint
industry-academia project conducted for 32 second-year students (scheduled to graduate in 2027) majoring in Comic Illustration & Manga at the college on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM. This industry-academia collaboration program aims to enhance students’ professional awareness by providing them with hands-on experience in creative production through corporate assignments. The assignment included creating one character design and one key visual proposal based on “Neo Fantasia,” an amusement facility created by Aquastar as a virtual company. This assignment went beyond simple illustration production and tested students’ ability to propose ideas from a marketing perspective and to verbalize their intentions and
communicate them to third parties. At the online mid-term presentation held in mid-September, Aquastar employees provided critiques of the students’ proposals. At the final presentation, participants will showcase the results of their work over several months, with the winning entry being implemented as a character appearing in “Uraginza 99th Street.” ▼“Ura Ginza Kujukuban Street”
https://ic.pro.aqua-web.co.jp/illust-collection/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/55500/107/55500-107-9ca9b6b16f5ffff57f817ce5799e69d2-1024×768.jpg Scenes from the interim presentation (filmed in a classroom at Fukuoka Design & Technology College. Aquastar employees provided critiques via projector.) ■Event Overview ●Aquastar x Fukuoka Design & Technology College “Industry-Academia Collaboration Creative Results
Presentation” ●Date and Time: Friday, October 24, 2025 [14:00-15:00] ●Format: Online (Fukuoka Design & Technology College and Aquastar will be connected) ●Schedule (planned): ・Character and key visual proposal presentations by 32 students ・Announcement of the winning work (works to be implemented) ・Critique and summary by Aquastar ■Background and Significance This project places emphasis on developing the ability to interpret other people’s intentions and translate them into visuals. In recent years, with the spread of chat tools and social media and the growing focus on “time performance,” there have been concerns about a decline in the ability to deeply understand context and accurately grasp intentions. In this context, the process of students tackling real-world challenges, presenting their results to companies, and being evaluated directly contributes to the development of creators who can thrive in the field. ■After final work is decided The final work will be implemented as a character appearing in Aquastar’s in-house content, “Uraginza 99th Street.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/55500/107/55500-107-c341bbced61da5dc863238a7cdd171c1-323×510.png ■Comment from person in charge ●Hiroyuki Mori, Director, Visual Works Department, Aquastar Co., Ltd. At this critique session, we were able to once again confirm the students’ unique flexible thinking and ambitious attitude toward problem-solving. We find the process of trial and error, leveraging each individual’s skills to achieve better expression, inspiring us as well. Feedback from the project team is intended to respond to your enthusiasm and guide the project to a better conclusion. We hope it will lead to new insights for future productions. We are looking forward to seeing how your work turns out in the run-up to the final critique. ●Hideki Hayashi, Academic Affairs Department, Fukuoka Design & Technology College Over the two weeks between the students’ submissions and the midterm critique, the staff at Aquastar Inc. created and shared detailed and specific comments on each of the 32 submitted works. For six of the works, they even provided direct instructions on how to modify the base body and create effective compositions, which both the students and I are very grateful for. During the online midterm critique, the creators praised each of the 32 student works, highlighting their strengths, such as their perspectives and creativity. They also provided direct advice on areas that need improvement in preparation for the final critique, such as “How can we make our message more impactful for our target audience?”, “What specific direction should we take?”, and “How can we improve?” The students were given concrete guidance on the mindset and attitude required for “creativity as a job” in the workplace. Both students and instructors will work hard in preparation for the final critique to meet their expectations. ■About Fukuoka Design & Technology College Based on the concept of “turning creativity into a career through technology,” this vocational school offers 21 majors, including games, esports, creators, and the latest technology. As a “vocational practice specialized course” certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the school provides industry-academia collaborative education with over 1,300 companies, cultivating industry-ready talent. Students hone their professional skills by gaining cutting-edge technology and practical experience through real-world projects. ●Fukuoka Design & Technology College Overview Corporate Name: Jikei Gakuen Educational Corporation (Chairman: Kunihiko Ukifune) School Name: Fukuoka Design & Technology College (Principal: Toshitsugu Yoshinaga) Location: 21-2 Ishiki-cho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture URL:
https://www.fca.ac.jp/ ■About Aquastar Co., Ltd. Since our founding in 1991, we have been involved in visual production, primarily
storyboards and illustrations for advertising. Since 2020, in addition to licensed illustrations for anime and games, we have expanded our business into the digital realm, including web and social media marketing and VR space design. Our strength lies in solving
promotional challenges for companies and local governments with the “power of visuals,” and we are involved in more than 5,000 projects annually. Our mission is to “communicate complex phenomena that are difficult to convey in text in an easy-to-understand and engaging way for everyone,” and we strive to create content that moves users’ hearts. Name: Aquastar Co., Ltd. Address: Tokyo Head Office: 7F Ginza Shochiku Square, 1-13-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 Kansai Branch: 1-22-4 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka, Osaka 550-0002 Higobashi Ishikawa Building 702 Representative: President and CEO Hiroyoshi Harada Established: November 14, 1991 Official website:
https://aqua-star.co.jp/ Works: https://aqua-star.co.jp/works/ ■Contact for this matter: Aquastar Co., Ltd. Public Relations Officer, Kamiya