Taketo Shinkai creates animated sketch comedies featuring rapid-fire dialogue, minimal movement, and a distinctive pop visual style. The many shorts he has produced for TV have found a large audience, particularly among teenagers.

Ryu Kato creates living paintings that dance beautifully across the screen. In both his artwork and his animation, Kato emphasizes the rhythmic and the unexpected -- qualities that he believes add a human touch to anime. Apart from his own independently produced shorts, Kato has directed animations for music videos, live concerts and TV.