"Broadcasting Cool Japan from Regional Origins to the World" Part 1 Mr. FROGMAN

FROGMAN, who gained significant attention by distributing "Sugai-kun and Family Stone" created with Adobe Flash from Shimane, where he relocated from Tokyo. Then, he achieved a major breakthrough with "Secret Society Takanotsume." He spoke about regionally-based creativity, his own works, and his approach to ideation.

Episode 1:
He sensed great potential in broadcasting from regional areas to the world

Around the turn of the 20th century, I was working as a staff member on film and TV productions while dreaming of becoming a film director. Back then, whether it was broadcasting or distribution, you couldn't reach the whole country without going through the filter of major cities – Tokyo's key networks, big film distributors, and the like. Around the transition from the 20th to the 21st century, the term "broadband" finally emerged, and people started saying, "The era is coming where anyone can distribute videos using the internet."

The idea of distributing your own work nationwide, or even worldwide, without going through TV stations or distribution companies was thrilling. Simultaneously, I believed the spread of the internet would mean information wouldn't just flow out from Tokyo's key stations and major cities; information originating from regional areas would become increasingly active. I envisioned an era where compelling content would emerge from rural areas, places previously disconnected from content creation, and reach audiences directly from Hokkaido to Okinawa, bypassing the big cities.

Around that time, I was involved in the production of "The White Ship," a film by director Yoshinari Nishikiori, who hails from Shimane Prefecture. Set in the fishing port of Shiotsu in Shimane, everything I saw, heard, ate, and the very presence of the local people felt fresh to me, a Tokyo native. Shimane is the deep countryside of Japan, yet it holds countless charms unknown to people from other prefectures.

What if we turned that information into content and distributed it? If we made interesting video works in Shimane and distributed them, they would surely become a talking point. During filming, I also had a fateful encounter with my wife. Rather than returning to Tokyo to work on another film's staff, I decided to stay in Shimane and pursue activities making and distributing videos. That thought was the very origin that led to what I do now.

Initially, I planned to do live-action, but it was quite difficult alone. Around that time, I saw Ryosuke Aoi's animation "CATMAN" and became interested in cinematic expression. When I researched how it was made, I learned it was Flash animation. I bought a tutorial book, intending to study and practice, and created "Sugai-kun and the Family Stone." It depicts the Sugai family living in the Izumo region of Shimane, and features Yoshida-kun and Philip from "Secret Society Takanotsume" ("Takanotsume").

Using "Taka no Tsume" characters to unofficially support all cities and towns in Shimane

"Taka no Tsume" aired as a TV anime, and its first movie became a sensation as "the world's first full-length Flash movie." What remains consistent across both TV and film versions is my "love for Shimane." Living in Shimane significantly changed my life, and I'm grateful for it. When expressing this in the anime, simply saying "thank you" felt boring, so most of it became self-deprecating jokes that tease the prefecture. I intended it with affection, and it resonated well. As a result, Yoshida-kun was appointed "Shimane Super Ambassador" by the Governor of Shimane Prefecture.

I've always had ties with the prefecture, but last spring I created a new character called "Unnan Yoshida-kun" for Unnan City, which the local government and businesses now use. Since I was also appointed as a Matsue Tourism Ambassador, I created a "Matsue Yoshida-kun" character too. Shimane Prefecture has 19 municipalities, and after doing two, I thought, "Why not do them all?" That's how the "SMNY19" project started.

Since there are 19 SHIMANE YOSHIDA characters, it's "SMNY21." It's a bit inspired by "AKB48," but the idea is to create a Yoshida-kun for every municipality in Shimane and cheer them on independently. While all are Yoshida-kun characters, each municipality's color represents its features. Unnan City is famous for its cherry blossoms, so Unnan Yoshida-kun is cherry blossom pink. Matsue's Yoshida-kun is orange, representing the famous sunset over Lake Shinji. Only these two are finalized so far, but I want to create all 19 Yoshida-kun characters to give Shimane Prefecture and each municipality a chance to promote themselves.

It's been ten years since I started video production in Shimane. There's no doubt that cases of production and distribution originating from regional bases, rather than the previous concentration in major cities, are increasing. Not just video, but "mascots" are also part of this trend of content originating locally and going national. The forms and methods of locally-born creativity are diversifying, so I expect even more interesting things to happen going forward, and I plan to challenge myself in various ways too.

( Continued in Part 2 )