1. Exploring Merchandise Design and IP Development

During the development of Something Sweeter, I began to think more seriously about how original characters can exist beyond a short animated film. At first, my main focus was to create a cute and warm story about friendship, but as the project developed, I realised that these characters also had the potential to become part of a larger IP.

For this project, I tried designing simple merchandise such as T-shirts, tote bags and acrylic stands. Although these were only early tests, they helped me imagine how the characters could connect with audiences in everyday life. I am interested in the idea that a character does not only live on screen, but can also become something people carry, collect, wear, or keep in their personal space. This made me think more about the relationship between animation, character design, and audience engagement.

Through this process, I also started to understand that IP development requires consistency. A character needs to have a clear visual identity, personality, colour palette and emotional appeal. In Something Sweeter, I tried to create characters that were soft, simple and easy to recognise. I used pastel colours, round shapes and food-related motifs to build a gentle and cute visual world. These choices were not only useful for the animation, but also helped the characters feel suitable for merchandise and future promotional materials.

This project also made me reflect on my own future direction. I have always enjoyed creating cute characters, but I now want to think more strategically about how they can grow into stories, animated works, products and possibly a larger creative world. I am interested in becoming not only an animator, but also a creator who can develop original characters with long-term potential.

In the future, I would like to explore more types of merchandise, such as stickers, badges, postcards, plush toys and small zines. I also want to continue improving my ability to design characters with stronger individuality, so that “cute” is not their only defining feature. I hope to create characters that are visually appealing, emotionally relatable and flexible enough to exist across animation, illustration, social media and merchandise.

Overall, Something Sweeter helped me understand that IP development is not only about making attractive products. It is about building a world, a feeling and a connection with the audience. This is a direction I would like to continue exploring after graduation.

2. Developing Original Characters Through Music and Idol Projects

During the development of Something Sweeter, I started to think more widely about the future potential of my original characters. Besides merchandise design, I am also interested in developing music-based projects. I do not want my characters to only exist in a short animation or as static illustrations. I hope they can become characters who have their own voices, songs, stories and emotional journeys.

One project that inspires me is HoneyWorks. I am interested in how they combine music, animation and character storytelling. Their songs often introduce characters, relationships and emotions in a very direct and memorable way. Through music videos and animated visuals, they are able to create many pure, youthful and charming stories. This made me realise that music can be a powerful way to develop characters and build an emotional connection with the audience.

For my own IP, I would like to explore a similar direction in the future. I am interested in turning my characters into idol-like characters, not necessarily in a very commercial or realistic idol industry way, but more as a fantasy and character-based music project. Each character could have her own personality, visual identity, voice, song style and emotional theme. Through songs, I could show parts of the characters that may not appear clearly in a short film.

This direction also connects with my personal interests. I have always been interested in cute character design, performance, music and idol culture. By combining these elements, I may be able to create a project that feels more personal to me. It could include animated music videos, character songs, small performances, social media content and merchandise. In this way, the IP could grow across different forms instead of staying in only one medium.

After graduation, I would like to keep experimenting with this idea. I want to learn more about music production, vocal direction, character branding and how to create animated visuals for songs. I also want to collaborate with musicians, singers and sound designers, because this kind of project cannot be completed by one person alone. Through this process, I hope to develop my original characters into a more complete creative world.

Overall, this project helped me realise that my future direction may not be limited to traditional animation production. I am interested in creating characters who can move between animation, music, performance and merchandise. Developing an idol-style music IP could become one possible path for me, and it is a direction I would like to continue exploring.

3. Considering Studio Work and Game Animation

After developing Something Sweeter, I started to think more realistically about my future career path. Although I am interested in creating my own original IP and developing personal projects, I also realise that it is important for me to stay connected with the professional industry and wider society.

For this reason, I am considering working in a company after graduation. I think studio or company experience could help me understand how professional projects are organised, how teams communicate, and how production pipelines work in real industry settings. This kind of experience may also help me avoid becoming too isolated in my own creative world.

One direction I am interested in is applying for game companies. I previously had internship experience at Boke, and I would like to consider applying to similar companies again in the future. Through working in a game company, I hope to learn more about character animation, interactive storytelling, asset production, teamwork, and how animation functions within a game pipeline.

Game animation is also a direction that I may want to explore further. Compared with short film animation, game animation often requires different thinking. The animation needs to respond to player input, loop smoothly, and work within technical limitations. This could be a valuable challenge for me, especially because I am interested in character performance and how characters can feel alive in different media.

At the same time, I do not see company work and personal IP development as two completely separate paths. Working in the industry could help me improve my professional skills, understand production standards, and build stronger teamwork habits. These experiences may eventually support my own original projects as well.

Overall, I want to keep an open attitude toward my future career. I still hope to develop my own characters, animation projects and IP worlds, but I also want to gain practical industry experience. Applying to game companies may be one possible step that allows me to learn, grow, and stay connected with the professional world.

While exploring different professional possibilities, the concept that resonates with me most deeply is the emerging role of the Performer-Creator. Although this term lacks a strict industry definition, its presence can be observed in fields such as voice-actor idols, virtual performers, VTubers, mixed-media TikTok artists, and other creators who combine performance with authored digital characters. The core idea is the fusion of real-world performance and original character creation—a hybrid role that feels closest to my long-term aspirations.

Throughout my life, I have enjoyed drawing and naturally developed along the animation pathway. Yet I have always felt a strong desire to stand onstage, to perform, and to be seen by an audience. Every year, I participate in cosplay stage events at conventions, and each time I experience a sense of energy and purpose that differs from the satisfaction of drawing alone. Discovering the performer-creator model helped me realise that I do not need to choose between animation and performance—they can coexist and even amplify each other.

Examples such as LoveLive! illustrate this structure clearly: characters are created first, voice actors give them personality, and performers then embody them on stage. However, the version of performer-creator that resonates with me is slightly different. I do not want to “play a character created for me”; instead, I want to create a character myself and also be the real-life embodiment of that IP. This approach is more aligned with independent creator culture, where personal identity and character identity interweave. It also aligns with the concept of owning one’s IP rather than being cast into an existing one.

In imagining this pathway, I envision designing a character—an idol persona connected to my illustrations and animations—and bringing this persona to life through dance, performance, modelling, music, and short animated stories. The animation becomes a tool to extend the character’s world, while performance makes the character emotionally accessible to audiences. This duality feels uniquely suited to my strengths and desires: my love of drawing and my longing for performance.

Reflecting on this pathway, I recognise its uncertainty. There are few established routes, limited academic resources, and almost no mainstream examples outside corporate virtual-idol systems. The workload is heavy, requiring skills in animation, content creation, performance, branding, and production. Yet the idea excites me more than any traditional role. It feels like a direction where I could combine all parts of myself instead of choosing only one.

Although I do not yet know the exact strategy, beginning with small animated clips, personal branding, and collaborative performance projects may be the first step. Ultimately, the performer-creator path represents the most personal, ambitious, and emotionally meaningful career goal I have explored so far.

Beyond studio work, I have a strong desire to create my own intellectual property (IP)—a character, a world, and a creative identity that belong entirely to me. While traditional jobs involve contributing to someone else’s vision, becoming an independent IP creator allows animation to function as a flexible tool rather than the final product. My long-term ambition is to develop a personal brand that expands into multiple forms: plush toys, accessories, apparel, illustration books, and original character merchandise.

I gained early exposure to this path through part-time work with Studio Enon and Muffinmaru, both of which operate within the independent creator ecosystem. Although my tasks were limited to assistant animation work, I observed their full workflow: building an audience through consistent illustration posts, developing short animations and comics, using emojis and stickers to strengthen character personality, and eventually producing merchandise and establishing partnerships. Their ability to control their brand direction was inspiring. Yet I also saw the intense workload they carried—sometimes one person taking the roles of artist, writer, animator, marketer, shop manager, and customer support. Witnessing this made me anxious about whether I could handle such demands alone.

Despite this fear, I have already begun designing my own characters and building the foundation for a small IP. Even if this path is uncertain and financially unstable compared to studio employment, it offers freedom that traditional pipelines cannot provide. The idea of creating something that reflects my identity—not merely my craft—feels meaningful. I want to make work that resonates emotionally with others, not only visually.

Reflecting on this pathway, I recognise both its potential and its risks. Independence means creative ownership, but it also requires discipline, time management, and strategic planning. Success in this field often relies on balancing consistent output with sustainable personal wellbeing. I realise I must develop skills in branding, social media communication, and small-scale business management—areas not typically taught in animation programmes. Still, the appeal of building a world that belongs entirely to me continues to motivate me.

In the long run, I envision a hybrid career: working in industry for stability while gradually growing my IP until it becomes sustainable. This dual structure allows me to maintain financial security while cultivating my personal creative identity. Ultimately, becoming an independent IP creator represents not just a career option but a path toward artistic autonomy.

In considering traditional employment roles within the animation and game industry, the path that appeals to me most is working as a 2D game character animator or character designer in either Shanghai or London. Compared with 2D animation studios where the work often focuses on narrative-drive shots, game animation emphasises expressive motion cycles, player interaction feedback, and character responsiveness. These elements align closely with my strengths in character design and action performance, and they naturally bring me joy. I have found that this type of work sustains my motivation and keeps my mental state light and positive.

During the summer, I interned at Boke City in Shanghai for two months. My main responsibility was producing idle animations for their mobile game “Supper Egg Duck” (in Chinese 超能下蛋鸭). The work flow involved layer separation in Photoshop, followed by rigging and animating in Spine, creating clean concrete insight into the production pipepling of game animation-how animators collaborate with designers, how assets move between departments, and how animation impacts gameplay and marketing. It also confirmed that I enjoy the rhythm and problem-solving nature of game animation more than traditional hand-drawn processes.

I am also a long-time admirer of Chucklefish, a London-based indie studio known for its pixel-based 2D games. Their animation approach—drawing frame-based movements directly in pixel art—requires precise timing, appealing poses, and strong understanding of body mechanics despite the simplicity of the style. The idea of animating characters directly into the game engine excites me, as it blends artistic intuition with interactive design. It represents the kind of creative environment I hope to join in the future.

Reflecting on this pathway, I see traditional employment as a stable and realistic foundation. It offers structured mentorship, teamwork, predictable income, and the chance to grow professionally inside an established production pipeline. More importantly, it matches my current capabilities and gives me space to refine fundamental skills. Although I have long-term dreams beyond studio work, traditional employment remains a practical and meaningful step in my early career. It allows me to deepen my craft while contributing to projects that reach large audiences. For now, this pathway feels both achievable and aligned with the type of work that I genuinely enjoy.

• Journal 1 – Traditional Employment Roles: 2D Game Character Designer/Animator

• Journal 2 – Independent IP Creator / Personal Brand Owner

• Journal 3 – Performer-Creator: Animation × Performance × Personal IP

At the beginning of this group project, I was assigned to create a ten-second shot based on the storyboard. However, I quickly realized that this task was not as simple as it seemed. The storyboard provided by our teammates was quite rough and difficult to interpret. Additionally, we did not fully understand the story, which made it even harder to visualize the scene. Since we were given creative freedom, we struggled to produce anything concrete.

As the team attempted to communicate, our teammates eventually realized that their initial expectations were difficult for us to fulfill. As a result, they changed our task to conducting research instead. However, after completing the research, we did not receive any feedback or further instructions.

Through this group experience, I did not necessarily gain new technical skills, but I did learn the importance of communication in teamwork. A group leader should guide the team towards understanding the project and its vision rather than leaving everything open-ended with minimal guidance. Without clear communication, the team can easily become lost, leading to inefficiency and confusion

Intro:

Ever since I was a child, I have loved Japanese manga and animation, which naturally led me to draw in the Japanese anime style. This has also become the focus of my research—2D Japanese animation. However, as the animation industry has matured, many artists who started drawing out of their love for animation find themselves adapting to existing styles rather than developing their own once they enter the industry. Over time, they gradually lose their individuality. This is also the challenge I face: how can I stay true to my own artistic style while pursuing a career in animation? How do I discover and refine my unique approach to animation? Although this is just Unit 1 of MACA Year 1, and I am still far from finding the answer, I hope to continue exploring and researching throughout my learning journey, eventually developing a style that truly belongs to me.

List:

• Animation Portfolio: Bouncing Characters
• Animation Portfolio: Character Lift, push or pull
• Animation Portfolio: Character Design
• Animation Portfolio: Mood change walk
• Animation Portfolio: Quadruped walk
• Animation Portfolio: Silent Film – Body and Facial Acting
• Animation Portfolio: Lip Synch

Bouncing Characters

animation draft:

Character Lift, push or pull

animation draft:

fix and inbetween:

final:

Character Design:

Mood Change Walk

animation draft:

final:

Quadruped walk

animation draft:

animation final:

Silent Film – Body and Facial Acting

animation draft:

When working on this animation, I didn’t carefully consider the overall completion of the piece. I overlooked the fact that overly complex characters and movements would lower the completion rate, making it impossible to finish within a short timeframe. I realize that this is a recurring issue for me—I tend to make my projects too complicated at the beginning, which often results in being unable to complete everything in the end. Moving forward, I will pay more attention to this and adjust the level of detail in my drawings based on the available time.

Lip Synch

animation draft:

animation final:

The history and theory of animation

Introduction

The Princess of Iron Fan (1941), directed by Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan, is a landmark in Chinese animation history. It was the first full-length animated film in China and was inspired by Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film blends traditional Chinese culture with Western animation techniques, making it a crucial step in the development of Chinese animation.

Aesthetic and Technical Features

The film integrates Chinese artistic elements, such as landscape painting, opera influences, and traditional architecture, while adopting cel animation techniques. The characters, particularly Sun Wukong, exhibit dynamic and expressive movements reminiscent of early Disney animations. Despite wartime challenges, over 100 animators worked on the film, completing it in just over a year.

Historical Context and Influence

Released during the Second Sino-Japanese War, The Princess of Iron Fan carried strong anti-war sentiments. The conflict between Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King can be seen as an allegory for resistance against foreign invasion. The film had a significant impact beyond China, notably influencing Osamu Tezuka, the father of Japanese anime, inspiring him to pursue animation and develop his iconic style.

Conclusion

The Princess of Iron Fan not only pioneered Chinese animation but also contributed to global animation history. Its fusion of cultural heritage and technical innovation set the foundation for future works in Chinese animation, while its influence extended internationally, particularly in Japan. The film remains a testament to the enduring power of animation as both an art form and a tool for cultural storytelling.

Student Presentation PDF

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