Sunao Katabuchi has a new anime short, Fukufuku no Chizu, streaming with English subtitles on the official Fukushima Prefecture YouTube channel, and he has publicly warned that the anime industry's growth is hurting human creators.
Sunao Katabuchi's most recent work is Fukufuku no Chizu, a short anime that began streaming with English subtitles on the official Fukushima Prefecture YouTube channel in early September 2026. It is the second brand movie for the prefecture's variety magazine Fukushima Map, and follows a French philosopher who gets lost in Fukushima and discovers the region's culture through detours. The short pairs Katabuchi with staff from In This Corner of the World, and its English-subtitled release extends the prefecture's project to an international audience.
Around the same period, Katabuchi spoke publicly about the anime industry's expansion. In an August 2026 interview tied to his new role with a workers' compensation association, he said the industry's growth is not good for its human workers. He cited heavy freelance outsourcing, unknown conditions for freelancers, and a weak yen that makes overseas outsourcing difficult. He warned that the industry cannot train new talent or preserve skills, and that AI may lower budgets.
His earlier theatrical work also returned to television in mid-2026. Mai Mai Miracle, his 2009 film with Madhouse, aired on NHK Educational on June 20 and earned a 0.6% household rating in Japan's Kanto region, based on Video Research data that does not include later recordings. The film, based on Nobuko Takagi's autobiographical novel, follows two third-grade girls in 1950s Yamaguchi Prefecture, with Mayuko Fukuda and Nako Mizusawa voicing the leads.
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The official Fukushima Prefecture YouTube channel began streaming Sunao Katabuchi's new anime short, Fukufuku no Chizu, with English subtitles on Monday. The short is the second brand movie for the prefecture's variety magazine Fukushima Map. It follows a French philosopher who gets lost in Fukushima and discovers the region's culture through detours.
Director Sunao Katabuchi, known for In This Corner of the World and Mai Mai Miracle, said the anime industry's expansion is not good for its human workers. He cited heavy freelance outsourcing, unknown conditions for freelancers, and a weak yen that makes overseas outsourcing difficult. He warned the industry cannot train new talent or preserve skills, and that AI may lower budgets.
Sunao Katabuchi and Madhouse's Mai Mai Miracle anime film aired on NHK Educational on June 20 and earned a 0.6% household rating in Japan's Kanto region. The rating is based on Video Research data and does not include later recordings.
Sunao Katabuchi's 2009 theatrical anime "Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Mahō" will air on NHK E Tele on June 20, 2026. The film, based on Nobuko Takagi's autobiographical novel, follows the friendship of two third-grade girls in 1950s Yamaguchi Prefecture. Madhouse handled animation production, with Mayuko Fukuda and Nako Mizusawa voicing the leads.