{"rewrite":{"id":"r_aab18f92377d0896d7a9be9f","clusterId":"c_28f72e4d93b3a9241e9c29fc","slug":"my-grandfather-is-a-nihonjin-director-explains-why-she-avoided-anime-style","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin Director Explains Why She Avoided Anime Style","summary":"Celia Catunda, director of the Brazilian-Japanese animated feature \"My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,\" said she deliberately avoided making the film in an anime style, instead aiming to create a visual blend of Japanese and Brazilian traditions. Speaking ahead of the film's premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Catunda explained that while many asked if the project would be anime, she wanted to forge a distinct look. The film follows Noboru, a boy from São Paulo who learns about his Japanese heritage through his grandfather Hideo. It is based on the novel by Oscar Nakasato and draws on Catunda's own experiences growing up with friends of Japanese descent. Catunda, who does not have Japanese heritage, worked with creative consultants to avoid stereotypes, particularly in character gestures and music. The score combines Japanese sounds with Brazilian countryside music. The film is produced by Catunda's company Pinguim Content and is set to screen at multiple festivals after its Annecy debut. Catunda cited the recent Oscar win for the Latvian film \"Flow\" as a positive sign for independent animation.","whyItMatters":"The director's explicit rejection of anime style for a story about Japanese-Brazilian identity highlights a deliberate effort to avoid visual clichés and instead craft a culturally specific aesthetic that reflects the immigrant experience.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eCelia Catunda, director of the upcoming animated feature \"My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,\" told Deadline that she resisted pressure to make the film in an anime style, instead aiming to create a unique visual language that merges Japanese and Brazilian influences. The film, which premieres at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Thursday, follows a young boy named Noboru from São Paulo who, after a school assignment, asks his grandfather Hideo to share his family history. The grandfather, who has long avoided discussing his past, eventually opens up about his Japanese roots.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCatunda, who runs the production company Pinguim Content, said she worked with contemporary artist Oscar Oiwa, himself born in São Paulo to Japanese immigrants, on the film's setup and visuals. She also engaged a Japanese consultant to review scripts and character movements, catching moments where the grandfather's gestures, like opening his arms wide, would not ring true for a Japanese character. The music, which blends Japanese instruments with Brazilian countryside sounds, required similar care to avoid sounding like \"generic Japanese\" music, Catunda said.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe film is based on the acclaimed novel by Oscar Nakasato. Catunda, who is not of Japanese descent, said she drew on her own upbringing in Brazil's multicultural environment, where many of her friends had Japanese heritage. She believes animation is well-suited to explore immigration themes because character design can convey cultural aspects symbolically. Catunda also noted that the recent Oscar win for the Latvian independent film \"Flow\" gives her hope for the visibility of smaller animated projects.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Celia Catunda, director of Brazilian-Japanese film 'My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,' said she deliberately avoided anime style: 'Japanese animation is so strong. I wanted to create another style that went a bit Brazilian.'","twitterPost":"The director of 'My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin' on why she didn't make an anime: 'Many people asked if we would do an anime-style feature and I felt I didn't want to do that.'","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Celia Catunda, director of the Brazilian-Japanese animated feature \"My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,\" explained why she deliberately avoided making the film in an anime style. The film, which premieres at Annecy, blends Japanese and Brazilian visual traditions and follows a boy learning about his heritage from his grandfather.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Deadline Anime\",\"url\":\"https://deadline.com/2025/06/my-grandfather-is-a-nihonjin-director-brazil-japan-on-anime-1236427925/\",\"title\":\"'My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin': Director Behind Brazilian-Japanese Animation Details Why She Didn't Want To Make An Anime\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5050,"outputTokens":923,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780177711,"createdAt":"2026-05-30T21:41:11.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-30T21:44:19.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T21:44:19.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_28f72e4d93b3a9241e9c29fc","canonicalTitle":"‘My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin’: Director Behind Brazilian-Japanese Animation Details Why She Didn’t Want To Make An Anime","representativeArticleId":"a_eed7ffa70d01857589ce6e36","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Celia Catunda\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"business","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2025-06-10T07:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2025-06-10T07:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T21:44:19.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Deadline Anime","url":"https://deadline.com/2025/06/my-grandfather-is-a-nihonjin-director-brazil-japan-on-anime-1236427925/","title":"‘My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin’: Director Behind Brazilian-Japanese Animation Details Why She Didn’t Want To Make An Anime"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin"],"studios":[],"people":["Celia Catunda"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Celia Catunda, director of 'My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,' said she deliberately avoided making the film in an anime style to create a visual blend of Japanese and Brazilian traditions.","The film premieres at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Thursday.","The story follows Noboru, a boy from São Paulo, who learns about his Japanese heritage through his grandfather Hideo.","Catunda worked with contemporary artist Oscar Oiwa on the film's visuals and a Japanese consultant to review scripts and character movements to avoid stereotypes.","The score combines Japanese instruments with Brazilian countryside music, avoiding what Catunda called 'generic Japanese' sounds."]}