Anime fans gathered on Day 2 of Anime Expo to watch the U.S. premiere of the newest masterfully animated work from beloved studio Kyoto Animation, Sparks of Tomorrow (Nijusseiki Denki Mokuroku), and hear from the staff behind the Summer 2026 TV anime.
MyAnimeList’s community was invited to send questions after reading our previous interview with Director Minoru Ota, ahead of the Anime Expo panel and the anime’s broadcast. Five of these questions were selected and answered by the staff below.
Guests:
- Minoru Ota (Director)
- Satori Senami (Producer)
- Ginger Root (ED Theme Artist) acting as Interpreter & Host
Note: We’ve included answers to a couple of the MAL community questions that could not be answered at the panel, too!
──Could you tell us about the story and concept of this work, and what you hope to convey to viewers around the world?
Director Minoru Ota: This anime takes place in an alternate universe of Kyoto where steam engine technology alone advanced. Against this backdrop, this is a story of rebirth set in the 20th century, centered around the Electric Catalog, where Kihachi, Inako, and the other characters strive to reclaim what they’ve lost and pursue their dreams. I hope to convey to everyone the spirit of giving it another shot or trying again.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
──This work is positioned as Kyoto Animation’s “New Frontier.” What challenges did you face when launching the project, and how did you overcome them?
Ota: We wanted to bring you all something new, a story with fresh visual styles, so any ideas that felt like something we’d seen before were immediately ruled out. However, because of that approach, coming up with ideas was really difficult and time consuming, and I wasn’t always sure how to share these ideas with the rest of the staff.
Producer Satori Senami: Since this is Director Ota’s directorial debut and we hadn’t worked together before, at first it took me a little while to really get a handle on what kind of person Director Ota is and what he’s thinking. As we communicated more and more and worked on the anime together, I came to realize that he’s a bit of an eccentric person.
Once I understood that—and as all of you have probably seen while watching the anime—it struck me that letting his unique personality shine through was actually the best thing for this project. From there, things went very smoothly.
──Can you talk a little about the process of creating the unique characters in this work, and what you kept in mind when developing their personalities?
Ota: For Kihachi and Inako, this is a story about their growth. When I was thinking about how best to portray that, I realized that personal growth often comes from encounters and communication with other people who have different qualities from yourself. So for these two characters, I gave them personalities that are complete opposites of each other: one who doubts himself and the other who believes.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
Meanwhile, Yousuke is a person who became who he wanted to be. After Seiroku passed away, Kihachi never once gave up on his dreams, but Yousuke is different. That’s why I made Kihachi and Yousuke take actions that are the complete opposite of each other. Yousuke gave up, and I think that makes him a very relatable character, but what do you think?
Senami: Yousuke really is someone who stays true to his feelings.
Ota: Lastly, Seiroku is very charismatic and charming. You can’t help but be drawn to his character, and get the feeling that he would be so much fun to be around.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
──What do you want the audience to take away after watching this series?
Ota: As you have seen, there are many characters with strong personalities. As they interact and we delve more into their storylines, I think you’ll come to like more and more characters as we go along.
Senami: As for me, I mentioned earlier that the director is a bit eccentric, or perhaps “interesting” would be a better word to use. His sense of style really shines through in the work, contrasting the serious and comedic moments. I was impressed by how the energy level kept fluctuating, and there are plenty more scenes like that after the first third of the anime, so I hope you enjoy both aspects of it.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
MAL Community Questions
──How did you decide what aspects of steam-powered Kyoto should feel familiar and what should feel completely different?
Ota: First, the backgrounds of this work. Although the setting is described as “steampunk,” I was careful not to lean in too far and make it too illustration-heavy, making that the main focus of the show. Instead I focused on making Kihachi’s story, or the characters’ adventures, the true highlights.
Since they’re living in the city, we didn’t want pipes to be running through the streets more than necessary, but we also wanted to give the impression that the city is being polluted with steam and smoke. We struck a balance to ensure that aspect comes across clearly.
Senami: As the director mentioned, there are some depictions (like the pipes) that are specific to this alternate history of Kyoto. However, in the sense of one’s everyday life, I think it’s quite clear that these are places in present-day Kyoto and it’s possible to resonate with the city as people know it today.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
──What new digital or traditional techniques did the Kyoto Animation art team have to develop to achieve the matte, gritty finish of the backgrounds?
Ota: For this anime, we went with an Impressionist style. We aimed for it to look like a painting, but to create the feeling of realistic brushstrokes, we need to use a huge number of different strokes. About 80% of these strokes were created digitally and 20% were analog, but analog strokes were mostly used to train the new recruits. In reality, we mainly used digital tools, and since switching between brush types every time was a hassle, so we kept it as simple as we could.
Senami: When it comes to training to make art backgrounds at Kyoto Animation, new staff are taught primarily on analog techniques. So while everyone can use analog methods, recently there is a trend towards deliberately teaching people how to use digital tools as well.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
──Ginger Root, how did the opportunity to make the ending theme present itself, and what was the creation process like?
Ginger Root: I got an email from Bandai Namco asking if I was interested in making the ending theme song to a new Kyoto Animation series. Being a Kyoto Animation fan, and just an anime fan in general, I said yes. During the initial meetings, I heard that the opening theme song went through about 15 revisions and was told to prepare myself. However, I was able to create the song in one go, and got approved after one take.
This is mainly because Director Ota talked me through what he wanted and envisioned in detail. The opening theme song has this organicness and there’s a lot of Japanese inspired melodies and instruments. However, the director said he wanted the ending theme to sound futuristic, so please stick to electronic instruments and guitars. He also gave me a piece of writing and a digital painting that he said he wanted the song to evoke the feeling of. And if I didn’t have that, I probably would have needed 15 revisions for the ending song as well.
──Is there a particular scene or episode that the production team is especially proud of?
Ota: Since Sparks of Tomorrow features a completely new visual style unlike any previous Kyoto Animation work, one of our biggest challenges was creating enough visual variety across an entire season—from morning, daytime, and nighttime scenes to flashbacks and other settings. At the beginning of production, the experience we had gained from previous works was of little help, and there were even concerns about whether we could maintain this visual quality all the way through the final episode.
However, the main staff and I were determined not to compromise. Every department devoted the time they could spare to refining their production workflows, and together we established a system that allowed us to consistently achieve this distinctive visual style throughout the series. Looking back, that remains one of the achievements we are most proud of.
Senami: While working on Episode 1, we actually reworked the visual look to better establish the overall direction of the series. It was a demanding process, but it ultimately brought the production team closer together.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
──The series is about imagining tomorrow. What is something today that you hope people 100 years from now will still value?
Ota: The way people communicate has changed dramatically with the spread of the internet and social media. While these developments have had many benefits, they have also brought some negative effects. At the root of it all, however, is our fundamental desire not to be alone.
Perhaps in the future, advances in AI and technology will make it possible for people to live perfectly well on their own. Personally, though, I don’t believe that would be healthy. I think people should continue to experience both joy and hardship through genuine human interaction. I believe the relationship between Kihachi and Inako feels so compelling because it represents real communication between people.
Senami: Technology will continue to advance with the times, but the people who use it will remain the same. In the end, I believe what truly holds value is human wisdom, courage, and dignity.
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
This panel interview was conducted through an interpreter and has been edited for clarity.
Watch Sparks of Tomorrow on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81698957
Follow the official X (Twitter): @Sparks_of_Tmr
See the official site: https://denkimokuroku.jp/en/
Add the anime to your list: https://myanimelist.net/anime/62856
Promotional Video
