Tonko House’s ‘ONI’ – first look and info on the Netflix animated event series
Tonko House, the Academy Award®-nominated animation studio behind The Dam Keeper, have paired up with renowned anime writer/filmmaker Mari Okada (Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Anohana, The Anthem of the Heart, A Whisker Away) on the upcoming animated Netflix series ONI
ONI (image via Tonko House)
The first look at ONI‘s unique, handcrafted style comes in anticipation of Tonko House co-founders Robert Kondo and Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi with producer Sara K. Sampson’s headlining talk, Journey of Tonko House, later today at the 2021 Lightbox Expo. The talk will celebrate the studio’s seventh year with a WIP preview of the animated event series and other animated projects in development.
In a world filled with the oddball gods and monsters of Japanese mythology, one of the creature’s free-spirited daughters, Onari, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of lore, but her unique powers are yet to be revealed. Does she have what it takes to fight to protect her peaceful village from the encroaching threat of the gods’ mysterious enemies, the “Oni”?
ONI will be helmed by recent June Foray Award recipient Dice Tsutsumi, who is taking the reins as creator and directing showrunner. Sara K. Sampson will produce with Tonko House’s Robert Kondo and Kane Lee exec producing. The series will be brought to life by a trifecta of high-end CG production houses Megalis VFX, Marza, and Anima.
Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi (image via Tonko House)
After deep exploration into the visual style that best complemented our story, I am excited about the unique look we landed on for ONI. The look offers a rich, tactile feel that honors the tradition of craftsmanship in Japan, combined with both our original take on classic Japanese folktale characters and a cinematic world where lighting, atmosphere, and mood help tell the story.
I never imagined we would experience such creative autonomy with a major distributor but we are fortunate to have a great working relationship with Netflix. They provide an amazingly supportive and collaborative environment, which is a dream come true for an atypical project like ONI.
Despite being an English language production, the support continued when there was an opportunity to partner with Mari Okada, one of my longtime favorite Japanese screenwriters. Mari is an incredible talent and I knew she would be the perfect creative partner to capture both the strength and vulnerability of our heroine, Onari. Out of wonderful serendipity, Mari found her own connection to this story which further fueled her entertaining yet emotionally charged approach.
– Dice Tsutsumi
Mari Okada (image via Tonko House)
When Dice first pitched ONI to me, I was blown away. I saw a lot of myself in his deeply personal connection to the story and felt many people around the world would feel the same. I felt I had to take this opportunity even if it meant facing unusual challenges for the first time, such as writing for an English-language production.
More than anything, I was surprised how collaborative this process of story development has been. In Japan, each role is often separated and we writers don’t normally get to interact with artists in other parts of production. Despite the remote interaction with the Tonko House team in Berkeley, Dice made me feel a part of the team by involving me beyond writing. I was often asked my opinions on things such as storyboarding, art, and animation.
It proved to me that there is no difference in the pursuit of a great story, no matter the culture. I’m incredibly honored to be part of team ONI.
-Mari Okada
For more on the work of Tonko House visit tonkohouse.com