Gainax's 'Lights of Sand' Anime Short Streams in Japan
"World's 1st 4K anime short" debuted in 2017
AbemaTV will begin its exclusive advance streaming of director Hiroyuki Yamaga ( The Wings of Honneamise , Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden ) and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto 's ( Neon Genesis Evangelion , FLCL ) "Suna no Akari" ("Lights of Sand") 4K anime short on January 18 at 1:00 a.m. The five-minute "world's first 4K anime short" will stream in standard definition through AbemaTV , and it will be available through the service for six days after its debut.
The short's story centers on a boy who finds something shining in a gloomy desert. It gives him a power of light. Guided by the light, the boy is drawn into the connection between the girl he meets and a new world.
Shōichi Yajima served as executive producer for the short, and Hiroaki Takeuchi ( The Animatrix , Showa Monogatari ) was the producer. The short utilized a new type of production system with blockchain crowdfunding.
The short premiered at the Content Tokyo event in June 2017, and then screened at the Dai-13-kai Iida no Machi Festival Kōyasai event on November 3, 2019. The anime's main staff attended C3AFA Singapore on November 30 to screen the short in collaboration with Singapore-based blockchain company BlockPunk.
Sources: AbemaTV, The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Comic Natalie, C3AFA Singapore's website