Inan exclusive interview with CBR, esteemed creators, Goro Taniguchi and Yukio Takatsu,spoke out about their impressions of Japan’s anime industry and how it can best keep up with recent worldwide changesinvolving technological developments like AI and NFTs. As they carried out their most recent project, an anime based around the breakout NFT brand Azuki,they kept these advancements in mind.
Goro Taniguchi is known for his work onOne PieceandCode Geass,while Yukio Takatsu contributed toNaruto Shippuden,Persona 3,andMonogatari.Both of these skilled creatives brought their talents to theEnter the GardenAzuki project,taking anime in a completely new, groundbreaking direction.
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The Azuki anime took the form ofa three-part trilogy entitledEnter the Garden,whichdebuted its first segment,The Waiting Man,on Tuesday, August 09, 2025. The series was a hit, and fans expressed their delight with the animation, storyline, and creativity present in the short series. In the CBR interview, Taniguchi, who directed the series, and Takatsu, who contributed to the animation and style, discussed how this project is so different from anything else they have undertaken, due to its unique roots in non-fungible token technology and the already established Azuki brand.
Both creators had strong track records in anime, being a part of series likeNaruto Shippuden, One Piece,andCode Geass,so they were excellent choices to work on such an ambitious anime project, and their hard work paid off.Enter the Gardenhas already earned millions of views on each episode,a testament to the series' quality. Despite its success, both Taniguchi and Takatsu spoke about the importance of a global approach to anime creation, with Taniguchi explaining that,“If we try to handle everything solely within Japan’s borders, we will inevitably fall behind on the global stage.”
Taniguchi and Takatsu Are Inspired by Technological Advancements
Their Recent Project, Enter the Garden, Was Based on NFT Technology
Japan is certainly leading the anime industry well, and it makes sense, considering the fact that anime originates from Japan. However, these twoEnter the Gardencreators are unafraid to try out new ideas andincorporate technological advancements from all over the world into their projects,making them more diverse, interesting, and appealing to fans from all walks of life.TheEnter the Gardenanimeis a prime example of this phenomenon, with its innovative inclusion of characters inspired by NFT technology, an area that has previously been largely unexplored in the anime industry.
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Taniguchi and Takatsu have an ambitious outlook on the future of anime, stating in the interview that they believe NFT technology is a vehicle for positive change in the industry. Some creators may be hesitant to embrace new andless familiar technologies like AI and NFTs, but theseEnter the Gardencreators are only embracing them,allowing them to influence their work and, ideally, affect the anime industry for the better.Considering the loveEnter the Gardenreceived, more NFT-related anime projects will likely appear in the future, and hopefully, will be just as much of a masterpiece asEnter the Gardenis.
