SUMMARY
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Gensho Yasuda's 3D film Make a Girl explores cyber romance with a unique plot and interesting twists.
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The film has stunning animation, capturing the essence of 2D animation but with expressive characters and fantastic action that is distinctly 3D.
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Make a Girl marks Yasuda's inspiring rise from short film maker to feature film director, showcasing the power of an online following.
Title |
Make a girl |
Director |
Gensho Yasuda |
Studio |
Gensho Yasuda Studio by Xenotoon |
Date of publication |
31/01/2025 |
CGI in animation has come a long way over the years, and while many still prefer 2D, animators like Gensho Yasuda have proven that the prevalence of 3D doesn't need to be limited by mere acceptance. After years of virtual Blender animations that have garnered him millions of followers, Yasuda's video, Make a girlis ready to make this point more clearly than before.
Based on Yasuda's 2020 short film Make Love, Make a girl became a public success story in late 2022, earning 23.7 million yen, surpassing the 10 million yen goal set by the campaign. Yasuda has also worked as a CG animator for video game developer Nitroplus and recently made waves online with a Disney-approved animated series. Moana 2.

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Cyber-Romance with a dark twist
Make a girl follows Akira Mizutame, a young scientist who creates an advanced assistant robot named Salt. Despite his great strides, he finds himself at a creative block. When a friend advises him to get a girlfriend, he takes his advice well and ends up creating a girlfriend again. It's a big logical leap, where the humor is never lost in the film; and there is no darker influence on the subject, which serves as the basis for the film's central tension.
At first, the trailer presents itself as any other love story, full of romantic excitement to an orchestral soundtrack, before it goes into screeching halt and gear-shifting. No.0 starts questioning everything. He was programmed to fall in love with Akira, and Akira himself created No. 0 out of a reckless desire to get a vague “upgrade” of his sense of self by having a girlfriend. It's a fairly dark theme that sets the stage for a very intriguing plot.
The result is a suspenseful cyber romance, full of twists and turns as program No.0 collides with his sense of self as a conscious human being. Meanwhile, Akira struggles with his creation and tries to help No.0 while being chased by a mysterious third party. Aside from the original bait-and-switch, the trailer seems to only hint at bits and pieces of what the story reveals about Akira, No.0, and the nature of his development.
This movie looks great
The history of Make a girl is a strong sell, but that is the second thing that immediately stands out; the animation. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Yasuda's work, but even by his standards this film is very good looking. According to the official website, it is “300% pure Gensho Yasuda”, a testament to his ability with a theatrical budget and a skilled team at his disposal, although only “eight people”, according to Yasuda said.
It captures hand-drawn images so well that some shots are almost indistinguishable. Of course, in action, this distinction is clearer, but no less important. Yasuda's various online anime shorts are characterized by expressive, dynamic, and often dark animation, not to mention the way he creates short vignettes without dialogue. Likewise, Make a girlThe characters – their looks, their hair and their bodies – move with great grace.
From 2 minute short to full length Thriller
From its origins as a short film to its funding success, the roots of this film make the finished product more interesting than its premise. It's rare to see an independent animator rise so boldly in such a short time as the director and writer of a feature film. Atsuya Uki, the creator of the character, recalls a similar story Digimon which ended up directing the anime series Cencoroll.
Cencoroll is a 26-minute short film that has been extended to 2019 Centroroll Connectwhich combined the first film with a new sequel, which was about 75 minutes long. What's most impressive is that as far as anyone knows – aside from the animation between the animations – the entire movie was made by Uki. With a third film announced for 2019, it's likely that he'll still be working on it for years to come.
Make a girl feel special
Yasuda's success in Make a girl it seems that Uki's success is for 3D animation as it is for 2D animation. It is a unique creative vision that has been given time to complete and is being raised to a national level, thanks to the merits of the artist's portfolio. Hard work has paid off, and it's not always easy to accept reality. Gensho Yasuda did the work, but as he says, his online followers helped push his work even further:
Whether it's getting a commission or getting a chance to work on a long-term animation, what matters is how you market your own creativity and win the hearts of those in charge. Social media is a direct marketing method that anyone can use; gathering followers there leads to a number of possibilities.
Make a girl premiered at the Global Stage Hollywood 2024 Film Festival on November 3 and soon after at the Tokyo International Film Festival. There's no word yet on a bigger international release for the film, but it could be a great addition to the already stacked animated series. 2025 will see Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Madoka Magicaand many other famous theaters, and it will be funny to see Gensho Yasuda's work among them, on the big screen, all over the world.
Make a girl will be released in Japan on January 31, 2025.

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Source: Gensho Yasuda YouTube channel, Make a Girl official website, Crunchyroll News [Link 1][Link 2]ANN [Link 1][Link 2][Link 3]