Tonko House’s newest animated miniseries “ONI: Thunder God’s Tale”, which I had a honor of working on the calligraphy title for, was released on @netflix worldwide on Friday, October 21, 2022!
We had a ONI crew screening & wrap party a week before the release date in West Hollywood, which was full of tears and laughters, rollercoaster of emotions… it was so incredible.
While watching Onari’s journey, I saw myself in her and Naridon’s struggles — I was remembering the time when I decided Japanese calligraphy to be my career for my life. I asked myself, “What is it that only I can do, and no one else can? What was I born to do in my lifetime, in this world?” And then I remembered my master’s words when I received the first prize from the Minister of Education for my calligraphy when I was 14 years old — in his gentle, graceful voice, he said slowly — “Aoi-san, this is telling you that you must continue to practice calligraphy.”
It was the path I chose for my life. It was about realizing what I have, what I grew up to do, accepting it as my fate, and commit to it as a responsibility to nurture, to grow with, to continue to share with the world, and to pass it on to the next generation. And this path, Japanese calligraphy, has brought me many meaningful encounters that I hold dear to my heart.
Accepting, believing, and stand for the belief — the power is all within you.
This epic series “ONI” is full of emotions and beauty throughout — adorable and irresistible characters, magnificent light in every scene, vibrant colors and shades of nature, powerful music scores that tells a story itself… both traditional and modern Japanese culture depicted so authentic yet new. This is a tale that only the director Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi can tell, and only Tonko House can create. I’m more than grateful and fortunate to have been part of it.
I can’t wait for the whole world to experience #ONI!
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