Michael Arias
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michaelarias.net
Michael Arias
@michaelarias.net
2.7K followers 360 following 830 posts
Award-winning filmmaker, director of “cult animé” TEKKONKINKREET 😬 映像ジャンルや国籍を超えてボーダレスに活躍し、映画『鉄コン筋クリート』で監督デビューを飾ったクリエイター😅 https://michaelarias.net
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michaelarias.net
Introduce yourself w 5 concerts you’ve seen 🎶

The Cure (Pornography tour)
Simple Minds (New Gold Dream tour)
Tones On Tail
The Chameleons
Cocteau Twins
January 20, 2026 at 7:23 AM
michaelarias.net
歌舞伎座
January 16, 2026 at 6:31 AM
michaelarias.net
I loved hearing @johnaugust.bsky.social and Craig discuss obsessive screenwriting habits with Mike Makowsky. It made me feel slightly vindicated in my need to keep every paragraph of descriptive prose to no more than three lines.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...
716 - Personality Typologies
Podcast Episode · Scriptnotes Podcast · 12/16/2025 · 1h 7m
podcasts.apple.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:48 AM
michaelarias.net
Early on "photomo" (フォトモ) photo-dioramas by Kimio Itozaki (糸崎公朗) really inspired us, so Shinji made #TEKKON photomo-style paper craft models for experiments (physical and virtual).

Print and build! 🏗

fotomo.kitaibunshi.com

#鉄コン #AMERBETON #anime #アニメ #松本大洋 #TaiyoMatsumoto #背景 #木村真二
Hand-painted photomo-style paper craft element by art director Shinji Kimura for TEKKONKINKREET development Hand-painted photomo-style paper craft element by art director Shinji Kimura for TEKKONKINKREET development Kimio Itozaki photomo Copyright © Kimio Itozaki / 糸崎公朗 All Rights Reserved.
January 11, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Michael Arias
michaelarias.net


🙂 Here is the massive 180° layout that opens #TEKKONKINKREET cut 06. Though we had endlessly discussed the shot, it took a moment to make sense of the layout when Kimura-san first revealed it. 🙃 So cool! #鉄コン筋クリート #AMERBETON #TaiyoMatsumoto #ShinjiKimura #松本大洋 #木村真二 #anime #animebg
December 9, 2024 at 12:16 AM
michaelarias.net
From TEKKONKINKREET scene 1 cut 6, spectacular layout and hand-painted BG elements. The plan for executing this (including the 180° roll) is all from the great Shinji Kimura.

#TEKKON #鉄コン #AMERBETON #anime #アニメ #松本大洋 #TaiyoMatsumoto #背景 #木村真二
An interesting layout from TEKKONKKINKREET scene 1 cut 6, incorporating a 180° roll in the move A background painting (by the great Shinji Kimura) from TEKKONKKINKREET scene 1 cut 6, incorporating a 180° roll A background painting (by the great Shinji Kimura) from TEKKONKKINKREET scene 1 cut 6 — clouds seen at the start of the move A background painting (by the great Shinji Kimura) from TEKKONKKINKREET scene 1 cut 6 — clouds seen at the end of the move
January 8, 2026 at 10:07 AM
michaelarias.net
TEKKONKINKREET One thing that was fun but also complicated was the large number of costume changes. Shiro had EIGHT outfits (included naked). Black also eight (not counting the Minotaur).

Character design: Shojiro Nishimi
Colors: Miyuki Ito

#TEKKON #鉄コン #AMERBETON #anime #アニメ #松本大洋 #TaiyoMatsumoto
Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET Shiro (winter wear). Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET Shiro (indoor wear). Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET Shiro (parrot hat). Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET Shiro (tongue tee). Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito.
January 5, 2026 at 10:39 PM
michaelarias.net
Yakuza flunkies Goshima, Ota, Yasuda, and Adachi. Not much glory for these guys.

Character design: Shojiro Nishimi / Colors: Miyuki Ito

#TEKKON #鉄コン #anime #アニメ #松本大洋 #TaiyoMatsumoto #AMERBETON
Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET yakuza flunky Goshima. Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET yakuza flunky Ota. Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET yakuza flunky Yasuda. Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito. Color specs for TEKKONKINKREET yakuza flunky Adachi. Character design by Shojiro Nishimi / Colors by Miyuki Ito.
January 5, 2026 at 10:31 PM
michaelarias.net
Left on the cutting room floor...

These characters never made it into the final film, though we storyboarded, did layouts and rough animation for their scene.

Character design: Shojiro Nishimi / Colors: Miyuki Ito / BG: the great Shinji Kimura.

#TEKKON #鉄コン #anime #アニメ #松本大洋
Character color plan for scene 206 of TEKKONKINKREET. Character design by Shojiro Nishimi, colors by Miyuki Ito. A page from VIZ's English-language version of TEKKONKINKREET (originally titled BLACK AND WHITE in English)
January 5, 2026 at 12:48 PM
michaelarias.net
NHK rebroadcast Naoki Urasawa's MANBEN episode on DOMU, reminding me how fortunate we are to have Otomo. Simply the best.

#大友克洋 #童夢 #アキラ #AKIRA #OTOMO #DOMU #manga
January 4, 2026 at 1:12 AM
michaelarias.net
You'll see a lot of strange things from now on.
January 2, 2026 at 11:15 AM
michaelarias.net
A look back at 2017, the year of the rooster. Not so funny anymore I guess. Just a reminder to myself of how far we've come... 😵‍💫
Parody of a genetics diagram, illustrating the spawning of "Trumpus apocalyptus" from the interbreeding of differently colored Gallus gallus domesticus (an example of Mendelian inheritance and mutation)
January 2, 2026 at 11:10 AM
michaelarias.net
#Tekkon background players, as drawn by Shojiro Nishimi, colored by Miyuki Ito, and on a BG by the great Shinji Kimura. Much of our coloring was inspired by Showa-era design (posters, products, adverts, matchboxes, etc.)

#鉄コン #西見 #木村真二 #anime #アニメ #松本大洋 #TaiyoMatsumoto
Tekkonkinkreet "extras" — color design for background characters Tekkonkinkreet "extras" — color design for background characters Tekkonkinkreet "extras" — color design for background characters
January 2, 2026 at 3:02 AM
michaelarias.net
2026 begins!
January 1, 2026 at 12:48 AM
michaelarias.net
best songs of 2025
December 30, 2025 at 6:18 AM
michaelarias.net
Godzilla mural outside Toho Studios front gate
December 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
michaelarias.net
Neat envelopes found in a vintage knickknack shop in Naha
December 27, 2025 at 9:33 AM
michaelarias.net
#Okinawa arcades remind me of my #Tekkon location scouting
December 27, 2025 at 7:52 AM
michaelarias.net
timelapse makes everything look nervous 😬
December 26, 2025 at 11:01 AM
michaelarias.net
100%
aimeekitty.bsky.social Aimee Steinberger @aimeekitty.bsky.social · 25d
Someone messaged me again asking about how to get into animation. My take lately is very the perspective of a bog hag. But I feel like people should understand how things are and protect themselves. I do not recommend paying 200k to go to a full college when the industry is crashed… 🧵
December 26, 2025 at 6:13 AM
michaelarias.net
pinhole @ moon beach

#okinawa
December 25, 2025 at 9:08 AM
michaelarias.net
wet floor banana
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Michael Arias
lillywachowski.bsky.social
Check it out youse!
@anarchistsunited.bsky.social is firing up the money cannon again for 2026!
we're still here! with the mission on our minds!
⚡🎸⚡
December 17, 2025 at 11:52 PM
michaelarias.net
i 💜 books

- John Sayles: Thinking In Pictures (my favorite book on the craft of directing)
- Hugh Ferris: Power In Buildings
- Weegee: Naked City
- Eiko Ishioka: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
John Sayles: Thinking In Pictures (my favorite book on the craft of directing) Hugh Ferris: Power In Buildings Weegee: Naked City Eiko Ishioka: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
December 17, 2025 at 3:04 PM
michaelarias.net
i 💜 books

Timothy Mo: The Redundancy of Courage
K. Blossfeldt: Urformen der Kunst
Clifford W. Ashley: The Ashley Book of Knots
Benjamin Lee Whorf: Language Thoughts & Reality
Timothy Mo: The Redundancy of Courage K. Blossfeldt: Urformen der Kunst Clifford W. Ashley: The Ashley Book of Knots Benjamin Lee Whorf: Language Thoughts & Reality
December 16, 2025 at 12:23 AM