Dear Viruses

High schooler Wakana Gojo wants to become a kashirashi—a master craftsman who makes traditional Japanese Hina dolls. Though he's gung-ho about the craft, he knows nothing about the latest trends, and has a hard time fitting in with his class. The popular kids—especially one girl, Marin Kitagawa—seem like they live in a completely different world. That all changes one day, when she shares an unexpected secret with him, and their completely different worlds collide.

This work is based on 15 years of entries in the diary that I’ve kept since age eight. Through creating this work I was searching for freedom from my preconceptions about animation and myself.

The nighthawk is an ugly bird. One day, a hawk pressures the nighthawk to give back its name. The nighthawk resists, but after much suffering, he learns the rules of living in this world.