URVAN

A collaboration between Toei Animation and Nagasaki International University, this short anime presents a cyberpunk-inspired vision of Sasebo, a city in Nagasaki Prefecture. The title draws from an ancient Avestan term meaning "spirit," linked to the Japanese Obon festival honoring ancestors. The story unfolds during this festival, where the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary blur. Sasebo's actual geography is reimagined in a cyberpunk setting, featuring a man and a woman moving through the enigmatic urban environment. The work blends local culture with futuristic aesthetics, focusing on themes of spirits and the mystical elements tied to the Obon tradition.