Film wa Ikiteiru

A young man passionate about animated filmmaking travels to Tokyo to pursue his dream. His name is Miyamoto Musashi, and after visiting a production company, he is criticized for the lifelessness in his animation. He meets another aspiring filmmaker, Sasaki Kojiro, and they quickly become friends before a disagreement leads to their separation and eventual rivalry. Musashi is later targeted by yakuza after provoking them, and suffers a violent attack that destroys his work and harms his vision. During this hardship, memories of his cherished horse, Ao, from his hometown give him strength. Inspired, Musashi decides to create animated films centered around Ao.