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It was a quiet, overcast day as we got off the train at a small train station. Since we had arrived early, we had time to walk and explore the neighborhood a little. But we also had to find the place... Japanese addresses are notoriously hard to find, since
buildings are not often sequentially numbered, so we stopped into a
bookstore to consult a map of the local area. And as we did, we found
that we were surprisingly close to where we needed to go.
 As we turned down the street, the uniqueness of Japan's urban settings struck me again. Clearly, this was a busy street in this area. Delivery trucks lined the streets, several cafes were packed with people taking shelter from the threatening weather. A video game store displayed the latest games in an attempt to lure customers inside. |
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And on this street, this innocuous little street, was a production company that had turned a lot of heads in the anime industry. Hard to believe, it seemed. And if you weren't paying attention, you'd walk right by it. I did at first... But after a little bit of searching we found the building, and a simple sign that spoke so much with only one word: "Bones." Anime fans, you see, know about this company. They've been
involved in two of the most popular anime shows in recent
history—THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE and
COWBOY BEBOP. But could such an austere building
really be the home to a prominent anime production company?As we ascended to the stairs to the second floor, we noticed
how small the building seemed. We knocked on the door and entered, and
were immediately greeted by a row of desks and tables. Like most Japanese
companies, space was at a premium, and they certainly used every available
inch here.
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