I will be participating in a screening and talk program at the Sendai Short Film Festival 2025, which is organized by a group of volunteers, mainly working adults and students from Sendai City! September 20th, 13:45 – 15:45 | Program B: “Looking to the Future from Animation” https://www.shortpiece.com/B.php This program will feature three films by director Ryo Hirano and two films by director Sakichi Watanabe. What do we see in these mysterious worlds? For those aspiring to create animation, a talk session will be held after the screening where we will dive deeply into the world of animation, listening to and learning about the behind-the-scenes stories of the creation process from both directors. Films to be screened: Ryo Hirano “The Kappa’s Arm” “Holiday” “Paradise” Sakichi Watanabe “The Princess of Raspberry Jam #1” “Tulip-chan” There will be a talk with Director Sakichi Watanabe to delve into the world of animation! I am really looking forward to it. I don’t often have screenings of my student works, so if you are in the area, please come and join us. I will be participating online!!

Ryo Hirano Amigurumi Exhibition 🌲YARN FOREST🌲 October 19th (Sat) – October 20th (Sun) 14:00-19:00 Location: Hachimise 2 minutes from the South Exit of Sakurajosui Station After moving from Tokyo to Nagano, I started attending knitting classes during the long, cold winter. I found it exciting to bring strange creatures to life in the real world through crocheting. I became so absorbed in knitting during breaks, while traveling, and while waiting for someone. Before I knew it, many creatures had been born, so I decided to showcase them under the title “YARN FOREST.”   ＊YARN FOREST＊ YARN FOREST is a small forest that no one can ever reach. It is home to mysterious creatures who live together, sharing joy, feeling jealousy, and embracing solitude. Each one is part of an original amigurumi series, presented with its own small story. There will also be original amigurumi and sketches of the creatures available for purchase.   For more details, visit: https://83shop.blogspot.com/2024/09/1019-10-20-yarn-forest.html

ENJOY MUSIC CLUB Releases First New Song in Five Years: “Good Bad Story”!! I created the music video and cover illustration. The Music Video features a simple line-drawn animation that depicts the daily life of middle-aged man and his best friend Cat . The scene composition was handled by Soshi Matsumoto. The Music Video is now available on YouTube.   “Good Bad Story” is streaming on various platforms.◾️https://linkco.re/aGztx0uv ENJOY MUSIC & VIDEO

I’ll be participating in the 14th Anniversary Exhibition “Books and Music” at the wonderful FOLK old book store in Kitahama, Osaka. It’s a special group exhibition featuring artists FOLK loves. Each artist will contribute and sell one artwork incorporating either “books,” “music,” or both! “Books and Music” FOLK old book store 14th Anniversary Exhibition 2024.09.21 – 10.06 Location: FOLK old book store, Osaka Hours: Tuesday–Friday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM Saturday–Sunday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Closed Mondays Artists (in no particular order): Ikegami Yoriyuki Ohashi Hiroyuki ONO-CHAN Komatsu Shinya Shigo-kun Gu Goro Ryo Hirano fancomi Mame Ikeda Minahamu Saigo no Shudan Hiromi Nagashima   Flyer design by Ryo Hirano. Merchandise based on the flyer design will also be available—so exciting! For more details, please check out FOLK old book store Instagram FOLK old book store 1F/BF, 1-2-1 Hiranocho, Chuo Ward, Osaka

83original / Diaries of 95 People “4162024830PM” A diary book where 95 people chronicle the events of the same day, at the same time. On Tuesday, April 16th, 2024, starting at 8:30 PM, each of the 95 individuals recorded scenes from their everyday lives, spanning from about 15 minutes to an hour. These are unremarkable yet intimate moments written by different hands. Ryo Hirano is one of the 95 contributors, having written a diary entry and created an illustration for the book. Contributors: Asao Harumin / Atowan Snow / Araya Kawai / Arisaka Ayumu / Iizawa Mio / Inunko / Iwata Maiko / Utsu Yumiko / Uno Yuya / Obayashi Eriko / Kaiki Risa / Kasai Megumi / Kanehira / Garabro / Kawai Toshio / Kikuchi Kazuhiro / Kishimoto Sachiko / Kitagawa Yoko / Kubo Mitsurou / Kosakai Maruko / Kojima Kaori / Kodan Miho / Kondo Minami / Sato Suzu / Sano Michael / Shigo-kun / Suge Syunichi / Suzuki Yoyo / Seko Nao / Sotsugyosei Daihyo / Takase Katsuko / Takahashi Kaori / Tagawa Aki / Tada Reiko / Tsujimoto Mariko / Tsuda Shuhei / Tsuchiya Asobi / Tsumewo Nuruhito / Tsume Kirio / Tetsumado Hana Shobou Tamazo / Terai Naomi / Terashima Risato / Terada Katsuya / Tengu Art / Nishimura Eri / Nosoko / Highway Oasis […]

NHK Minna no Uta‘s song for June-July The animation for “Nyan-ko no Tetsugaku” (Philosophy of the Cat) was created by Ryo Hirano. The song features Kuroneko Doumei (Kenji Ueda and Kyoko Koizumi)! You can find more details and a one-minute preview on the official website. The full version is available on TV! The first broadcast is on Monday, June 3rd NHK Sougou: 10:55 AM NHK E-TV: 12:45 PM The song will be broadcast over two weeks, so please enjoy the full version on air. You can check the broadcast schedule on the Minna no Uta weekly schedule. Additionally, the cover and an interview are featured in the NHK text “Minna no Uta June-July 2024 Issue.” Sheet music is also available, so enjoy that as well!