The 18-Year-Old Animator Who Directed THAT Kaguya-Sama Ending

gamerant.com:

In an industry that historically thrives on hierarchy and earning your spot as a director over years of work, one animator has been something of a bombshell. An 18-year-old animator from the Philippines has made quite the impression in the last two years.

This spring, the third season of Kaguya-Sama: Love is War has been airing, and one of the ridiculously well-animated ending sequences caught a lot of viewers' attention. It portrayed a hyper-detailed idol performance by the main characters, with plenty of singing and spectacular dancing.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War — Ultra Romantic Episode 1 Review

The director behind this opening was 18-year-old Vercreek, whose name has gained prominence in the sakuga community for their expressive character animation and impactful effects work. Their earliest prominent work can be found in the likes of SAO: Alicization — War of Underworld from 2019, as well as short but sweet cuts on One Piece, Wonder Egg Priority, and Deca-Dence.

Vercreek began to gain more prominence with MAPPA in 2020, when they worked on Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan: The Final Season. While not everyone was happy with the increase in CGI in AoT, the hand-drawn character animation was at the top of its game, and Vercreek certainly contributed their share.

While not in abundance, the quality of their work lent a lot to the episodes they partook in. Look at this clip from Titan. Observe the way the characters react to the smoke and how the slight screen-shaking conveys the shifting air before the airship towering above has been revealed. In addition to the character expressions and movements, the ways fabric and hair move are impressively intricate.

In the same way, observe these cuts from Jujutsu Kaisen [1] [2].