- Interview Date: 7/5/2025
- Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One
Anime Herald: What have you most enjoyed about Los Angeles?
Acky Bright: I like baseball.
Anime Herald: Ohtani-san?
Acky Bright: Yes. I like the Dodgers and the Padres.
Anime Herald: Ah. I’m a Mets fan. Do you like Japanese baseball as well? I’m a Yakult Swallows fan.
Acky Bright: Yes. I root for the Hanshin Tigers. I’m from Osaka.
Anime Herald: I was up in Hokkaido in January. I’d love to go to a game there.
Acky Bright: That stadium (Es Con Field Hokkaido) is so good.
(A member of Acky Bright’s team noted that the stadium was massive and that it might have been designed to be similar to a MLB stadium.)
Anime Herald: Apart from baseball, is there anything else you are excited for in Los Angeles?
Acky Bright: The Indy Car race cars. They’re great.
Anime Herald: It’s been 2.5 years since we last spoke. What have been some of your major art projects?
Acky Bright: Working with McDonald’s was probably the most major one.
Anime Herald: How did you get connected with McDonald’s?
Acky Bright: I received an offer from one of the ad agencies.
Anime Herald: Did they give you a lot of instructions, or a lot of freedom?
Acky Bright: I had a lot of freedom. They allowed me to do pretty much whatever I wanted to do.
Anime Herald: Was the final product similar to your first idea, or did it take some trial and error?
Acky Bright: There are ten crew members in the final version. There were more crew members initially. The designs are similar to how they were originally.
Anime Herald: Which one is your favorite?
Acky Bright: The hamburger head.
Anime Herald: Mine is the Gundam. Do you have time to watch anime or read manga?
Acky Bright: When I’m working, I’m using my hands, so it’s hard for me to find time for manga. I can watch anime while I work, so I watch a lot of anime and movies as well.
Anime Herald: What anime have you enjoyed in the last few years?
Acky Bright: I’ve watched most of the new things that have come out.
Anime Herald: Anything that stands out?
Acky Bright: Mobile Suit Gundam GquuuuuuX. You can tell they put in a lot of time and effort into it. How they were able to use the original designs, and create something based off them was truly remarkable.
Anime Herald: Which Gundam series is your favorite?
Acky Bright: The original.
Anime Herald: Can you talk about your work with The Underverse Project and Action Figure Monica?
Acky Bright: The company Underverse was founded by Ashley Wood. The have a project called “Beautiful Chemistry” where he collaborates with different artists. This was created as part of that series with him.
Anime Herald: Did you have a lot of creative freedom on this project?
Acky Bright: Yes. Using the Underverse’s technology, it’s very detailed. They are very good at painting. We were able to create the highly detailed final product.
Anime Herald: How often do you work with 3D modeling?
Acky Bright: I created a 2D image. The modeler translated it into 3D.
Anime Herald: Do you think they did a good job translating your work?
Acky Bright: Yes. I trust them. Of course, it wasn’t just one conversation. We discussed this a number of times in detail.
Anime Herald: How did you get to work with Capcom for Monster Hunter?
Acky Bright: It started as a collaboration with Ayase-san of Yoasobi, and [Yasutaka] Nakata-san. They were making a music video. I was working on the original planning sheet. Since there were so many downloads outside of Japan, I created those three images afterwards. Those are in the game as well. It also became a huge mural in Korea.
Anime Herald: Would you prefer people or kaiju in Monster Hunter?
Acky Bright: Kaiju.
Anime Herald: Same. How did you get involved with Lexus?
Acky Bright: The Lexus Global Team wanted to do something new. They approached me and asked me to draw something casual.
Anime Herald: How much did the final product evolve from your initial idea?
Acky Bright: It didn’t evolve too much. It was such a tight schedule.
Anime Herald: How would you say your art style has evolved over the past few years?
Acky Bright: I don’t have a specific style per se, so I cannot say it is evolving. I attune my style depending on what kind of project I am working on. I have a variety of styles that I am developing.
Anime Herald: What is your favorite medium to work on these days?
Acky Bright: All of them. (Laughs)
Anime Herald: What was it like working with the Squid Game team?
Acky Bright: Penguin Random House approached me. I was very surprised to be approached by such a large publisher. They were interested in making a coloring book. I had never imagined I would do a coloring book.
Anime Herald: What is something you would like our readers to know about you?
Acky Bright: I live in America now. In three months (October), there will something big launching. It might be the biggest project of my career.
I would be a lot of trouble if I shared more.
Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?
Acky Bright: You met me at my first anime convention. How do you see me now?
Anime Herald: I see you very differently now. When we met a few years ago, you said something very interesting. You said you have more fans in America than you have in Japan. You asked me why that was. I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. But, the projects you have worked on over the past three years are enormous. You’ve worked with Netflix for Squid Game. You’ve worked with McDonald’s. You’ve worked with Ashley Wood, Lexus, Capcom, and Red Bull. Now I see you as a corporate mercenary. A free-agent artist for hire.
Acky Bright: When we first met, I was not as famous as I am now. After three years, you came back to interview me again. That makes me very happy.
Anime Herald: I’ll add that, when we first met, I saw you as a traditional graffiti artist who worked mostly in black and white. Now you work with much more color.
Acky Bright: When my project comes out in three months please brag about having interviewed me three years ago before anyone knew.
Anime Herald: I am very excited to see what is coming. Thank you for speaking with us.
Acky Bright: Thank you.
Anime Expo 2025: A Conversation With Acky Bright – Seth Burn