The next big project for Takafumi Hori would be on Little Witch Academia directed by Yoh Yoshinari under the newly formed Studio Trigger formed by former Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Otsuka. This would be the first project Trigger would do. For LWA Hori would be placed on some action scenes of a dragon attempting to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone. In this scene its easy to spot Hori trying to be closer to Yoshinari animating a lot of pluming smoke effects sakugabooru.com/post/show/199488\. From here on out Hori would become a regular resident of Trigger and start churning out some of the best scenes in the next series Kill La Kill.

On Kill La Kill, Hori would shine brighter than ever before, implementing everything he had known up to this point and turning it up to 11. When the iconic perspective shot of Gamagori towering over Mikisuki first happens you know you’re in for a treat.

What follows after is some of the nuttiest and hilarious storyboarding ever. I can’t properly do this scene justice with words just watch here sakugabooru.com/data/4158df5d4f6062169a02b847c0fb884f.mp4

Hori would animate for the rest of the show doing some key scenes highlighting a lot of his excellent background animation, and flowing arcing action movement. In 2014 Space Dandy and Terror in Resonance would reunite Hori with Watanabe as he’d do a cut on one episode on both shows, then also collaborate again with Koike on a Lupin III film, once more handling cars.

In 2015, Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade would release with Hori proving himself as one of Yoshinari’s best handling over 2 minutes of pure animation. These scenes show the uncompromising flow movement like Yoshinari is known for though less smooth as not even Hori can achieve that level of consistency sakugabooru.com/post/show/224895 sakugabooru.com/post/show/224896

The following year Hori would work on Space Patrol Luluco’s OP back at it again with director Hiroyuki Imaishi.

he would also contribute brief animation to Kiznaiver.

The same year Hori ventured out from Japan and into America working on a show he had been a fan of Steven Universe. Hori would work on Episode 107 of the show and animating several character acting scenes and providing storyboards. Hori experimented around the time with digital animation and implemented it into the fight scenes to great effect. Traditional animation would also come in handy as he animated a portion of one of the episode’s song.

Hori 0:09 to 0:52

Hori fight at the start and crying scene with hair sakuga

2017 LWA would finally get a show, and Hori seriously made a mark for the television adaptation. He would serve as lead animator on all 25 episodes of the show, and key animate on 10. There are so many highlights in here I don’t know where to start. The opening scene of Shiny Chariot might be one of the best scenes he's ever done

whole scene animated by Hori

My favorite scene he animated for the show would be the sky sailing of Constanze and Akko’s Stanship in Episode 18, the drawings of Akko I particularly loved with the flowing hair and grinning teeth being slightly more off model and mature but feeling in line with the energy of the character. sakugabooru.com/post/show/34106

Hori himself is most proud of the missile sequence from the finale, sakugabooru.com/post/show/35741 this was his first time drawing an Itano Circus

Following LWA Hori would surprisingly provide KA to Darling in the Franxx which after LWA you think he’d need a break but no he just didn’t stop as the year after would be one of the most busiest years for Hori as a whole, credited on six projects in 2019.

The first project would be Watanabe’s Carole and Tuesday where Hori worked on some very elegant OP animation.

Hori with the dancing cut of Carole

The second would be on the Steven Universe movie where he’d animate a ton of scenes of the film’s antagonist? Spinel. Some of this animation is so American looking I was surprised Hori even did this. Brilliant use of squash and stretch with very clear 1930s dance cycle influence.

Hori starts when Spinel sings til 1:36 and picks back up ending on Spinel pulling out her scythe to cutting the girls

The third project would be an episode of another American show OK K.O. Let’s be Heroes
sakugabooru.com/post/show/179200
sakugabooru.com/post/show/142435
Displaying more of Hori’s capabilities with digital animation

The next would be on the first studio Trigger feature film debut Promare,
then a few scenes on Lupin III: Fujiko Mine’s Lie, and then final project of the year would be KA on a mobile game called Indivisible handled by Trigger and Titmouse.

Hori scattered throughout doing montage and action cuts, and effects animation

The following years he’d provide character designs for a Star Wars Visions short and briefly work on The Deer King and the same year Inu-Oh.

It’s hard to be good at what you do, and even harder to be consistent, that is one thing that comes to mind when putting Takafumi Hori’s animation into retrospect; its his consistency. Hori’s attention to timing and detailed effects is so realized, and his meticulous on model characters (and even improving designs through KA) should be renowned by animators everywhere. Though some people can paint him as a second rate Yoh Yoshinari on a superficial level in regards to his effects, I think he had already gone beyond proving himself as a diverse animator who isn’t afraid to mix up his palette and being one of the best talents in the industry right now.

Hori's twitter
twitter.com/porigoshi?lang=en

Hori's insane KA process for commemorative Steven Universe animation

KA alternate early Stanship?

This episode is actually funny because this is literally the only episode where all characters stay on model throughout the entire show. The only difference was that he was involved in drawing out the storyboards.

Oshi No Ko gonna be good or nah? Hearing good s*** about the first episode, but don’t know much about it aside from that. Anyone read the manga and recommend watching it?

New Ranking of Kings soon

I mean look at this s***. This does not happen with him involved lol

I just watched it and that s*** is good

bump

Wow thats funny

It's even worse when the show itself is full of anime references, but they don't got the same quality of work in the animation department.