Animation Runner Kuromi!

This is a short anime (36min) by Daichi Akitarou, the director of Fruits Basket, Kodomo no Omocha, Jubei-chan.
He is one of my favorite directors because of his ability to create a mood.
Animation Runner Kuromi is about a recent anime academy graduate joining a Japanese animation studio doing what is considered the worst job relating to anime production- collect all the completed key animation scenes from the artists for an anime. Sounds simple, until you realize in order to stay on schedule, Kuromi will have to hound, threaten, cajole, and beg the artists to produce the work every day until she gets all her scenes.
Daichi's first start in anime was like this.
I heard rumors that some Japanese animators had watched this and could not laugh at the anime because it was too close to the awful truth for them to see the humor.

Even though this is a short anime or maybe because it is, I can't stop watching it. Maybe because it is a story about Kuromi trying her best in the face of such adversity, the stereotypes of the different kinds of animators that exist, or maybe it is because Kuromi-chan is so CUTE...I don't know. I do know that it does have that Daichi magic that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside once you are done watching it, like an episode of...FruitsBasketKodomoNoOmochaJubeiChanetc.

Recently an all-region DVD of this came out in Japan which is the version I now have. It is even subtitled in English because Daichi wanted to share this experience with all people.