Smoothie Studio Inc. Publishes Exclusive Interview Article on TapNow AI's "TapTV Arena Tokyo · 36H Anime Sprint"

From June 27 (Sat) to June 28 (Sun), 2026, the AI animation production hackathon "TapTV Arena Tokyo · 36H Anime Sprint," hosted by the AI video production platform "TapNow AI," was held at UDX Gallery Next in Akihabara, Tokyo.

This event was a closed, offline creative sprint where up to 90 creators in 30 teams produced original AI animation shorts of 180 seconds or more within a limited 36-hour period.

Smoothie Studio Inc., a video production company that places generative AI at the core of its practical production, paid close attention to this hackathon. Through an interview with the Japan representative of TapNow AI, we inquired about the background of the event, theme design, judging criteria, prize structure, and the intention behind the 36-hour production time.

Event Overview

Event Name: TapTV Arena Tokyo · 36H Anime Sprint

Dates: June 27 (Sat), 2026, 10:00 AM - June 28 (Sun), 2022:00 PM

Venue: UDX Gallery Next (Akihabara, Tokyo)

Format: 36-hour offline closed production sprint

Number of Teams: 30 teams (2-3 members each)

Creative Theme: Venomous Instincts

Production Tool: TapNow.ai

Final Submission: AI animation short of 180 seconds or more (MP4, 1080P or 4K, 16:9)

Prize Money: Total of 12,900 USD + 660,000 Tapies

Sponsors & Judges: Seedance 2.0, ByteDance-related teams, external expert judges

The venue provided basic network access, production space, technical support, and catering. Participating teams brought their own laptops and production equipment and worked under the rule that production PCs could not be taken out of the venue during the competition period.

Why a 36-Hour Offline Hackathon?

TapNow AI designed the 36-hour offline hackathon in Tokyo to visualize "decisions made during production" and "collaboration processes between humans and AI," which cannot be fully captured in online contests.

Long-term online contests allow participants to refine their work over time. However, when producing an AI animation of 180 seconds or more in 36 hours, participants must make numerous choices during production about "what to leave to AI and what to decide as a human."

This extremely short time limit forces processes such as scriptwriting, storyboarding, character design, cut generation, editing, sound, and final finishing to proceed almost in parallel, rather than sequentially as in traditional methods.

The 36-hour timeframe served as a device to highlight a new production style that utilizes human creativity and AI's execution capabilities in parallel.

The Theme "Venomous Instincts" Challenges AI Anime Expression

The creative theme presented at this hackathon was "Venomous Instincts."

This theme explored characters who are strongly alluring despite not being purely good or evil, dangerous relationships, choices made under extreme conditions, unbelievable rules, cunning and desires within human nature, survival instincts, and uncontrollable impulses.

AI animation has already shown significant achievements in bright, pop expressions and cute character designs. However, elements like moral gray areas, psychological tension, toxic allure, betrayal, and deception cannot be achieved simply by using dark color palettes.

It requires maturity in visual expression, such as character expressions, pacing, gaze, dialogue selection, and cut composition.

"Venomous Instincts" became a challenging theme that questioned how far AI can depict the shadows of human nature and whether deep narrative expression can be established with AI.

Judging System Comprised of TapNow, ByteDance-Related Teams, and Experts in Japan's AI Creative Field

This competition was judged by TapNow, ByteDance-related teams, and external expert judges.

To cover the key aspects of Japan's AI creation scene, experts in AI creation, animation/video, content platforms, and the creative industry in general participated, creating a judging system that intersected perspectives from technology, expression, and platforms.

Judges

Mr. Araimono (新井モノ)

Yachimat AI Anime Studio

Klaus (TapNow Co-founder)

Mr. Keigo Matsumaru (松丸 彗吾)

Mystery Guests

A significant feature of this event was the convergence of multiple perspectives—technical foundations of AI, on-site AI anime production, global platform design, and the pinnacle of AI video creators—at a single judging table.

Five Judging Criteria Indicate the Current State of AI Video Production

This event established the following five judging criteria:

Theme Expression: 25%

Narrative Completeness: 25%

Visual Completeness: 20%

AI Technology Completeness: 20%

Dissemination Potential: 10%

The combined 50% weight given to theme expression and narrative completeness indicates that AI video production is moving beyond being a mere technological demonstration to a stage where expressive power and storytelling as a work of art are being evaluated.

While the evaluation of AI animation often focuses on "which models were used" or "what technology stack was employed," this event emphasized the artistic merit of the work—what it communicates to the audience and how it makes them feel.

Furthermore, the inclusion of dissemination potential as an evaluation criterion is also noteworthy. In the nascent genre of AI animation, the work's ability to reach beyond the venue, to be shared, and to spark discussion is considered part of its value.

Prize Money of 12,900 USD + 660,000 Tapies: A Prize Structure That Appreciates Completion

This event offered a total prize pool of 12,900 USD, along with 660,000 units of "Tapies," credits within the TapNow platform.

The prizes were structured across multiple categories, including 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize, Seedance 2 Special Award, Social Media Award, Best Director, Best Visual, and Excellence Awards.

Particularly noteworthy are the Excellence Awards, which were given to 26 teams that successfully completed and submitted eligible works within the specified time limit.

This structure, which awards both top prizes and rewards teams that completed their work under the demanding 36-hour condition, reflects a philosophy of evaluating the production process itself and fostering the community long-term.

In AI video production, the trial-and-error process—generation, verification, revision, and reconstruction—becomes a valuable asset, not just the final result. The prize structure, which places value on the completed production process, demonstrates a new approach to contest design in the AI creative field.

Four Points of Focus for Smoothie Studio

From its position engaged in practical production using generative AI, Smoothie Studio Inc. views this hackathon as an initiative that could reshape the industry structure of AI video production.

1. Challenging Theme Setting

The design, which pivoted from the "cute" that AI animation excels at to the opposite "Venomous Instincts," conveyed a strong intention to broaden the expressive range of AI video itself.

2. Robust Judging System

The involvement of TapNow, ByteDance-related teams, and experts in Japan's AI creative field created a system where global and local, platform and on-site, and technology and expression perspectives intersected.

3. Judging Criteria Emphasizing Artistic Merit

The judging criteria, allocating a total of 50% to theme expression and narrative completeness, indicate that AI video production is transitioning from the stage of "being able to create amazing things with AI" to the stage of "making works that stand on their own as art using AI."

4. Prize Structure That Nurtures Community

The design, which includes Excellence Awards for teams that completed their work in addition to the top prizes, suggests a philosophy of nurturing the production community long-term rather than exhausting the industry through contests.

Conclusion

The "TapTV Arena Tokyo · 36H Anime Sprint" was designed not as a standalone hackathon event, but as the Tokyo edition of TapNow AI's global tour "TapTV Arena," directly confronting AI animation.

These design choices indicate that AI video production is evolving beyond mere demonstrations of generative technology into a comprehensive expressive domain encompassing narrative, direction, community, and production processes.

Smoothie Studio Inc. will continue to examine the possibilities and challenges of AI creation from the front lines of video production utilizing generative AI, and will work to establish production systems that allow companies and creators to confidently leverage AI video.

Smoothie Studio Inc.

Address: New Fuji Bldg. 803, 2-13-35 Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Taiga Takahashi

Established: July 26, 2023

Business Activities: Generative AI specialized video production, "AI Visual Department" service, Generative AI platform "Universal AI," Generative AI consulting

Official Website: https://smoothiestudio.co.jp

Generative AI Specialized Video Production: https://smoothiestudio.co.jp/ai-video

Contact: [email protected]