What Guides My Career Choices in Animation？

For my future career path, I am currently most interested in working within the animation industry in China. This is partly because I am more familiar with the cultural background and market environment there, and partly because I have already conducted considerable research on the structure and development of Chinese animation. Although opportunities overseas are also appealing, China remains my clearest and most realistic direction at this stage.

Two companies I particularly admire are NetEase and HMCH (寒木春华).

Regarding NetEase, I previously took part in their Video Director test and successfully passed. The task required analysing a promotional PV, designing and drawing a storyboard based on it, and constructing the written narrative to present the character’s story. I genuinely enjoyed this process, especially the analysis of character motivation and personality.

I am strongly drawn to diverse character types and to the challenge of expressing emotional nuances visually. After researching NetEase’s past projects, I found myself attracted to their wide range of character designs and their willingness to explore multiple visual styles. Because of this, I have been keeping an eye on their ongoing job opportunities and recruitment updates.

HMCH attracts me in a different way. After watching The Legend of Hei 2, I was deeply impressed by the studio’s meticulous production quality, the warmth and clarity of its storytelling, and the immersive worldbuilding. The characters feel alive—each with distinct traits and emotional depth—which creates the sense of a living, breathing world. Learning more about their production process made me aware of how demanding and labour-intensive this kind of animation work can be, yet it is also exactly the type of high-quality, character-driven storytelling I aspire to be part of. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to contribute to such a richly constructed world.

Overall, my current career interest lies in animation environments that prioritise strong narrative, expressive characters, and cohesive worldbuilding. Moving forward, I aim to continue developing my skills and industry understanding, and gradually work toward opportunities in the companies and creative spaces that inspire me the most.