Carole & Tuesday

Carole & Tuesday was produced by the studio Bones to commemorate its twentieth anniversary, premiering in 2019. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, the series was conceived as a musical drama set on a terraformed Mars, exploring the intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence. Watanabe sought to create a story that emphasized the universal nature of music, grounding the futuristic setting in the relatable pursuit of two young women trying to break into the professional music industry.

The character designs were originally drafted by Eisaku Kubonouchi, whose work brought a distinct, grounded aesthetic to the series. His approach favored a sense of grounded realism for the protagonists, which contrasted with the high-tech environments of the Martian cities. Upon its release, the series was praised for its ambitious approach to integrating original songs—composed by a global team of artists—directly into the narrative structure, and for its optimistic, earnest take on the creative process.