Hipira-kun ONA

Hipira-kun was produced as a short-form original net animation series released in 2009. It was based on the children's picture book written by Katsuhiro Otomo and illustrated by Shinji Kimura. The project emerged from a collaboration between the two, aiming to adapt the whimsical and slightly macabre aesthetic of the original book into a stop-motion style digital animation that captured the charm of the vampire-populated town of Salta.

The animation was directed by Shinji Kimura, who sought to translate the detailed, texture-heavy art style of his illustrations into a moving medium. The series was produced by Sunrise and received attention for its unique visual presentation, which blended gothic motifs with child-friendly storytelling. While it remained a niche production, it is regarded as a notable entry in the experimental digital animation landscape of the late 2000s, reflecting the distinct creative synergy between Otomo and Kimura.