Kumo ni Noru

Kumo ni Noru, or Riding the Clouds, was produced by J.C.Staff and released in 1991 as an original video animation. It serves as an adaptation of the manga by Tetsuya Hasegawa, capturing the whimsical and often surreal aesthetic prevalent in early 1990s experimental animation. The production sought to translate Hasegawa's distinct visual style into a medium that allowed for fluid motion and atmospheric storytelling, positioning it as a niche project within the burgeoning OVA market of the era.

The project was helmed by creative teams at J.C.Staff who were exploring the boundaries of short-form storytelling. The design language emphasizes a dreamlike quality, utilizing soft color palettes and character models that mirror the sketches of the original source material. While it did not achieve mainstream commercial saturation, it is regarded by enthusiasts of the period as a stylistic curiosity that demonstrates the studio's early commitment to adapting eclectic manga titles for an appreciative, albeit specific, audience.