With the rise of the internet, entertainment has become more international than it has ever been before. People are consuming media from countries across the globe, enjoying shows in languages other than their own. Founders of the creative studio Frankendo, Akim Dolinsky and Theo Dolev take this to a whole new level, producing entertainment inspired from various cultures to create a distinctive product.
Frankendo is most well known for their viral web series, “The State of Israel,” which depicts Israeli politics through the world of anime, with authentic Japanese voice acting and animation. We at ISRAERU were able to speak with Akim and Theo on the inspirations for the show, the creation process, and their plans for the future.
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The Beginning of Frankendo
Akim and Theo were both exposed to Japanese media at a very young age. Born and raised in Japan for six years, Akim was watching Studio Ghibli films as well as anime TV shows from the moment he was born. Theo was born and raised in Israel, but was also watching Japanese movies on Israeli television, which was the catalyst for his passion for the art form.
Together, the two founded Frankendo, a creative studio specializing in animation and VFX. Inspired by their love of Japanese animation, the two worked together to create a web series centered around an Israeli story, told through anime.
Creating “The State of Israel”
Akim and Theo wanted to create an authentic anime, with Japanese voice actors and animation. To do this, the two used the internet to find the best Japanese voice actors and animators they could. With Akim’s ability to speak Japanese as well as Theo’s knowledge of Japanese media, the two were able to work seamlessly with the Japanese freelancers.
“As anime lovers, finding the voice actors was such a fun process. We were able to listen to samples and speak to so many people with a broad range of voices.”
Once they found the right voices for the characters in their story, it was a matter of explaining the nuances of the dialogue to the voice actors.
“A big part of working with the Japanese voice actors was explaining to them the plot and characters in our story. We did this by giving them references we found in popular movies and shows, allowing a better understanding of their characters and voicing.”
The end result of this large scale project was the pilot of “The State of Israel”.
Going Viral: Frankendo’s Explosive Rise in Popularity
“The State of Israel” quickly went viral on various social media platforms. The people’s reception to the unique mixture of Israeli plot and Japanese animation was an instant hit.
“Our audience really enjoyed seeing something relatable to their lives in a completely different environment such as anime. We believe this juxtaposition really elevated the viewing experience.”
Frankendo has since then seen a quick rise in popularity. As a creative studio, Theo and Akim work with various brands to make their visions come to life. Together the two have worked on various projects including TV shows, music videos, and commercials.
Frankendo’s Goals Moving Forward
Akim and Theo are planning on continuing their current trajectory, creating and collaborating with different companies and creators.
“We are currently working on a commercial, two music videos, and our own personal animation film. We would like to continue working at this busy pace.”
Akim and Theo were planning on traveling to Japan to collaborate with Japanese creators and brands in person, but were unable to because of the pandemic.
“We would like to travel to Japan as soon as possible. So much of what we do is inspired from Japan, it would be amazing to create in the same place that got us started.”
