To follow Giro art director Eli Atkins on his journey to finally meet and collaborate with one of his heroes, Hironori Yasuda, seemed like an easy story to tell in a straightforward documentary format. However, this would not have captured the unique magic and synergy that would result from the collaboration between these two very different human beings.

There was too much time in the real life narrative- Eli’s following Yasuda for over 20 years – to encapsulate in a few minutes of video. This had to include Eli’s career, approach, and style. And the mystery behind Yasuda and his prolific body of work. In this context, a clear portrayal of the fact that Eli traveled to Japan to meet Yasuda and produce a collaboration line would distract from the essence of the story.

Thus, we instead chose to portray Eli and Yasuda separately, the environments in which they operate and thrive, and explore the connections between their work while also highlighting their differences, finally brought together by the collaboration line of product for Giro. Yasuda is never shown clearly. Yasuda and Eli are together in a glimpse of still images overgrown by the patterns which drew Eli to Yasuda. The product is revealed and Yasuda disappears. The reality of Eli’s journey is unclear, along with Yasuda’s existence itself. The work, both Eli’s and Yasuda’s, becomes the main character, changing form from animation into the books shown in the hands of Yasuda and Eli, and finally the product.