Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Foreign Exchange: Anime Inspirations & Visionaries with LeSean Thomas
japansociety.org/film/foreign-exchange-anime-inspirations-visionaries-with-lesean-thomas
Bronx-born LeSean Thomas is one of the few Black Americans working in the anime industry in Japan. Beginning with television projects including The Boondocks and Legend of Korra, he would transform his career when he moved to Japan to create Children of Ether, Cannon Busters, and his most recent work, Netflix’s Yasuke, a project LeSean created, directed and executive-produced. By collaborating with heralded Japanese TV animation studios, Thomas has introduced original Black-coded spectacle through the lens of anime. Whether in the Japanese TV industry or in the U.S., he believes that Black American creators have the capacity to develop original TV animated narratives across multiple genres and demographics, and that these narratives can demonstrate the boundless possibilities of Black creatives when granted the freedom to innovate. Through Foreign Exchange, Japan Society presents retrospective screenings which spotlight the works that inspired LeSean and celebrate the luminaries across the anime world including Masahiro Ando, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takeshi Koike, Yutaka Minowa, Kenichi Shima and the late Satoshi Iwataki with whom LeSean has had the honor of collaborating. Appearing in-person throughout the series, LeSean will discuss his history with anime, his cross-cultural productions with Japanese creators and the artform’s deep impact with diverse audiences, including talks with The Imagination Project Inc. offering guidance for the next generation of creators, directors, producers, artists and animators.
About LeSean Thomas
South Bronx-born LeSean Thomas is among the distinguished few Black Americans making their mark in the TV anime industry and is currently the only Black American to successfully create, produce and direct original TV anime series in Japan. His journey began with projects like The Boondocks, where he served as Supervising Character Designer and Co-Director on the NAACP Image Award-winning series, and continued with Black Dynamite: The Animated Series, where he took on the roles of Producer and Supervising Director. His talents further extended to Studio Mir’s The Legend of Korra while living in Seoul, Korea. These foundational experiences paved the way for his transformative move to Japan, where he created and directed notable works such as Crunchyroll’s Children of Ether and Netflix’s Cannon Busters, produced in collaboration with the renowned studio Satelight. LeSean’s most recent triumph is the critically acclaimed and NAACP Image Award-nominated Netflix series Yasuke. Its unique blend of historical narrative and fantastical elements, set against a backdrop of increasing demand for Black creative inclusion in adult, sci-fi, adventure and fantasy spaces in media, propelled Yasuke into a resonant project that captured the imagination of audiences worldwide.
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Like: facebook.com/japansociety
Follow: instagram.com/japansociety
Watch: youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC
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Foreign Exchange: Anime Inspirations & Visionaries with LeSean Thomas
japansociety.org/film/foreign-exchange-anime-inspirations-visionaries-with-lesean-thomas
Bronx-born LeSean Thomas is one of the few Black Americans working in the anime industry in Japan. Beginning with television projects including The Boondocks and Legend of Korra, he would transform his career when he moved to Japan to create Children of Ether, Cannon Busters, and his most recent work, Netflix’s Yasuke, a project LeSean created, directed and executive-produced. By collaborating with heralded Japanese TV animation studios, Thomas has introduced original Black-coded spectacle through the lens of anime. Whether in the Japanese TV industry or in the U.S., he believes that Black American creators have the capacity to develop original TV animated narratives across multiple genres and demographics, and that these narratives can demonstrate the boundless possibilities of Black creatives when granted the freedom to innovate. Through Foreign Exchange, Japan Society presents retrospective screenings which spotlight the works that inspired LeSean and celebrate the luminaries across the anime world including Masahiro Ando, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takeshi Koike, Yutaka Minowa, Kenichi Shima and the late Satoshi Iwataki with whom LeSean has had the honor of collaborating. Appearing in-person throughout the series, LeSean will discuss his history with anime, his cross-cultural productions with Japanese creators and the artform’s deep impact with diverse audiences, including talks with The Imagination Project Inc. offering guidance for the next generation of creators, directors, producers, artists and animators.
About LeSean Thomas
South Bronx-born LeSean Thomas is among the distinguished few Black Americans making their mark in the TV anime industry and is currently the only Black American to successfully create, produce and direct original TV anime series in Japan. His journey began with projects like The Boondocks, where he served as Supervising Character Designer and Co-Director on the NAACP Image Award-winning series, and continued with Black Dynamite: The Animated Series, where he took on the roles of Producer and Supervising Director. His talents further extended to Studio Mir’s The Legend of Korra while living in Seoul, Korea. These foundational experiences paved the way for his transformative move to Japan, where he created and directed notable works such as Crunchyroll’s Children of Ether and Netflix’s Cannon Busters, produced in collaboration with the renowned studio Satelight. LeSean’s most recent triumph is the critically acclaimed and NAACP Image Award-nominated Netflix series Yasuke. Its unique blend of historical narrative and fantastical elements, set against a backdrop of increasing demand for Black creative inclusion in adult, sci-fi, adventure and fantasy spaces in media, propelled Yasuke into a resonant project that captured the imagination of audiences worldwide.
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Visit: japansociety.org/events-and-exhibitions
Like: facebook.com/japansociety
Follow: instagram.com/japansociety
Watch: youtube.com/user/JapanSocietyNYC
Join: japansociety.org/join-support/become-a-member
Learn: japansociety.org/language-center
