Twins Hinahima, which officially released in Japan on March 28, is being called the first anime to be made with more than 95% AI tools. It’s just one 24-minute episode, but the buzz it has created is big. While some folks were unsure, the reaction so far has been mixed and in some cases, more positive than people expected, both in Japan and worldwide.
Aside from the unique visuals, the show’s story caught people off guard with how layered it was. This isn’t just about how it was made, it’s about what it might mean for how anime is made in the future. As of April 2, no streaming service has picked up the anime for international distribution, although a fan-subbed version is available to watch.
How They Used AI To Build Twins Hinahima
The project was a team-up between Frontier Works, a well-known anime company, and a newer AI-focused group called Kaka Creation. While the 95% AI number is high, humans still played a part in shaping how it turned out. Here’s how the work was divided:
Character Design: The twin sisters, Himari and Hinana, who are also real-life influencers, were drawn by actual artists using Clip Studio Paint.
Backgrounds: They used real photos and ran them through AI to make them look like anime. Then artists cleaned them up by hand.
Animation: Most of the character movement was handled by AI, but animators did cleanup work, fixing expressions and smoothing things out.
Effects: Things like glowing lights or sparks were added using common tools like Photoshop and After Effects, mostly by artists.
So AI did a lot of the heavy work, but people still came in to polish everything. It’s not a fully-AI show, but it’s close.
Plot
The story is very current. It follows two high school sisters in Tokyo, Himari (white hair) and Hinana (red hair). They’re trying to get popular on TikTok by doing dance videos, but they’re not going viral.
Then something odd happens. A copy of Himari shows up, and the two girls chase her into a glitchy world that looks like it’s falling apart. After they somehow make it back, their video finally goes viral. It’s not exactly clear why, but there are hints of something more going on—maybe supernatural or tech-based.
One viewer said it reminded them of Hello World, the 2019 anime with digital themes. That tracks, Twins Hinahima feels like it’s trying to say more than what’s on the surface.
Reception: Mixed Feelings, But More Positive Than Expected
Reactions to Twins Hinahima on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and MyAnimeList have been anything but quiet.
On X, the general consensus was a blend of surprise and concern. Many expected the worst from something labeled as “95% AI,” but ended up being impressed by how watchable it actually was.
One viewer wrote, “Honestly thought this would be garbage, but it was decent. The animation was weird, yeah, but I’ve seen worse from human-led projects.”
Another user commented, “Scary how good this looked. Not perfect, but not a trainwreck either. Makes you wonder what next year looks like.”
One sarcastic post read, “Oh yeah, totally can’t tell this was AI. Just ignore the janky running animations and dead-eyed expressions. Super immersive.” They later added, “Hire animators, not interns fixing AI-generated schlock.”
Japanese viewers had their own mix of reactions. One viewer tweeted, “Lines shake, lips don’t match the audio, and the streets look like they were painted in a rush. But somehow, the story still pulled me in. Reminded me of Hello World.”
Another Japanese comment said, “It was so boring I almost fell asleep. Flickering screen, glitchy city visuals. Hard pass.”
Over on MyAnimeList, responses leaned more toward cautious optimism. One user posted, “Surprisingly this wasn’t bad at all. I expected a total mess, but it had a vibe. I actually liked the opening sequence.”
Another wrote, “Not bad for a 95% AI anime. I gave it a 1 star just so I can find it later. It’s a landmark, even if it’s flawed.”
A more reflective viewer commented, “I don’t support AI at this scale, but I rated it based on how I felt. Colors were great, story was thin, but the pacing worked. I’d give it a 6.8 if I could.”
One enthusiastic viewer even said, “Kinda wild, but I liked it more than some regular shows. If I can make something like this at home one day, that’s exciting.”
Another summed it up with, “Sure, there were flaws. But knowing humans were involved in cleanup helped. It felt chaotic in a good way, and by the end, it actually made sense.”
What This Could Mean for Anime Moving Forward
The main point here isn’t whether Twins Hinahima is great. It’s not trying to be perfect, it’s more of a test run.
The 95% AI label started a lot of serious discussions about how animation is changing, who’s making the shows, and what fans want. Some people are worried AI might replace artists. Others are interested in how it might help with tough deadlines and limited budgets.
Right now, Twins Hinahima feels more like a sample than a full plan. But if more fans are open to AI-supported anime, more studios might start trying this kind of workflow.
Whether AI becomes another tool or something that changes how shows are made, Twins Hinahima will be remembered as one of the first major experiments in that direction.
Source: MyAnimeList Forum, X (Twitter)
