Juan Cabral takes flight for Kodansha

Kodansha is Japan’s largest publisher, responsible for discovering renowned author Haruki Murakami, and bringing stories such as AKIRA and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon to the world.

As part of a global rebrand Kodansha has unveiled a new film, Taking Flight, directed by Juan Cabral through MJZ and created by New York-based design and branding studio Gretel, who also oversaw the company's rebrand. The film follows the migration of stories from Kodansha as they take flight across the city and eventually the world. “Taking Flight emphasises the boundlessness of Kodansha’s storytelling and ability to excite all kinds of fans from all over the world through omoshirokute tame ni naru [interesting and useful] content,” says Sue Murphy, Creative Director at Gretel.

Gretel brought on director Juan Cabral to bring the film to life. “Juan has a record of creating exceptional films for brands such as Sony, Apple and IKEA, and he brought a level of detail, perfectionism, and emotional storytelling," Murphy says. "Exactly what we want audiences to expect from a Kodansha production.”