Hiroyasu Ishida, the animation student who created a worldwide online hit with his "Fumiko's Confession" ("Fumiko no Kokuhaku") anime short, began streaming his newest anime short "rain town" online on Sunday. Ishida was studying in the Animation department at Kyoto Seika University's famed Faculty of Manga. Along with fellow student Shogo Yoshida, he worked on his "rain town" anime short as his graduation project for at least two years.

On the same day (March 6) that Ishida began streaming the "rain town" short, it won the grand prize in the 9th Independent Animation Festival (Indies Anime Festa) at Mitaka, Japan. It is the second year in a row that Ishida won the grand prize; he won last year for "Fumiko's Confession."

Ishida also entered "rain town" in Studio 4°C and Kyoto Seika's E-ma Academix competition, which ran from February 8 to February 27. The 5th TOHO Cinemas Student Film Festival nominated "rain town" and six other works in its short animation category. The final stage of the festival will be held at Tokyo's Odaiba Cinema Mediage theater on March 13.