Anilist Refuses to List Twins Hinahima, an AI-Generated Anime

The ongoing debate around the use of AI in creative production has reached the world of anime databases. Anilist, one of the most well-known anime catalog and review platforms—second only to MyAnimeList—has refused to list Twins Hinahima.

The reason? The majority of the short film was created using artificial intelligence. This stance has split the site’s community and raised questions about the future of Japanese animation, especially considering that more and more studios are expected to adopt AI tools in the coming years.

Anilist Refuses to List Twins Hinahima, an AI-Generated Anime

The 24-minute short features twin sisters Himari and Hina, influencers who share their daily lives on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. However, the story takes a surreal turn when they’re transported into a parallel dimension filled with fantastical elements.

Despite the modern and engaging plot, what caught everyone’s attention was the production method: according to the creators, around 95% of the visuals were generated using artificial intelligence.

This is where Anilist comes in. As a database similar to MyAnimeList, it was expected that Twins Hinahima would be added to their site. When it wasn’t, a user opened a forum post asking why. The response was direct:

“No, we have zero interest in adding AI-generated anime to the site. 95% non-human imagery is too much, just like we have a rule about country of origin that would disallow anime 95% produced in a different country, even if final touches were done in Japan.”

According to the platform’s policy, anime listed must include significant human contribution and preferably be made in Japan. Even though Japanese studios were involved in Twins Hinahima, the overwhelming use of AI led to its rejection.

Meanwhile, rival platform MyAnimeList—which was recently acquired by a company involved in AI—chose to add the title, highlighting the contrasting approaches these platforms are taking when it comes to emerging technology.

Praise and Criticism of the AI-Generated Anime

On MyAnimeList, Twins Hinahima has already been reviewed by over 400 users and holds an average rating of 5.53. Interestingly, 31% of votes gave it a score of 1—likely a form of protest against its use of AI. If we ignore the 1-star protest votes, most remaining scores fall around 7, 6, or 5.

On social media, many viewers expressed surprise at the relatively decent quality of the animation considering the production method. Positive comments included:

• “I thought this would be a disaster, but it’s actually watchable.”
• “The voices wobble, the lips don’t match the audio, and the streets look rushed—but somehow the story pulled me in. It reminded me of Hello World.”
• “The animation is awkward, but I’ve seen worse from traditional anime.”
• “Surprisingly, this wasn’t bad at all. I expected a total mess, but it had a vibe. I actually liked the opening sequence.”
• “Honestly thought this would be trash, but it was decent. The animation was weird, sure—but I’ve seen worse from human-led projects.”
• “I don’t support AI at this scale, but I rated it based on how I felt. The colors were great, the story was weak, but the pacing worked. I’d give it a 6.8 if I could.”
• “Scary how good this looked. Not perfect, but not a disaster either. Makes you wonder what next year will bring.”
• “Yeah, you wouldn’t immediately guess this was AI. Just ignore the awkward running animations and the dead-eye expressions!”

Still, criticism was inevitable. Many viewers noted stiff animation, poor lip-syncing, and distracting visual effects. To some, the anime served as a warning about the potential replacement of human artists by algorithms.

The Production Process Behind Twins Hinahima

The project was a collaboration between long-time industry player Frontier Works and Tokyo-based startup Kaka Creation. According to the producers, the goal was not to remove human input but to use AI as a supporting tool.

Here’s how the work was divided:

• Character designs: drawn by illustrators using CLIP Studio Paint
• Backgrounds: based on real photographs, transformed by AI, and refined by human artists
• Post-production: lighting and motion adjustments handled by human editors using Adobe software
• Animation: created with motion capture and AI-based interpolation, but reviewed and tweaked by animators

The studio’s vision was to allow creators to focus on creative decisions while AI handled repetitive labor. Several major figures in the anime industry have spoken up in support of AI in animation.

Makoto Tezuka, son of Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, compared the current backlash against AI to the early rejection of computer-generated (CG) animation. In his view, it’s only a matter of time before AI is more naturally integrated into the creative process.

Meanwhile, Gundam creator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko agreed that AI could help reduce the overwhelming workload animators face—but warned that without the human touch, the soul of the art could be lost.

via Anilist