Creators from Tokyo Art School Form YouTube Group Making Fun Videos to ‘Make Art More Accessible’

By Takamichi Asakawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:00 JST, October 17, 2025

What happens if someone who majored in painting or design at Tokyo University of the Arts fixes a drawing by an amateur painter? Can someone who majored in music play any instrument even if it is not their specialty? Based on such questions and ideas, a group of eight creators called Artoone! have mastered their respective fields at the university and introduces the fun and depth of art on their YouTube channel.

In August 2024, Artoone! released their first short video. It featured Ovan, who majored in percussion at the university, using chopsticks to hit everyday items like plastic bottles and empty cans, performing the chorus of “Hai Yorokonde,” a hit tune by the singer Kocchi no Kento. The video got a lot of attention and received comments such as “That looks fun” and “This is too funny.”

The group has since uploaded more videos under the concept of “making art more accessible.” For instance, they released a video in which they tried to paint a picture using 50 different shades of blue with materials such as paints and crayons. The video became popular and led to the creation of similar videos on the themes of red, green and yellow.

They also released an intriguing music video in which a well-known song is drastically rearranged, asking viewers to figure out what the original tune is.

One of their must-see videos is titled, “Aok” (Blue). This is a music video for a song that member Okeie, a professional vocalist, “just came up with,” and was made by group members who studied painting, design and sound engineering. The genre-crossing art piece made by group members entirely on their own showcases the group’s unique abilities.

Artoone! celebrated its first anniversary in August and has more than 100,000 subscribers on its YouTube channel. Armed with the power of art, they are accelerating their pursuit of the possibilities, which is bringing more opportunities to exhibit their works.

Three Artoone! members, Sanada, Ovan and Yano, spoke to The Yomiuri Shimbun about the path they have traveled and their vision.

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The Yomiuri Shimbun: You started out as individual artists before forming the group.

Sanada: We were already close friends, and we were saying it would be fun if we could do something on YouTube. The group started after I sought the support of Yosuke Kinugawa, head of Baton, the company that runs QuizKnock, a media organization started at the University of Tokyo. I met him when he came to my solo exhibition at the beginning of last year.

Yomiuri: Then you started gathering members for Artoone!

Ovan: He told me, “I found a production company, so let’s do something on YouTube!”

Yano: I thought if Sanada was asking, I should do it.

Yomiuri: That’s so spontaneous! So, a diverse group of experts was formed.

Sanada: While Ovan performs in front of audiences, Ikeda, who specializes in sound engineering, remains completely behind the scenes. Having all these different types of people is our strength. We get to know different people through school festivals or classes outside of our main practical skills.

Yomiuri: Have you discovered any unexpected sides of yourselves since becoming YouTubers?

Yano: I realized I likely have a very keen ability to interpret musical scores.

Yomiuri: Huh? You hadn’t noticed?

Yano: I was not aware of it (laughs).

Ovan: I never imagined people would see me as a healing character. I am not particularly trying to heal others, but people think I am a kind of like a living yurukyara mascot character.

Yomiuri: Do you find the group members from other genres amazing?

Sanada: I know our group’s music experts have great musical knowledge and good ears, of course, but what surprised me was how deeply they listen to the music we simply enjoy every day.

Ovan: I really like art, but while making a video with Sanada testing the knowledge of art, he got the answers right away, though I never did. It was amazing.

Yano: I think it’s great that within the group we can admire each other.

Yomiuri: What is your goal as a group?

Ovan: We want to fill Tokyo Dome with an audience for our live show! We also want to tour nationwide to meet our YouTube channel subscribers!

Sanada: We want people to see and hear what we create directly. We hope to be a source of encouragement for people who come and see us.

Yano: I want to present a kind of composite art. Opera is one example, but I want to create something in a different style.

Sanada: That would be great, too.

Members of Artoone!

Okeie:

Excels at both opera and pop vocals. He shows off his excellent singing in a video where other group members play instruments.

Yagi:

An architecture expert. He also displays his talent for cooking sweets in videos.

Hayashi:

Deals with all areas of design, from graphics to video editing. He also designed the group’s original T-shirts.

Ovan:

A professional drummer who demonstrates flawless drumming techniques across all genres.

Komatsuzaki:

Created the group’s logo and key visuals. A video comparing drawings by her and four other members shows her outstanding SanadaActive as a painter even before joining Artoone! He is a descendant of feudal warlords of the Sanada clan in the Sengoku warring states period.ability.

Yano:

Excels at musical composition and arrangement. He has composed the school song for an elementary school.

Ikeda:

Audio specialist who gives the group’s videos their distinctive sound