Watch hyper-realistic Japanese CGI schoolgirl move for the first time

Saya first went viral in 2015, when her creators produced incredibly realistic renderings of her.
 By 
Victoria Ho
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Animators and industry watchers have been pretty excited for the past few months about Saya, an incredibly realistic CGI Japanese teenager.

Created by Tokyo-based husband and wife duo Teruyuki and Yuka Ishikawa, Saya's gone through several improvements with minute details, such as little hairs at the top of her head and the translucent appearance of her skin, mimicking that of a real-life girl of her age.

Now, they've produced the first video of Saya in motion at the CEATEC trade show in Japan.


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For now, Saya seems a little stiff, especially in the way the fabric of her dress moves. But given the obsessive nature of her creators' methods, Saya might look a lot different in future renderings.

Here's one of the latest looks for Saya produced by the Ishikawas. They've said in previous interviews that all of their characters' textures are hand-painted and don't replicate photographs.

Saya went viral a year ago when her creators showed off some very photorealistic renderings of the character.

Feast your eyes on the detail in some of the Ishikawas' earlier work, too.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
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Victoria Ho

Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band

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