was a
Japanese animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...
, character designer and
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
, born in
Neyagawa
270px, Neyagawa Green City
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 228,802 in 111,545 households and a population density of 9,300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Neyagaw ...
,
Osaka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...
. He was a graduate of the
Kyoto Saga University of Arts. He was the co-founder of
Bones Animation Studio.
Profile
Ōsaka, while studying in the Kyoto Saga University of Arts, joined the animation subcontracting studio
Anime R in 1983 on a part-time basis under the
apprenticeship of the noted animator
Moriyasu Taniguchi Moriyasu (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese footballer and manager
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese footballer
* Riku Moriyasu (born 1995), Japanese footballer
*, Japanese footballer
* Sho ...
, working on numerous
Sunrise productions during this period in college.
At his time at the studio, Ōsaka worked with numerous noted animators, including
Kazuaki Mōri,
Masahiro Kase,
Tōru Yoshida,
Hiroyuki Okiura and
Kazuchika Kise
is a Japanese director, animator, and character designer. He started working in the anime industry in 1989 with '' Patlabor: The Movie''. In 2015, he made his directorial debut with '' Ghost in the Shell: Arise''.
Biography
Kazuchika Kise was bo ...
, many of whom who went on to found
Production I.G, and also supervised
Takahiro Kimura. He left Anime R in 1991 to work as a freelance animator, going on to work on several Sunrise shows as well as other productions. Ōsaka, along with fellow animator
Toshihiro Kawamoto and producer
Masahiko Minami, co-founded the studio
Bones in 1998.
In 1999, Ōsaka lectured on an animation workshop at the 4th
Animation Kobe event, held in
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
. An anime fan, he had wanted to be an animator since his high school days, being inspired by Sunrise's iconic 1979 series ''
Mobile Suit Gundam'' and the works of the
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
Mitsuru Adachi.
During the spring of 2007, Ōsaka's health had deteriorated and spent his remaining days in his hometown of
Neyagawa
270px, Neyagawa Green City
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 228,802 in 111,545 households and a population density of 9,300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Neyagaw ...
,
Osaka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...
, where he had been staying at his family residence. He had been recuperating in a hospital in the city, where he later died of
cancer on September 24, aged 44. His death was reported on several news outlets, including the blogs of his animator colleagues and major national newspapers, with numerous fans paying condolences.
Works
Anime television
*''
Armored Trooper Votoms'' (in-between animation)
*''
Kikōkai Galient'' (in-between animation)
*''
Sei Jūshi Bismarck'' (animation director and key animation)
*''
Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu: Hokuto no Ken'' (key animation)
*''
Ninja Senshi Tobikage'' (key animation)
*''
Blue Comet SPT Layzner
, sometimes translated as ''Blue Meteor SPT Layzner'' is a science fiction anime series produced by Sunrise between 1985 and 1986. It was originally created by Tsunehisa Itō and Ryōsuke Takahashi; the latter serving as the director.
The ser ...
'' (key animation)
*''
City Hunter'' (key animation)
*''
Lemon Angel
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...
'' (animation director)
*''
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers
''Ronin Warriors'', known in Japan by its original title , is a Japanese anime series created by Hajime Yatate and animated by Sunrise. The television series, co-produced by Nagoya TV, aired across Japan on the All-Nippon News Network fro ...
'' (animation director and key animation)
*''
Jūshin Liger'' (animation director)
*''City Hunter 3'' (animation director)
*''
Yawara!'' (animation director and key animation)
*''
Dragon Quest
previously published as ''Dragon Warrior'' in North America until 2005, is a franchise of Japanese role-playing video games created by Armor Project (Yuji Horii), Bird Studio (Akira Toriyama) and Sugiyama Kobo (Koichi Sugiyama) to its publi ...
'' (animation director and key animation)
*''
Obatarian'' (animation director)
*''
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam'' (character design, animation director, key animation, OP)
*''
Shippū! Iron Leaguer'' (key animation)
*''
Mobile Fighter G Gundam'' (character design, animation director, key animation, in-between animation, OP)
*''
Ōgon Yūsha Goldran'' (animation director)
*''
Fushigi Yūgi'' (animation director)
*''City Hunter Special: The Secret Service'' (key animation)
*''
The Vision of Escaflowne'' ((chief) animation director, key animation, OP)
*''
Master Mosquiton'' (key animation)
*''
Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!
is a manga series created by Tetsuhiro Koshita, first serialized in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic magazine from July 1994 to October 1999. The manga centers on Retsu and Go Seiba, twin brothers who focus on the world of miniature car rac ...
'' (key animation)
*''
Cowboy Bebop'' (animation director, animation direction coordination, key animation, ED)
*''
Hiwou War Chronicles
is an anime series, and the first to be produced by Bones. The series was first aired on NHK BS-2 and ran for twenty six episodes, from October 24, 2000, till May 1, 2001. Created by Shō Aikawa and directed by Tetsurō Amino, the series' cha ...
'' (Character design, chief animation director, animation director, OP/ED)
*''
Angelic Layer'' (animation director, animation direction assistance, key animation, OP/ED)
*''
Hajime no Ippo
is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized by Kodansha in the ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' since October 1989 and collected into 135 ''tankōb ...
'' (animation director)
*''
RahXephon'' (animation director, animation direction assistance, key animation)
*''
Scrapped Princess'' (key animation)
*''
Fullmetal Alchemist (anime)'' (animation direction assistance)
*''
Wolf's Rain'' (animation director, animation direction coordination, key animation, OP)
*''
Mars Daybreak'' (character design, animation director, storyboards, key animation, OP)
*''
Kurau Phantom Memory'' (key animation)
*''
Jyu Oh Sei'' (character design, chief animation director, OP/ED)
*''
Ouran High School Host Club'' (layout animation director, key animation)
*''
Tenpō Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi
is a Japanese anime television series, created and written by Shō Aikawa and produced by Bones. Directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori, it featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto. It was broadcast for twenty-five episodes on MBS– TBS f ...
'' (guest character design, character supervision, animation director, animation direction coordination, key animation, OP)
OVA
*''
Dream Hunter Rem'' (key animation)
18+
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short s ...
*''Dream Hunter Rem Special Version'' (key animation)
*''Dream Hunter Rem II'' (animation director)
*''Kikō Kai Galient: Tetsu no Monshō'' (key animation)
*''Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner: ACT-III Kokuin 2000'' (key animation)
*''
Black Magic M-66'' (key animation)
*''
Captain Power: Battle Training Video Type 2, 3'' (key animation)
*''Pony Metal U-Gaim'' (key animation)
*''Dream Hunter Rem III'' (animation director)
*''
Cream Lemon: Special Dark'' (character design, animation director) 18+
*''New Cream Lemon'' (key animation) 18+
*''
Good Morning Althea
is a one-shot comic created in 1986 by Takehiko Itō. It was published in C-Live magazine.
In 1987 original video animation was created based on the comic. It consists of one episode.
Original Video Animation Production
Famous animator K ...
'' (mecha animation director)
*''Yoroiden Samurai Troopers: Gaiden'' (key animation)
*''
Record of Lodoss War'' (key animation)
*''
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory
is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two mon ...
'' (animation director, key animation)
*''
Bastard!! Ankoku no Hakai Shin'' (key animation)
*''
The Cockpit The Cockpit can refer to:
* Cockpit Theatre, a 17th-century theatre in London (also known as the Phoenix) that opened in 1616
* The Cockpit, a theatre in London, England that opened in 1970
* ''The Cockpit'' (OVA), a three-part anime series made ...
'' (key animation on the Sonic Boom Squadron sequence)
*''
Oira Uchū no Tankōfu'' (key animation)
*''
Macross Plus'' (animation direction assistance, key animation)
*''
Yamato Takeru ~After War~'' (animation director)
*''
Golden Boy: Sasurai no O-Benkyō Yarō'' (animation director, key animation)
*''
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team'' (animation direction coordination, key animation, ED)
*''Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium Collection'' (animation direction coordination)
Films
*''
Five Star Monogatari'' (key animation)
*''City Hunter: Ai to Shukumei no Magnum'' (key animation)
*''City Hunter: Bay City Wars'' (key animation)
*''Garaga'' (key animation)
*''Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Zeon no Zankō'' (animation director, key animation)
*''kidou senshi SD gan damu matsuri SD sengoku den tenka taihei hen'' ( genga )
*''Macross Plus: Movie Edition'' (animation direction assistance, key animation)
*''
New Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning'' (key animation)
*''
Spriggan'' (key animation)
*''
Escaflowne
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's a ...
'' (animation director, key animation)
*''
Jin-Roh
, also known as ''Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' in its American release, is a 1999 Japanese action political thriller anime film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura (in his directorial debut) and written by Mamoru Oshii. ''Jin-Roh'' is the third film in Osh ...
'' (key animation)
*''
Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door'' (animation director)
*''RahXephon Tagen Hensōkyoku'' (animation director)
*''
Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa'' (animation director)
Games
*''Zoids: Full Metal Crash'' (character design)
*''Mobile Suit Gundam: EX Revue'' (character design)
*''
Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles'' (character design)
*''
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space'' (character design)
*''
Psychic Force 2012'' (character design)
References
External links
*
Interview with Hiroshi Ōsaka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osaka, Hiroshi
1963 births
2007 deaths
Sunrise (company) people
Anime character designers
Japanese animators
Japanese animated film directors
Japanese animated film producers
Anime directors
People from Neyagawa, Osaka
Deaths from cancer in Japan