, sometimes credited as Eikō Toriumi, was a Japanese animation director, storyboardist, screenwriter, and novelist.
He is best known for directing the TV show ''
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
is a Japanese animated franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman ...
'' and also credited for his contributions to several other anime series.
He is known to Japanese fans for his TV series ''
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' ( sv, Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, literally ''Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey across Sweden'') is a work of fiction by the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf, the first woman to receive th ...
'' and ''
Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō
is a 1993 Japanese children's slice of life anime series primarily aimed at preschoolers and animated by Pierrot Plus based on the ''Kodomo Challenge'' Educational Learning Program created by Benesse in 1988. It is created and directed b ...
'' and to international fans for his work in ''
Area 88
is a Japanese manga series by Kaoru Shintani serialized between 1979 and 1986. The story is about a young pilot named Shin Kazama and his experiences at Area 88, a mercenary air force base secluded in the desert of a war-torn country. Shin ...
'', ''
Dallos
is a science fiction OVA series released in 1983. It was conceptualized by Hisayuki Toriumi, who also wrote the script and directed it with Mamoru Oshii. It is widely considered not only the first OVA released but also the first animated dir ...
'', ''
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', originally released in Japan as and released in France as ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or'', is an animated series which was co-produced by DiC Audiovisuel and Studio Pierrot.
Set in 1532, the series foll ...
'', and ''
Tekkaman: The Space Knight''.
Toriumi's direction is very smart, dramatic, and complete.
Mamoru Oshii
is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...
was strongly influenced by him, and Oshii professes him to be "my mentor."
He always dealt with family as a theme in his work, and the relationship between father and son was especially important to him. On the other hand, he had no interested in dramas between men and women.
Toriumi also authored nearly two dozen novels. In addition to anime
novelizations
A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative work, derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, Play (theatre), stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particula ...
, he wrote mainly historically-themed novels based on
Otogi-zōshi
are a group of about 350 Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392–1573). These illustrated short stories, which remain unattributed, together form one of the representative literary genres of the Japanese med ...
and
Yomihon
is a type of Japanese book from the Edo period (1603–1867). Unlike other Japanese books of the periods, such as kusazōshi, they had few illustrations, and the emphasis was on the text. In storylines, Buddhist ethics such as karma are often pre ...
set in Japan from ancient times to the Middle Ages.
His representative work is the ''Kyūkei no Figurido'' series, which depicts the adventures and revenge of a man of
Murakami Suigun who becomes a battle slave in Europe, where he arrives due to the betrayal of his comrades, set in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
and in Japan during the
Northern and Southern Courts.
Biography
Toriumi was born in
Isehara,
Kanagawa Pref., Japan, and graduated from the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law,
Chuo University
, commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...
.
After attending a
screenwriting
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.
Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...
institute while in college with an interest in filmmaking, he joined Tatsunoko Productions in 1966.
Toriumi was selected as the series director for the TV series ''
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
is a Japanese animated franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman ...
'' in 1972, and went on to direct other Tatsunoko TV series in the 1970s including ''Tekkaman: The Space Knight'' and ''Hurricane Polymar''.
He was then asked to direct a sequel to "Gatchaman," but he did not accept because the story was already complete in his mind and he had nothing further to do.
In December 1978, Toriumi left Tatsunoko.
Shocked by the death of the first president,
Tatsuo Yoshida
was a Japanese cartoonist, writer, manga artist and anime pioneer who founded the anime studio Tatsunoko Productions.
Biography
Born in 1932, Yoshida grew up in the hardship of war-torn Japan. A self-taught artist, his first job was as worki ...
, and concerned about his own future at Tatsunoko, he decided to become a
freelancer
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
and take on work for other studios.
After working at
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
Al ...
, he joined Yuji Nunokawa, who had quit Tatsunoko earlier, and became one of the founding members of
Studio Pierrot
is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by former employees of both Tatsunoko Production and Mushi Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for several worldwide popular anime series, such as ...
.
There, he worked on series such as ''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' and ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold''.
In ''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'', Mamoru Oshii, who transferred from Tatsunoko to Pierrot after apply to be his apprentice, also participated as one of the episode directors.
However, in the following ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', Oshii, who was scheduled to be an assistant director, was approached by President Nunokawa to direct ''
Urusei Yatsura
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volum ...
'', and, prepared to be excommunicated, accepted the offer without telling Toriumi and dropped out.
Toriumi worked with his
protégé
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
, director
Mamoru Oshii
is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...
, on 1983's ''
Dallos
is a science fiction OVA series released in 1983. It was conceptualized by Hisayuki Toriumi, who also wrote the script and directed it with Mamoru Oshii. It is widely considered not only the first OVA released but also the first animated dir ...
'', the first
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVA) ever released.
Later, he left Studio Pierrot and became a freelancer again.
In 1990, he served as general director for the TV movie "
Like the Clouds, Like the Wind
is a Japanese anime television film produced by Studio Pierrot.
An adaptation of the 1989 novel ''Kōkyū Shōsetsu'' by Ken'ichi Sakemi.
It was broadcast on the Nippon Television Network System on March 21, 1990 (Vernal Equinox Day).
Produ ...
," which featured character designer and animation director
Katsuya Kondō
is a Japanese manga artist, character designer, animator and animation director. He is best known for his character design work on the Studio Ghibli films ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' and ''Ocean Waves'', as well as the PlayStation game '' Jad ...
and many other elite
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...
staff at the time.
After leaving Tatsunoko, he became a prolific novelist from the 1980s onward.
He died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
on January 23, 2009, at the age of 67.
Filmography
Notes
References
External links
Yomiuri Online
*
1941 births
2009 deaths
Anime directors
Anime screenwriters
Japanese animators
Japanese animated film directors
Japanese animated film producers
20th-century Japanese novelists
People from Tokyo
People from Kanagawa Prefecture
Tatsunoko Production people
Sunrise (company) people
Pierrot (company)
20th-century Japanese screenwriters
{{Anime-bio-stub