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 ...

. Abe was known for his mechanical animation, in particular his animation for various projects in Sunrise's

Gundam is a Japanese military fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ''Mobile ...

franchise. Kunihiro Abe was also a notable animator in various AIC projects, such as ''

Bubblegum Crisis is a 1987 to 1991 cyberpunk original video animation (OVA) series produced by Youmex and animated by Anime International Company, AIC and Artmic. The series was planned to run for 13 episodes, but was cut short to just 8. The series involv ...

,'' ''

Dangaioh is a Japanese anime OVA series produced and animated by AIC and Artmic and released in Japan in 1987. Dangaioh featured character designs by creator Toshiki Hirano, mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori, and animation direction by Masami ...

'', ''Vampire Princess Miyu'', ''

Dragon Century is a Japanese two-episode OVA anime series that was created by Ryuukihei and produced and animated by the Anime International Company. It was originally released on VHS and laserdisc in Japan in 1988 and then it was eventually subtitled in ...

, Megazone 23 Part III,

Sol Bianca is a two-volume Japanese OVA series released in 1990 and 1991. It was directed by Katsuhito Akiyama and Hiroki Hayashi in association with AIC. '' Sol Bianca: The Legacy'', a six-episode OVA remake of this series. The name of the OVA is also t ...

, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight,

Armitage III is a 1995 cyberpunk original video animation series. It centers on Naomi Armitage, a highly advanced "Type-III" android. In 1996, the series was edited into a film called . The series was followed up in 2002 with a sequel, set some years ...

, El Hazard - The Magnificent World,'' and ''Blue Gender''s. Abe worked also with animator

Masami Obari is a common Japanese given name and can be given to either sex. Possible writings *惟美, meaning "Considerate beauty" *真己, meaning "True self" or "Truth, Snake" *昌美, meaning "Prosperous beauty" *雅美, meaning "Gracious beauty" *� ...

on ''

Fight! Iczer-One ''Iczer One'', known in Japan as , is a 1983 sci-fi horror and Yuri (genre), yuri manga published in the hentai magazine ''Lemon People''. It was created by Aran Rei. In 1985 the story was adapted into a three part Original Video Animation di ...

, Dangaioh,'' and Daimaju Gekito Hagane no Oni and with animator Kou Matsuo. Abe died on 15 August 2018 at the age of 50 of undisclosed cause. Abe's daughter shared one of his

illustrations An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video ...

, and noted that "she knew her father loved to draw and could not live as anything other than an animator".Animator Kunihiro Abe ist verstorben
/ref>

Works

* '' Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory'' * ''Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon'' * ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Afte ...

'' * ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Operation Meteor'' * ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. The ninth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, ''Gundam SEED'' takes place in a future calendar era, in this case the Cosmic Era. In this era, mankind has devel ...

'' * ''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation'' * '' Mobile Suit Gundam Seed C.E.73: Stargazer'' * ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'' * ''Mobile Suit Gundam UC'' * ''

Gundam Build Fighters is a 2013 Japanese science fiction anime television series based on Sunrise's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise. The series is directed by Kenji Nagasaki of ''No. 6'' and written by Yōsuke Kuroda of ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00''. Character d ...

'' * '' Gundam: Reconguista in G'' * '' Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans'' * ''Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe, Kunihiro 1968 births 2018 deaths Japanese animators