is 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 ...
and director who has directed several
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
series, usually working with
Gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
and formerly worked at
Madhouse.
Chigira is best known for directing ''
Full Metal Panic!
is a series of light novels written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shiki Douji. The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of the covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecti ...
'' and ''
Last Exile
is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' ...
''.
Career
Chigira joined
Tatsunoko Production
and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...
in 1979, working at the effects department. His first major work was as technical director on ''
Venus Wars
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. It was serialized in the Gakken magazine ''Nora Comics'' from 1986 to 1990. In 1989, ''The Venus Wars'' was adapted into an anime film directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhik ...
'' in 1989. Chigira later moved to the production department where he worked as a storyboard artist on ''
Miracle Giants Dome-kun
is a Japanese anime television series based on a manga by Shotaro Ishinomori. It ran for 49 episodes and was animated by Studio Gallop. Directed by Takashi Watanabe, the anime closely follows the adventures of Dome Shinjo, a 10-year-old boy ...
''. Chigira moved to join
Madhouse where he made his directorial debut in the
OVA
, 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 ...
, ''Nineteen19'' as well as ''
Tokyo Babylon
, also known as ''Tokyo Babylon: A Save Tokyo City Story'', is a Japanese manga series created by mangaka group Clamp. The series follows Subaru Sumeragi, the head of the Sumeragi clan, and his sister Hokuto, as they work to protect Tokyo ...
''.
In the mid 1990s, he worked for many studios including
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 ...
where he participated in several installments of the ''
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 ...
'' saga. In 1999, he joined
Gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
and worked on the ''
Blue Submarine No. 6'' OVA. He later directed ''
Gate Keepers
is a Tactical role-playing game developed by Entertainment Software Publishing and published by Kadokawa Shoten for the PlayStation. The game was then adapted into a manga series written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and drawn by Keiji Gotoh and a ...
'' in 2000 and ''
Full Metal Panic!
is a series of light novels written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shiki Douji. The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of the covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecti ...
'' in 2002. Becoming a prominent member of the studio, he directed the acclaimed ''
Last Exile
is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' ...
'' and the film ''
Brave Story
is a Japanese fantasy novel written by Miyuki Miyabe. It was serialized in various regional newspapers between November 11, 1999 and February 13, 2001, before being published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in''Brave Story'' ...
''.
List of works (as director)
* ''
Brave Story
is a Japanese fantasy novel written by Miyuki Miyabe. It was serialized in various regional newspapers between November 11, 1999 and February 13, 2001, before being published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in''Brave Story'' ...
''
* ''
Cagaster of an Insect Cage''
* ''
Full Metal Panic!
is a series of light novels written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Shiki Douji. The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of the covert anti-terrorist private military organization known as Mithril, tasked with protecti ...
''
* ''
Gate Keepers
is a Tactical role-playing game developed by Entertainment Software Publishing and published by Kadokawa Shoten for the PlayStation. The game was then adapted into a manga series written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and drawn by Keiji Gotoh and a ...
''
* ''
Last Exile
is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' ...
''
* ''
Luck & Logic
is a media franchise created by Bushiroad with five other companies: Bandai Visual, Doga Kobo, Nitroplus, Lantis, and Yuhodo. It consists of a trading card game, with the first products released on February 28, 2016, and an anime television ...
''
* ''
Nineteen 19
''Nineteen 19'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shō Kitagawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Young Jump'' from 1988 to 1990, with its chapters collected in twelve ''tankōbon'' volumes. An original video animat ...
''
* ''Oedo wa Nemurenai!''
* ''
Phantom Quest Corp.''
* ''Ryo''
* ''
Tokyo Babylon
, also known as ''Tokyo Babylon: A Save Tokyo City Story'', is a Japanese manga series created by mangaka group Clamp. The series follows Subaru Sumeragi, the head of the Sumeragi clan, and his sister Hokuto, as they work to protect Tokyo ...
''
* ''
The Tower of Druaga
is a 1984 Arcade game, arcade action role-playing maze game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling the golden-armored knight Gilgamesh, the player is tasked with scaling 60 floors of the titular tower in an effort to rescue the ...
''
* ''Welcome to Lodoss Island!''
References
External links
*
*
Koichi Chigiraanime works at Media Arts Database
1959 births
People from Kanagawa Prefecture
Living people
Anime directors
Japanese animators
Japanese animated film directors
{{Japan-film-director-stub