is a Japanese

anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

director. He joined

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

in 1992, where he directed part of ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual cha ...

'', '' Suite PreCure'', and ''

Sailor Moon Crystal ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th ann ...

''. After leaving Toei Animation and joining MAPPA in 2017, he has directed ''

Zombie Land Saga is an anime television series produced by MAPPA, Avex Pictures and Cygames. The series aired in Japan between October and December 2018. A second season titled ''Zombie Land Saga Revenge'' aired between April and June 2021. An anime fi ...

'', '' Mr Love: Queen's Choice'', and ''

Dance Dance Danseur is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Asakura. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Big Comic Spirits'' since September 2015. An anime television series adaptation by MAPPA aired f ...

''. Sakai later joined Studio Kai in 2022.

Biography

While in an animator school, one of the teachers introduced Sakai to

, which he joined in 1992. From 2006 to 2008, Sakai directed ''

''; Sakai also directed '' One Piece Film: Strong World'' in 2009. ''One Piece Film: Strong World'' won the award for excellence in animation of at the year and was nominated for animation of the year at the 34th Japan Academy Film Prize. In 2011, Sakai directed '' Suite PreCure''. In 2014, he directed ''

''. In 2017, Sakai left Toei Animation and joined MAPPA. In 2018, Sakai directed ''

''. The series won the animation of the year award in the television category at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival in 2019. It was also nominated for anime of the year at the 2019

Crunchyroll Anime Awards The Crunchyroll Anime Awards, also known simply as The Anime Awards, are awards given annually by the anime streaming service Crunchyroll to recognize the best anime of the previous year. Announced in December 2016, the awards were first presen ...

. In 2020, he directed '' Mr Love: Queen's Choice''. In 2022, Sakai will direct the anime adaptation of ''

''. In 2022, Sakai left MAPPA, and joined Studio Kai.

Works

TV series

* ''

GeGeGe no Kitarō , originally known as , is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as ''yōkai'', a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters ...

'' (1996–1998) (episode director) * ''

Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...

'' (1997–1999) (episode director) * ''

Himitsu no Akko-chan is a popular pioneering magical girl manga and anime that ran in Japan during the 1960s. The manga was drawn and written by Fujio Akatsuka, and was published in '' Ribon'' from 1962 to 1965. It predates the '' Mahōtsukai Sunny'' ( ...

'' (1998–1999) (episode director) * ''

'' (2006–2008) (director) * '' Suite PreCure'' (2011–2012) (director) * ''

Days A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two s ...

'' (2016) (deputy director) * '' Kakegurui'' (2017) (opening director) * ''

'' (2018–2021) (director) * '' Mr Love: Queen's Choice'' (2020) (director) * ''

'' (2022) (director)

Films

* '' One Piece Film: Strong World'' (2009) (director)

Web series

* ''

'' (2014–2015) (director)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Munehisa Anime directors Japanese animators Japanese film directors Japanese television directors Living people 1971 births