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 character designer. He was the representative director of

Japanese Animation Creators Association The or JAniCA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving working conditions for workers in the anime industry. The group was formed in June 2007. History On October 15, 2007 over 500 animators gathered together to announce the formatio ...

from 2014 to 2016. He is known as the "Perfect Animator", a title given to him by

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), ...

. He is known for influencing the 'realist' style of animation in the 1980s and 1990s, along with animators like

Hiroyuki Okiura is a Japanese animation director and animator working for Production I.G. Career Okiura left high school at the age of 16 and entered the animation industry as a member of the studio Anime R, where he studied under Moriyasu Taniguchi and which T ...

, Shinji Hashimoto and

Mitsuo Iso is a Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter. He began his career as an animator in the mid-1980s and worked as a freelance artist through Neomedia, Studio Zaendo, and Studio Ghibli. Iso is known for his offbeat key animation in the prolog ...

Career

After reading a feature about ''

Future Boy Conan , also known as ''Conan, The Boy in Future'', is a Japanese post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series. It is an adaptation of American science-fiction writer Alexander Key's 1970 novel ''The Incredible Tide''. It was broadcast for twenty ...

'' from ''

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. Oth ...

'' magazine, Inoue decided to become an animator. He graduated from a vocational school and joined Studio Junio, his first work being on the ''

Stop!! Hibari-kun! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hisashi Eguchi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from October 1981 to November 1983, and the chapters were published in four ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha from November 198 ...

'' (1983) anime as an inbetweener. After just two years as an animator, he was promoted to character designer on the ''

Gu Gu Ganmo is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujihiko Hosono. It was originally serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from 1982 to 1985, and was collected into 12 bound volumes. It was adapted into a fifty-episode an ...

'' (1984) TV anime. Subsequently he became known for his freelance work as a key animator on feature films like '' Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise'' (1987), '' Akira'' (1988), ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from the Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Yamato Transpor ...

'' (1989) and ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'' (1995)''.'' Inoue animated the opening scene of '' Jin-Roh'' (1999). The characters in the scene are described as moving "with a verisimilitude that appears wholly natural and spontaneous, a level of realism which of course can only be achieved by painstaking attention to detail." Inoue has worked together with

Satoshi Kon was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter and manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art Universi ...

several times, first on

Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of th ...

's anthologies ''Roujin Z'' and ''Memories'', and later on Kon's own films, ''

Millennium Actress is a 2001 Japanese animated drama film co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse. Loosely based on the lives of actresses Setsuko Hara and Hideko Takamine, it tells the story of two documentary filmmakers investigating the ...

'' (2001), ''

Tokyo Godfathers is a 2003 Japanese animated tragicomedy adventure film written and directed by Satoshi Kon. The film stars live-action actors such as Toru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, and Aya Okamoto as the lead voice actors. Kon was inspired by the 1948 American ...

'' (2003) and ''

Paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

'' (2006). There were plans for him to work on Kon's unfinished film ''

Dreaming Machine is a cancelled Japanese anime fantasy-adventure film directed by Satoshi Kon. It would have been the director's fifth feature film. After Kon's death on August 24, 2010, production continued at Madhouse, where the team used Satoshi Kon's direct ...

'' as animation director as well. Kon considered Inoue to be an animator who had a major influence on him. He has worked on several anime by studio

P.A. Works is a Japanese animation studio founded on November 10, 2000 in Nanto, Toyama. The company's president and founder Kenji Horikawa once worked for Tatsunoko Production, Production I.G and Bee Train Production, before forming P.A. Works Corporation. ...

, including ''The Eccentric Family'' (2013), ''

Shirobako ''Shirobako'' is a 24-episode anime television series produced by P.A. Works and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima. It aired in Japan between October 9, 2014 and March 26, 2015. A manga adaptation began serialization in ASCII Media Works's ''D ...

'' (2014) and ''

Kuromukuro is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by P.A. Works, directed by Tensai Okamura and written by Ryō Higaki, with character designs by Yuriko Ishii and music by Hiroaki Tsutsumi. The series was produced to celebrate P.A. Works' 1 ...

'' (2016), being brought in by studio founder and director Masayuki Yoshihara. His work on The Eccentric Family is described as having "just the right amount of exaggeration", knowing "when to keep the movements restrained and when to go all out." His first work as "main animator" was in ''Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms'' (2018). As main animator, he contributed 120 cuts of finished key animation, 180 cuts of rough animation and 100 layouts for a total of 400 cuts. Inoue's ability to convey character without words impressed director

Mari Okada is a Japanese screenwriter, director and manga artist. She is one of the most prolific writers currently working in the anime industry. She won the 16th Animation Kobe Award. Personal life Okada was born in Chichibu. She was often bullied at ...

, "when I flip through Mr. Inoue's layouts and key animation, without exaggeration, my heart races and I'm transported to a different world. I can't tell you how many times I uttered the word 'wow'. I was also surprised by the abundance of information that can be expressed in the pictures". Anime News Network reviewer Kim Morissey credits Inoue as the reason why scenes depicting war are "striking and hyper-detailed." He would work again as main animator on ''

The Orbital Children is a Japanese anime science fiction series written and directed by Mitsuo Iso. The character designs for the anime were provided by Kenichi Yoshida, and the main animator is Toshiyuki Inoue.The film's soundtrack was produced by Rei Ishizuka, wh ...

'' (2022) and as "chief animator" on ''

The Deer King is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi. Kadokawa published the original novel in two volumes in September 2014, and then republished it in four reprinted volumes between June and July 2017. A manga adaptation with art by ...

'' (2022).

Creative philosophy and influences

Inoue believes that the original goal of animation was "to draw human movements", but due to commercialization, "anime-like movements were developed". With ''Jin-Roh'' he tried "to return to the original point of animation, which is expression through drawing" and "abandon the drawing methods that had to be used in commercial animation". As a judge in the 2019 Tokyo Anime Awards Festival (TAAF), Inoue abstained from declaring a winner at a student animation competition as the entrants had failed to "express pain using only movement, without relying on dialogue" and had instead used visual short-hand common in anime to express pain. Inoue believes that a good animator should have "the ability to create a three-dimensional space on a flat surface, and to draw and move pictures freely within that space." This sense of "volumetric depth" is usually associated with full animation, however much of Inoue's work is limited animation. Inoue refers to animator

Yoshiji Kigami was a Japanese animator, director and storyboarder. He started working at Shin-Ei Animation, later became part of Animaruya and then he became affiliated with Kyoto Animation. Career When he was young, Kigami was a big fan of Disney movies and ...

as being his "first concrete goal" in the industry. In an interview with

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

, he said "He struck me as a true professional with his skill and speed." "Even today 20 years later, I find that in some ways I still don’t measure up to him." Inoue and Mitsuo Iso are great admirers of each others work. Inoue called Iso "a genius that nobody else can imitate." Iso referred to Inoue as "the person that I regard as my teacher" who influenced how he animates movements.

Works

Animated television series

* ''

'' (1983-1984) Key animator (episodes 27, 32), Inbetweener * ''

Igano Kabamaru is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Azuki. The eponymous protagonist is a naive young ninja from the Iga province called Kagemaru (absolute shadow), nicknamed Kabamaru (hippo's mouth) for his insatiable appetite. After ...

'' (1983-1984) * '' Gu-Gu Ganmo'' (1984-1985) Character design, Animation director (episodes 7, 21, 26, 33, 39, 45), Key animator (episodes 1, 7, 15, 21, 26, 33) * '' Prince of Devil's Island: Mitsume ga Toru'' (1985) * '' Gegege no Kitaro'' (1985-1988) Key animator (episodes 4, 12, 26) * ''

Anpanman is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author’s death in 2013. The series has been adapted into an anime entitled , which is one of the most popular anime series among ...

'' (1988-) Key animator (1 episode) * ''

Saber Marionette J is a Japanese anime television series produced by Studio Junio. aired on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1996 to March 25, 1997. It is the first installment of the ''Saber Marionette'' franchise. The show was localized in North America by Ocean Pr ...

'' (1996-1997) OP Key animator * '' Super Doll Licca-chan ★'' (1998-1999) OP1 * '' Wild Arms: Twilight Venom'' (1999-2000) OP Key animator * ''

Medabots ''Medabots'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese role-playing video game franchise created by Rin Horuma (Horumarin) and currently owned by Imagineer. The main series of RPGs focus on collecting and battling with the titular robots. The bulk of ...

'' (1999-2000) OP Key animator, Key animator (episodes 5, 47, 48, 52) * '' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'' (2002) (3 episodes) * ''

Mahoromatic is a Japanese manga series written by Bunjūrō Nakayama and illustrated by Bow Ditama. The series follows Mahoro, a female android former soldier who, driven by guilt from her actions during her combat days, decides to dedicate the rest ...

'' (2002-2003) Key animator (episode 1) * ''

This Ugly yet Beautiful World is a Japanese anime television series created by Shouji Saeki and Hiroyuki Yamaga. It was animated by Gainax and Shaft. The series aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System from April 2, 2004 to June 18, 2004, totaling 12 episodes. A manga ada ...

'' (2004) Key animator (episode 1) * ''

Paranoia Agent is a Japanese anime television series created by director Satoshi Kon and produced by Madhouse about a social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo caused by a juvenile serial assailant named Lil' Slugger (the English equivalent to ''Shōnen Bat'' ...

'' (2004) Effects animation director (episode 13), Animation director cooperation (8 episodes), Key animator (episodes 1, 8, 13) * '' Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo'' (2004-2005) (episodes 2, 12) * ''Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG'' (2004-2005) Key animator (episodes 4, 7, 18) * ''

Otogi Zoshi , is a 2002 action video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sega. It was released for the Xbox in Japan in December 2002, by Sega in North America in August 2003, and Europe in September 2003. ''Otogi'' follows former executioner R ...

'' (2004-2005) OP1 Key animator * '' Dennou Coil'' (2007) Chief animation director, Animation director (Episodes 11, 14, 16, 17, 21, 26), Key animator (OP, episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 26) * ''

Usagi Drop is a Japanese manga series by Yumi Unita. The plot follows thirty-year-old Daikichi as he becomes the guardian of Rin, the illegitimate six-year-old daughter of his grandfather. ''Bunny Drop'' was serialized in Shodensha's monthly ''jose ...

'' (2011) Key animator (episode 9) * '' Eccentric Family'' (2013) Animation director (episode 3), Key animator (episode 3,12) * ''

'' (2014) Key animator (episode 12) * ''

Haikyuu!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 ''tankōbon ...

'' (2014) Key animator (episode 25) * ''

'' (2016) Key animator (episode 1)

Films

* ''Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hoyoyo! The Great Race Around the World'' (1983) Inbetweener * ''

'' (1985) Animation director * ''

Barefoot Gen 2 is a 1986 Japanese anime, animated action drama film and the sequel to the 1983 animated war film ''Barefoot Gen (1983 film), Barefoot Gen'', loosely based on the manga, Japanese manga series by Keiji Nakazawa. Directed by Toshio Hirata, the film ...

'' (1986) Key animator * ''

The Foxes of Chironup Island is a 1987 Japanese animated film, directed by Tetsuo Imazawa. It was based on the eponymous children's book by . Plot The story happened on a fictional island called "Chironup" (fox in Ainu language) in the Northern Japan. Two foxes were born a ...

'' (1987) * ''

Twilight of the Cockroaches is a 1987 anime/live-action film written and directed by Hiroaki Yoshida that combines live-action footage with animation. The plot concerns a society of cockroaches who live peacefully in the apartment of a bachelor named Saito, until a woman mo ...

'' (1987) * '' Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise'' (1987) * '' AKIRA'' (1988) * ''

'' (1989) * '' Fly! Peek the Whale'' (1991) Assistant animation director, Key animator * '' Only Yesterday'' (1991) * ''

Roujin Z is a 1991 Japanese animated science fiction action thriller film directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo and written by Katsuhiro Otomo. The animation for ''Roujin Z'' was produced by A.P.P.P. in association with other companies including Movic, Sony Mus ...

'' (1991) * '' Hashire Melos'' (1992) * ''Macross 7: The galaxy is calling me!'' (1995) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

Memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

'' (1995) Character design, Animation director * '' Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade'' (1999) Secondary animation director, layout check, Key animator * '' Blood: The Last Vampire'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) Animation director, Key animator * ''

A Tree of Palme is a 2002 Japanese anime film, written and directed by Takashi Nakamura. It was an official selection of the 2002 Berlin Film Festival. Story ''A Tree of Palme'' can be seen as a distant allusion of the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio ...

'' (2002) Character Design, Key animator * ''

'' (2003) Animation director, Key animator * ''

Steamboy is a 2004 Japanese animated steampunk action film produced by Sunrise, directed and co-written by Katsuhiro Otomo, his second major anime release as a director, following '' Akira'' (1988). The film was released in Japan by Toho on July 17, 20 ...

'' (2004) * '' Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence'' (2004) * '' Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) Assistant animation director, Key animator * ''

The Sky Crawlers is a Japanese novel series by Hiroshi Mori (writer), Hiroshi Mori. First published by Chuōkōron-shinsha in June 2001 and spanning six books, it follows the journeys and tribulations of a group of young fighter pilots involved in dogfight w ...

'' (2008) * '' Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos'' (2011) Assistant animation director * ''

A Letter to Momo is a 2011 Japanese anime drama film produced by Production I.G and distributed by Kadokawa Pictures. The film was written and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura and stars an ensemble cast featuring Karen Miyama, Yuka, Toshiyuki Nishida, Chō and Kō ...

'' (2012) Secondary animation director, Key animator * ''

Wolf Children is a 2012 Japanese anime drama film directed and co-written by Mamoru Hosoda. The second original feature film directed by Hosoda and the first work written by him, the film stars the voices of Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa and Haru Kuroki. The stor ...

'' (2012) Key animator * '' Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo'' Animation director, Key animator * ''

Giovanni's Island is a 2014 Japanese animated historical drama film directed by Mizuho Nishikubo and produced by Production I.G and co-produced and presented by the Japan Association of Music Enterprises. The film was released on February 22, 2014, in Japan and ...

'' (2014) * ''

Miss Hokusai is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Hinako Sugiura, telling the story of Katsushika Ōi who worked in the shadow of her father Hokusai. It was adapted into an anime film directed by Keiichi Hara, that was relea ...

'' (2015) * ''

The Boy and the Beast is a 2015 Japanese animated action-adventure fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The film stars the voices of Kōji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shōta Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keishi N ...

'' (2015) Key animator * ''

Napping Princess is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film. It was produced by Signal.MD, written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, and stars Mitsuki Takahata. It was released in Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 18, 2017. An English dubbed versi ...

'' (2017) * '' Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms'' (2018) Main animator, Sub-character design, Assistant animation director, Key animator * '' Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time'' (2021) Key animator * ''

'' (2022) Main animator, Animation director, Animation director, Original Animation * ''

'' (2022) Chief animator and Assistant animation director (Co-) * ''

THE FIRST SLAM DUNK ''The First Slam Dunk'' is a 2022 Japanese animated sports film written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, produced by Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio. It is based on Inoue's ''Slam Dunk'' manga series. It was released theatrically in ...

'' (2022) * ''

Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a Japanese novel written by Mizuki Tsujimura, and published by Poplar Publishing in May 2017. A manga adaptation illustrated by Tomo Taketomi was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' magazine ''Ultra Jump'' from June 2019 to February 2022, ...

'' (2022) Key animator * '' The Boy and the Heron'' (2023) Key animator

OVA

* ''

Cream Lemon is an early hentai series. The first ''Cream Lemon'' OVA was released in August 1984, though ''Cream Lemon'' was not the first hentai OVA. The first was ''Lolita Anime'', released earlier in February 1984. Related to ''Cream Lemon'' ...

'' PART4 POPCHASER (1985) Key animator (under the name of Toshiyuki Inoue) * ''

Record of Lodoss War is a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based on the work he originally created for a world called '' Forcelia'' as a rules-free setting for role-playing games (RPGs).Yasuda, Hitoshi. Afterword. . By Ryo Mizuno. Kadoka ...

'' (1990) Key animator (episode 1), Opening Animation * ''Ninja Ryukenden'' (1991) * ''

3×3 Eyes ''3×3 Eyes'' (pronounced in Japanese) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuzo Takada. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazines ''Young Magazine Kaizokuban'' and ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1987 to 2 ...

'' (1995) * '' Blue Submarine No. 6'' (1999-2000) Animation Director (episode 4), Key animator (episode 4)

Games

* ''

Time Gal is an interactive movie video game developed and published by Taito and Toei Company, and originally released as a laserdisc game in Japan for the arcades in 1985. It is an action game which uses full motion video (FMV) to display the on-scree ...

'' (1985) Key animator * ''

'' (1997) * ''

Tales of Eternia , known as ''Tales of Destiny II'' in its original North America release, is an action role-playing game published by Namco as the third main title in their ''Tales'' series. Initially released for the PlayStation in November 2000 in Japan, an ...

'' (2000) OP Key animator * ''

Wild Arms 3 ''Wild Arms 3'', known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Media.Vision for the PlayStation 2. It is a sequel to ''Wild Arms'' and '' Wild Arms 2''. Sony Computer Entertainment released it in Japan and North America in 2002 ...

'' (2002) OP Key animator

Pilot film

* ''The 2 Queens'' (2013)

In popular culture

In the first episode of ''

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sumito Ōwara. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Big Comic Spirits'' since 2016 and has been collected in seven ''tankōbon'' volumes as of July ...

'', the character Tsubame rushes home to watch a fictional anime by "the dream team, Inoue-san, Iso-san and Ohira-san" referring to Toshiyuki Inoue,

and Shinya Ohira. Inoue appears in the documentary "Hand-Drawn" along with

Mamoru Hosoda is a Japanese film director and animator. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Animated Feature Film at the 91st Academy Awards for his eighth film '' Mirai''. Life and career Early life and initial work at Toei Animat ...

and Mitsuo iso.

References

External links

* * * Japanese animators 21st-century Japanese artists {{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Toshiyuki 1961 births Living people