was a Japanese cartoonist, writer,

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

and

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 ...

pioneer who founded the anime studio

Tatsunoko Productions 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 i ...

Biography

Born in 1932, Yoshida grew up in the hardship of war-torn

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. A self-taught artist, his first job was as working for local newspapers in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. After finding success as a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

artist in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, including winning the

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...

in 1972 for ''

The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', in 1962 he founded Tatsunoko with his two younger brothers, Kenji (who took over Tatsuo's position as producer after he died) and Toyoharu (a.k.a. Ippei Kuri). The studio's name has a double Japanese meaning of "Tatsu's child" and "sea dragon" which was the inspiration for its

seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

logo. Yoshida made the jump from print to the screen and found modest success with the anime racing series ''Mach GoGoGo''. Once adapted to the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

market, it achieved resounding, worldwide success as ''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...

''. Yoshida also created the action series ''

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 ...

'' (also known as ''

Battle of the Planets ''Battle of the Planets'' is an American adaptation of the Japanese anime series ''Science Ninja Team Gatchaman'' (1972). Of the 105 original ''Gatchaman'' episodes, 85 were used in the ''Battle of the Planets'' adaptation, produced by Sandy Fra ...

'' and '' G-Force: Guardians of Space''), ''

Casshan ''Casshan'', also known in Japan as , is an anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions founder Tatsuo Yoshida in 1973. The ''Casshern'' franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation titled '' Casshan: Robot Hunter'', and a 2004 ...

'' (also known as ''

Neo-Human Casshern ''Casshan'', also known in Japan as , is an anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions founder Tatsuo Yoshida in 1973. The ''Casshern'' franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation titled '' Casshan: Robot Hunter'', and a 200 ...

'', now remade as the live-action film ''

Casshern ''Casshan'', also known in Japan as , is an anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions founder Tatsuo Yoshida in 1973. The ''Casshern'' franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation titled '' Casshan: Robot Hunter'', and a 2004 ...

'' and the

continuity reboot In serial fiction, the term "reboot" signifies a new start to an established fictional universe, work, or series. A reboot discards continuity to re-create its characters, plotlines and backstory from the beginning. It has been described as a ...

Casshern Sins is a reboot of the 1973 anime series ''Casshan'', produced by Tatsunoko Productions and animated by Madhouse, it aired from October 2008 to March 2009. The series made its English broadcast premiere on Funimation Channel in December 2010. A ...

''), ''

Hurricane Polymar is a Japanese anime and OVA series produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The show was created by Tatsuo Yoshida, who had produced many of Tatsunoko's series. Other romanizations of the name include ''Hurricane Polymer'', and ''Hariken Polyma ...

'' and '' Tekkaman: The Space Knight''. Though Tatsuo Yoshida's career was cut short by his death from

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

in 1977, Tatsunoko Productions has continued to partner with top creators to create additional hit series such as ''

Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and the ...

'', ''

Mospeada (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldi ...

'', ''

Robotech ''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985. The show was adapted from t ...

'', ''

Generator Gawl is a 1998 12-episode anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and the Victor Company of Japan (JVC, now JVCKenwood). The story is set in 2007, when Professor Takuma Nekasa uncovers a gene code that will unlock the human body's ...

'', ''

Time Bokan is a Japanese anime series first aired on Fuji TV from October 4, 1975 to December 25, 1976 throughout Japan every Saturday at 6:30pm, with a total of 61 30-minute episodes. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft ...

'', and '' Karas''.

Anime credits

*'' Ninja Squad Moonlight'' (1964, also known as '' Phantom Agents'') *''

Space Ace ''Space Ace'' is a LaserDisc video game produced by Bluth Group, Cinematronics and Advanced Microcomputer Systems (later renamed RDI Video Systems). It was unveiled in October 1983, just four months after the ''Dragon's Lair'' game, followed b ...

'' (1965) *''

Mach GoGoGo ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics a ...

'' (1967, also known as ''Speed Racer'') *''

Oraa Guzura Dado also known as ''Gazula the amicable Monster'', ''Gudzulla'' or ''So It's Gudzulla'',Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy: ''The Anime Encyclopedia. Revised & Expanded Edition.'' Berkeley 2006, Stone Bridge Press, ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5, S. 222. ...

'' (1967) *''

Dokachin the Primitive Boy is an anime created by Tatsunoko Productions 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 f ...

'' (1968) *''

Judo Boy is a Japanese anime television series created by Tatsuo Yoshida and directed by Ippei Kuri. The series aired on Fuji TV from April 2, 1969, to September 24, 1969, totaling 26 episodes. Two manga adaptations were created, the first published ...

'' (1969) *''

Hakushon Daimaō is an anime television series by Tatsunoko Productions. that originally ran from October 1969 to September 1970, with a total of 52 episodes on Fuji TV. It tells the story of a boy who finds a bottle with a mysterious power - each time its ...

'' (1969, also known as ''Bob in the Bottle'' or ''The Genie Family'') *'' Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman'' (1972, dubbed and re-edited as ''Battle of the Planets'' and ''G-Force: Guardians of Space'' in North America) *''

'' (1973) *''

'' (1974) *'' Tekkaman: The Space Knight'' (1975) *''

'' (1975) *'' Gowapper 5 Gordam'' (1976) *'' Paul's Miraculous Adventure'' (1976) *''

Yatterman is a Japanese anime television series broadcast from January 1, 1977 to January 27, 1979, comprising 108 episodes. It is the second and longest show in the ''Time Bokan'' series by Tatsunoko Productions. The series succeeded ''Time Bokan'' a ...

'' (1977) *''

Ippatsu Kanta-kun ''Ippatsu Kanta-kun'' is a Japanese anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft. Along with Temple the Balloonist, it was one of the last works for which Tatsunoko co-founder Tatsuo Yoshida was credited as a creato ...

'' (1977) *''

Temple the Balloonist is an anime created by Tatsunoko Productions. Plot Temple is a lovely little girl who is more fond of music than anything else. She happens to board a balloon one day, and is excited by her journey until she is caught in a sudden storm and is ...

'' (1977)

References

External links

* *
Tatsuo Yoshida biography
on Lambiek Japanese animators Japanese anime producers 1932 births 1977 deaths Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from liver cancer Manga artists from Kyoto Prefecture People from Kyoto Tatsunoko Production people {{animator-stub

Biography

Anime credits

Further reading

References

External links