was an influential Japanese animator originally from

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

, Japan. He is best known for his popular 1984 work ''

Birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

'', one of the first (after

Dallos is a science fiction OVA series released in 1983. It was conceptualized by Hisayuki Toriumi, who also wrote the script and directed it with Mamoru Oshii. It is widely considered not only the first OVA released but also the first animated dir ...

) original video animations released in the market. Though he did not create many character designs, he was famous for his character animation skills. His work on ''

Galaxy Express 999 is a Japanese manga series. It is written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, later adapted into a number of anime films and television series. It is set in a spacefaring, high-tech future in which humans have learned how to transfer ...

'' (1979) and '' Harmagedon'' (1983) were very influential to an entire generation of animators in Japan. These two works also served as partial inspiration for

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

Superflat Superflat is a postmodern art movement, founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. However, superflat doesn't have an explicit definition because Takashi Murakami does not want to limit the movement, but rather ...

art movement. During the 1980s and 1990s, he worked closely with director

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

on several movies from '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' to ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...

''. He was also known for breaking down the directorial system in animation, allowing individual key animators to exert their own style into a particular work. He died at the age of 57 of a heart attack on July 21, 2009. His works inspired the art and works of animators such as

Hiroyuki Imaishi is a Japanese key animator and animation director and one of the co-founders of Studio Trigger. His style is marked by fast and frantic animation combined with elaborate storyboarding and punchy direction. Prior to founding Trigger, he was an a ...

, Masahito Yamashita, Akira Amemiya and

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" *� ...

. The final episode of

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax, as well as a series of tie-in media developed around it. The series ran from October to December 2010 on BS Nittele (a free-to-air satellite service of Nippon Television). In English- ...

was dedicated in memory of him, and his influential work garnered special praise from many industry figures, such as

Anime and video game works

:''Partial list (he was involved in over 50 TV, OVA series and movies since the 70s, and also involved in many Square and Square Enix works)'' *'' Zukkoke Knight - Don De La Mancha'' (Storyboard (episode 6), Character Design, Key Animation (episode 6)) *''

Mahou no Mako-chan Mahou or is the Japanese word for " magic", "sorcery" or "witchcraft". Mahou may also refer to: *Mahou (beer), brewed by the Spanish brewing company Grupo Mahou-San Miguel * Mahou-San Miguel Group, a Spanish brewing company *Mahou, Mali *Magical ...

'' (Animation) *''

Sarutobi Ecchan known in some countries as ''Hela Supergirl'', is a Japanese manga series by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was originally named , but was changed in 1971 when Toei Animation adapted it into an anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn a ...

'' (Animation) *'' GeGeGe no Kitaro'' (OP Animator) *''

Cutie Honey is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. First appearing in ''Weekly Shōnen Champions 41st issue of 1973, the series ran until April 1974. It follows an android girl named Honey Kisaragi, who trans ...

'' (Key animation (last episode)) *''

'' (Character Design, Animation director, Lead Animator) * '' Castle in the Sky'' (Key Animation Supervision) *''

Genesis Climber 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 ...

'' (OP Animator) *'' Blue Submarine No. 6'' (Key Animator) *''Cyborg 009 (1979)'' (OP Animator) *''

Fushigi Yuugi , often translated as ''Strange'' or ''Mysterious'', is the ninth studio album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori, released on August 11, 1986 through Warner Pioneer. Background In February and March 1986 was announced the name of the album along ...

'' (OP Animator) *''

'' (Key Animator) *''

Toward the Terra is a Japanese science fiction manga series by Keiko Takemiya. It was originally serialized in Asahi Sonorama's ''Gekkan Manga Shōnen'' magazine, between January 1977 and May 1980. In 1978, it won the first Seiun Award for manga, and ...

'' (Key Animator) *'' Harmagedon'' (Key Animator) *''

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story o ...

'' (Key Animator) *'' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' (Key Animator) *''

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 ...

'' (Key Animator) *''

Porco Rosso is a 1992 Japanese animated adventure-fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is based on '' Hikōtei Jidai'' ("The Age of the Flying Boat"), a three-part 1989 watercolor manga by Miyazaki. It stars the voices of Shūichirō M ...

'' (Key Animator) *''

'' (Key Animator) *'' X'' (Key Animator) *''

Vampire Hunter Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in history and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires a ...

'' (Key Animator) *'' Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals'' (Key Animator) *''

CLAMP School Detectives , also known as ''CLAMP Campus Detectives'', is a manga series by Clamp, which was adapted into a 26-episode anime series, produced by Bandai Visual and Studio Pierrot. The manga series was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's ''Monthly Asuka'' ma ...

'' (Key Animator for Opening Animation) *'' Hanjuku Hero Tai 3D'' (Opening Animation Director) *'' Hanjuku Hero 4: 7-Jin no Hanjuku Hero'' (Opening Animation Director) *'' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' (Key Animator, Layout Artist) *'' Final Fantasy XIII'' (Storyboard Director) *'' Fullmetal Alchemist: Daughter of the Dusk'' (Key Animator, One of his last works)

References

External links

* 1952 births 2009 deaths Japanese animators Artists from Nara Prefecture Studio Ghibli people Square Enix people {{Animator-stub