Sora Tokui (徳井 青空, Tokui Sora; born December 26, 1989 in Minamibōsō) is a Japanese voice actress and manga artist who…Sora Tokui (徳井 青空, Tokui Sora; born December 26, 1989 in Minamibōsō) is a Japanese voice actress and manga artist who made her debut as a voice actress in 2009 as Himemiya in Weiß Survive R, in 2019 as Suzu Kurokawa in Kiratto Pri Chan and in 2024 as Airi Mitsuba in Himitsu no AiPri.
Keiichirō Toyama (外山 圭一郎, Toyama Keiichirō; born 1970) is a Japanese video game director and designer. He is the…Keiichirō Toyama (外山 圭一郎, Toyama Keiichirō; born 1970) is a Japanese video game director and designer. He is the creator of the Silent Hill, Siren and Gravity Rush franchises.
Toshihiro Nagoshi (Japanese: 名越 稔洋, Hepburn: Nagoshi Toshihiro; born June 17, 1965) is a Japanese video game producer…Toshihiro Nagoshi (Japanese: 名越 稔洋, Hepburn: Nagoshi Toshihiro; born June 17, 1965) is a Japanese video game producer, director, and designer. He was the chief creative officer for Sega until 2021 when he became creative director. He went on to be the general director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and later became a member of the board of directors for Atlus. He joined Sega in 1989 as a graphic artist and later transitioned into director and producer roles. After working at Sega for thirty years, Nagoshi became the owner of Nagoshi Studio in 2021. In 2026, Nagoshi Studio was supposedly gone and shut down according to sources.
Kōji Yamamura (山村 浩二, Yamamura Kōji; born June 4, 1964) is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career…Kōji Yamamura (山村 浩二, Yamamura Kōji; born June 4, 1964) is a Japanese independent animator who, after leaving a career as a background artist at an animation studio, directs, writes, edits, animates, creates the model sheets and background art for and sometimes produces his own short films and has worked on many commissions such as music videos, television advertisements, title sequences and station idents, both on his own and under or with other directors. He is also a regular illustrator of children's literature and textbooks. His animation spans a variety of media, his earliest independent works mixing clay painting and stop motion with cels, but has latterly come to concentrate on traditional animation. Two of his most famous and acclaimed films are the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film-nominated and Cristal d'Annecy–winning Mt. Head and the Ottawa Grand Prize and Ōfuji Noburō Award–winning A Country Doctor. His 2011 short film Muybridge's Strings was one of five animated shorts nominated for the Genie Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 32nd Genie Awards in 2012.
Shōji Yonemura (米村 正二, Yonemura Shōji) is a Japanese writer from Fukuoka Prefecture. He is known mainly for his work in…Shōji Yonemura (米村 正二, Yonemura Shōji) is a Japanese writer from Fukuoka Prefecture. He is known mainly for his work in anime and tokusatsu. After having graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, he worked as a freelance writer in Arakawa and would attend various film festivals. Then, he studied under Hiroshi Kashiwabara and others at a scenario course sponsored by the Japan Writers Guild. Awarded as winner of the 7th Otomo Shoji Award for scenario in 1994.
Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator.…Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator. Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called him "one of the most imaginative visualists in anime". He also worked on Concept Art and Design for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which won six Academy Awards. He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6, Final Fantasy: Unlimited and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. His design work ranges from 2 of the "Angels" in Neon Genesis Evangelion to production and mechanical design for such series as Magic User's Club (魔法使いTai!, Mahō Tsukai Tai!), The Vision of Escaflowne and Last Exile. He was also one of the designers for Gate Keepers 21. His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso. Maeda is one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as The Animatrix (segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu"). He has also visited the American Anime Expo convention in 2000 and 2003.
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (貞本 義行, Sadamoto Yoshiyuki; born January 29, 1962, in Tokuyama (now Shunan), Yamaguchi Prefecture…Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (貞本 義行, Sadamoto Yoshiyuki; born January 29, 1962, in Tokuyama (now Shunan), Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese character designer, manga artist, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio.
Nobuhiro Suwa (諏訪 敦彦, Suwa Nobuhiro; born May 28, 1960 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture) is a Japanese film director…Nobuhiro Suwa (諏訪 敦彦, Suwa Nobuhiro; born May 28, 1960 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture) is a Japanese film director working in Japan and France. His directorial works and screenplays often make use of improvisation techniques. Currently, Suwa is the President of Tokyo Zokei University.
Kenji Uchida (内田 健二, Uchida Kenji) is a Japanese anime producer. He is a noted anime studio Sunrise's president.…Kenji Uchida (内田 健二, Uchida Kenji) is a Japanese anime producer. He is a noted anime studio Sunrise's president. Debuting in 1980, with Muteki Robo Trider G7, among Sunrise's first works in the 1980s, Uchida has gone on to produce numerous of Sunrise's works, such as various iterations of the Gundam universe and other Sunrise anime productions. In April 2008, Uchida was promoted to being Sunrise's president, previously having been the studio's managing director.
Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was…Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was well-known in the field of visual arts in Japan. His father, Yasutake Funakoshi, was also a sculptor and soon he felt the same vocation. He studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts, from 1971 to 1975, and at the University of Fine Arts and Music, from 1975 to 1977. He started carving in camphor wood in 1980. His works, usually depicting human figures from the waist up, have a great poetical effect, and are striking and distinctive. Funakoshi worked this material in a personal way and left visible both the grain of the wood and the marks of carving. The artist carefully utilised the grain for modelling and left part of the head unpainted, normally the crown. Funakoshi exhibited his work at the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennale, the Documenta IX, and the Shanghai Biennale, and his work is represented in several art museums in Japan and other countries. Funakoshi died from lung cancer on 29 March 2024, at the age of 72.
Shinzō Shimao (島尾伸三, Shimao Shinzō; born July 7, 1948 in Kobe) is a Japanese photographer. He is a student of…Shinzō Shimao (島尾伸三, Shimao Shinzō; born July 7, 1948 in Kobe) is a Japanese photographer. He is a student of photographer Ōtsuji Kiyoji, and husband to Tokuko Ushioda.
Kunio Okawara (大河原 邦男, Ōkawara Kunio; born December 26, 1947) is a mecha designer in the Japanese anime industry. He…Kunio Okawara (大河原 邦男, Ōkawara Kunio; born December 26, 1947) is a mecha designer in the Japanese anime industry. He was born and currently lives in Inagi, Tokyo, where he works out of a studio in his home. He was one of the pioneering mecha designers in Japan and established the profession of 'mecha design' in the anime industry. His representative works include Gundam series from the Real Robot shows, the Brave series from the Super Robot shows and Time Bokan series from the comedy anime. In 2011, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the Japan Media Arts Festival for his achievements over the years.
Obetomo (おべとも, Obetomo) - born Tomoko Okabe (岡部智子, Okabe Tomoko) in Tokyo in April 1979 - is a Japanese illustrator and…Obetomo (おべとも, Obetomo) - born Tomoko Okabe (岡部智子, Okabe Tomoko) in Tokyo in April 1979 - is a Japanese illustrator and animator. She is a graduate from the Tokyo Zokei University. The pen name "Obetomo" is her nickname from her college years. Her most famous work is the children's cartoon Obetomo Gakuen (おべとも学園), broadcast on the national NHK network from 2008 to 2013. In addition to her own original animations and designs, Okabe has designed characters and created illustrations for magazines, textbooks, and companies. Okabe shares original animations on her YouTube channel.
Shinobu Yaguchi (矢口 史靖, Yaguchi Shinobu; born 30 May 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He specializes…Shinobu Yaguchi (矢口 史靖, Yaguchi Shinobu; born 30 May 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He specializes in feel-good "zero to hero" films, where a group of people take up an unlikely activity, face a number of obstacles, but finally succeed. His film Waterboys was particularly successful and led to a TV series which entered its third season in 2005. He was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2005 Yokohama Film Festival for his film Swing Girls.
Hiroyuki Ito (伊藤 裕之, Itō Hiroyuki) is a Japanese game producer, director and designer who works for Square Enix. He is…Hiroyuki Ito (伊藤 裕之, Itō Hiroyuki) is a Japanese game producer, director and designer who works for Square Enix. He is known as the director of Final Fantasy VI (1994), Final Fantasy IX (2000) and Final Fantasy XII (2006) and as the creator of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system in the Final Fantasy series.
