Gō Zappa (雑破 業, Zappa Gō; born 1970) is a Japanese author and anime screenwriter. His manga series Chocotto Sister was…Gō Zappa (雑破 業, Zappa Gō; born 1970) is a Japanese author and anime screenwriter. His manga series Chocotto Sister was adapted into an animated television series.
Yumiko Aoyagi (青柳 祐美子, Aoyagi Yumiko; born 1970 in Yokohama, Kanagawa) is a Japanese television writer, whose work also…Yumiko Aoyagi (青柳 祐美子, Aoyagi Yumiko; born 1970 in Yokohama, Kanagawa) is a Japanese television writer, whose work also covers publishing and film. She worked briefly in 2007 on the United States web show lonelygirl15 as a writer, director, and producer.
Ryō Wada (和田 竜, Wada Ryō; born December, 1969) is a Japanese screenwriter and historical novelist. Two of his novels…Ryō Wada (和田 竜, Wada Ryō; born December, 1969) is a Japanese screenwriter and historical novelist. Two of his novels have been adapted to films, The Floating Castle and Land of Stealth.
Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平, Kitamura Ryūhei; May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Kitamura…Ryuhei Kitamura (北村龍平, Kitamura Ryūhei; May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Kitamura relocated to Sydney, Australia at age 17 and attended a school for visual arts for two years. In 1997, Kitamura directed and produced the short film Down to Hell, which received a positive response from students, teachers, and an award which motivated Kitamura to seriously pursue a film career. He went on to independently finance and direct his feature film debut Versus (2000). The film proved to be successful within the film festival circuit and opened doors for Kitamura to direct more high-profile films such as Alive (2002), Sky High (2003), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), The Midnight Meat Train (2008), No One Lives (2012), the live-action adaptation of Lupin the 3rd (2014), and several other Japanese and Hollywood productions.
Yukiko Mishima (Japanese: 三島有紀子) is a Japanese film director born (1969-04-22)April 22, 1969 in Kita-ku, Osaka. Her…Yukiko Mishima (Japanese: 三島有紀子) is a Japanese film director born (1969-04-22)April 22, 1969 in Kita-ku, Osaka. Her first feature film, Shisei: Nihohi tsuki no gotoku, based on the Jun'ichirō Tanizaki story "The Tatooer", was released in 2009. She received best director from the Hochi Film Award in 2017 for Dear Etranger, and Special Grand Prix of the Jury award at the Montreal World Film Festival. Shape of Red, an adaptation of Rio Shimamoto's 2014 novel Reddo, was released in 2020. She is a graduate of Kobe College.
Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and…Seiichi Hishikawa (菱川 勢一, Hishikawa Seiichi; born in 1969 in Tokyo) is a Japanese film maker, art director, and photographer who began his career in the music industry. He entered CBS/Sony Group in the General Affairs section, General Affairs division, and eventually moved on to the Sony Corporation. PR/Advertising division, overseeing a great number of events at the Ginza Sony Building etc. as an assistant producer. This was also the time that he began producing exhibitions for creators of contemporary art as well as artists. In 1991, Hishikawa moved to New York and moved from music to film, as an editing engineer as well as a cinematographer, gaining experience in media including TV and movies. After returning to Japan, he gained experience as a freelance set director, cinematographer, and theatre director before establishing Drawing and Manual, a company that does graphic design and film. That same year, he hosted a motion graphics exhibition at the Axis Gallery in Roppongi, leading the motion graphics movement and attracting a total of 45,000 visitors despite being self-hosted. Known as the founder of that movement, Hishikawa established his own design studio in 2003, Standard Series, Inc. Expanding on the cinema, web, and graphic design work he has done up until now, the company also provides brand design and design consultation services. In 2009, Hishikawa joined Drawing and Manual again, and he accepted a position to teach in the Department of Science of Design, Musashino Art University. He achieved the triple crown in 2011 after taking top honors in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for directing the NTT Docomo commercial “Xylophone.”
Kazuki Kaneshiro (金城 一紀, Kaneshiro Kazuki; born 29 October 1968) is a Zainichi Korean novelist who was born in…Kazuki Kaneshiro (金城 一紀, Kaneshiro Kazuki; born 29 October 1968) is a Zainichi Korean novelist who was born in Kawaguchi, Saitama. Later in his life he acquired Japanese citizenship. Due to early influence from his Marxist-Leninist father, he studied at the Chongryon-affiliated elementary school and middle school. Afterwards his father switched his affiliation for Mindan, he instead studied at Hozen High School (保善高等学校) in Tokyo Shibuya. He graduated in Law at Keio University. With the strong confusions with Chongryon, Mindan, and Japanese politics he wanted to promote an alternative "Korean-Japanese" (コリアン・ジャパニーズ) identity to overcome social obstacles, but later he abandoned this concept.
Akiko Ōku (大九 明子, Ōku Akiko; born October 8, 1968), also romanised as Akiko Ohku, is a Japanese film director and…Akiko Ōku (大九 明子, Ōku Akiko; born October 8, 1968), also romanised as Akiko Ohku, is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ōku's best-known film to date is her 2017 romantic comedy Tremble All You Want. She won two Audience Awards, and was nominated for several Best Film awards at Tokyo International Film Festival and Nippon Connection Japanese film festival.
Isao Yukisada (行定 勲, Yukisada Isao; born August 3, 1968) is a Japanese film director from Kumamoto. He served as…Isao Yukisada (行定 勲, Yukisada Isao; born August 3, 1968) is a Japanese film director from Kumamoto. He served as assistant director on Shunji Iwai's Love Letter, April Story, and Swallowtail Butterfly.
Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated…Kishu Izuchi (井土紀州, Izuchi Kishū; born 1968) is a film director and screenwriter from Japan. He has often collaborated with Takahisa Zeze.
Ichirō Ōkouchi (大河内 一楼, Ōkouchi Ichirō; born 28 March 1968) is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate…Ichirō Ōkouchi (大河内 一楼, Ōkouchi Ichirō; born 28 March 1968) is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of the School of Human Sciences in Waseda University. Ōkouchi is best known for collaborating with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original production, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion in 2006 and its sequel Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 in 2008.
Yūji Tajiri (田尻裕司, Tajiri Yūji) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the group of pink…Yūji Tajiri (田尻裕司, Tajiri Yūji) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the group of pink film directors collectively known as the "Seven Lucky Gods of Pink" (ピンク七福神, shichifukujin), a group which also includes Toshiya Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Shinji Imaoka, Yoshitaka Kamata, Toshirō Enomoto and Rei Sakamoto.
Mitsutaka Hirota (広田 光毅, Hirota Mitsutaka; born August 18, 1967) is a Japanese screenwriter. After graduating from…Mitsutaka Hirota (広田 光毅, Hirota Mitsutaka; born August 18, 1967) is a Japanese screenwriter. After graduating from Tamagawa University, he went on to study screenwriting at Scenario Center Osaka and graduated.
Naoyuki Tomomatsu (友松 直之, Tomomatsu Naoyuki) (born 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter who has worked in…Naoyuki Tomomatsu (友松 直之, Tomomatsu Naoyuki) (born 1967) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter who has worked in the pink film and horror genres.
Jiro Ishii (イシイジロウ, Ishii Jirō) is a Japanese video game developer and television and anime producer. He is best known…Jiro Ishii (イシイジロウ, Ishii Jirō) is a Japanese video game developer and television and anime producer. He is best known for directing the live-action visual novel 428: Shibuya Scramble, producing the adventure video game Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, and creating the original concept for the anime short Under the Dog which was funded on Kickstarter.
Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing…Katsuhito Ishii (石井 克人, Ishii Katsuhito; born 31 December 1966) is a Japanese film director best known for directing The Taste of Tea (2004), Funky Forest (2005), and Smuggler (2011).
Kenji Kamiyama (神山 健治, Kamiyama Kenji; born on March 20, 1966) is a Japanese director and writer, best known for Ghost…Kenji Kamiyama (神山 健治, Kamiyama Kenji; born on March 20, 1966) is a Japanese director and writer, best known for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
Satoko Okudera (奥寺 佐渡子, Okudera Satoko; born 1966) is a Japanese screenwriter. She is known for her screenplays in both…Satoko Okudera (奥寺 佐渡子, Okudera Satoko; born 1966) is a Japanese screenwriter. She is known for her screenplays in both live-action and anime media. Her 1995 screenplay for School Ghost Stories was nominated for the Japan Academy Film Prize. She is best known for her collaborations with anime director Mamoru Hosoda.
Shinji Imaoka (今岡信治 or いまおかしんじ, いまおかしんぢ, Imaoka Shinji) a.k.a. 羅門ナカ is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and…Shinji Imaoka (今岡信治 or いまおかしんじ, いまおかしんぢ, Imaoka Shinji) a.k.a. 羅門ナカ is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of a group of pink film directors of the 2000s known collectively as the "Seven Lucky Gods of Pink" (ピンク七福神, shichifukujin), which besides Imaoka, also includes Toshiya Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Yūji Tajiri, Yoshitaka Kamata, Toshirō Enomoto and Rei Sakamoto.
Shō Aikawa (會川 昇, Aikawa Shō; born Noboru Aikawa (会川 昇, Aikawa Noboru) on August 9, 1965) is a Japanese screenwriter.…Shō Aikawa (會川 昇, Aikawa Shō; born Noboru Aikawa (会川 昇, Aikawa Noboru) on August 9, 1965) is a Japanese screenwriter. Active in various fields (and credited through various pseudonyms) since he was 17 years old, the most popular works he has helmed have been in anime and tokusatsu: Dangaioh, Ultraman: Towards the Future, Martian Successor Nadesico, Love Hina, The Twelve Kingdoms, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kamen Rider Blade, GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Kamen Rider Decade and Concrete Revolutio. Most of his anime work has been in adaptations which, when he is the main writer, feature significant deviations from the source materials' trajectory. Among those based on original concepts, 7 titles were conceived, wholly or partly, by him; he also had one manga he had written adapted to animation.
Miki Miura (三浦美紀, Miura Miki), known professionally as Momoko Sakura (さくら ももこ, Sakura Momoko) (May 8, 1965 – August 15…Miki Miura (三浦美紀, Miura Miki), known professionally as Momoko Sakura (さくら ももこ, Sakura Momoko) (May 8, 1965 – August 15, 2018) was a Japanese manga artist and writer. She was best known as the creator of the long-running manga Chibi Maruko-chan.
Yasuko Kobayashi (小林 靖子, Kobayashi Yasuko; born April 7, 1965) is a Japanese anime and tokusatsu drama screenwriter who…Yasuko Kobayashi (小林 靖子, Kobayashi Yasuko; born April 7, 1965) is a Japanese anime and tokusatsu drama screenwriter who has been involved in various television shows throughout her career, beginning in 1993 with Tokusou Robo Janperson. In September 2022, Kobayashi launched a new manga series with illustrations by Saki Nonoyama titled Danzai Lock in Kodansha's Comic Days website.
Satoru Akahori (あかほり さとる, Akahori Satoru; born 赤堀 悟) is a Japanese scriptwriter, novelist and manga author. He is known…Satoru Akahori (あかほり さとる, Akahori Satoru; born 赤堀 悟) is a Japanese scriptwriter, novelist and manga author. He is known for NG Knight Ramune & 40 and the Sorcerer Hunters series. His other works include Saber Marionette and Sakura Wars, which come in anime, novel and manga forms.
Koji Masunari (Japanese: 舛成孝二, Hepburn: Masunari Kōji; born January 1, 1965) is a Japanese anime director. After…Koji Masunari (Japanese: 舛成孝二, Hepburn: Masunari Kōji; born January 1, 1965) is a Japanese anime director. After debuting in 1985, he has directed many series, including the anime adaptation of Kamichu!, which won an excellence award at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2005, the anime adaptation of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, and the anime adaptation of Blue Period.
Kazuaki Takano (高野 和明, Takano Kazuaki; born October 26, 1964) is a Japanese writer of crime fiction and thrillers. He…Kazuaki Takano (高野 和明, Takano Kazuaki; born October 26, 1964) is a Japanese writer of crime fiction and thrillers. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan. He worked for a time under the Japanese film director Kihachi Okamoto in his youth. After that he studied film at Los Angeles City College from 1989 to 1991. His first novel Jūsan Kaidan (literally "Thirteen Steps", 2001) is a crime fiction novel which deals with the Japanese capital punishment system.
Riku Sanjo (Japanese: 三条 陸, Hepburn: Sanjō Riku; born October 3, 1964) is a Japanese manga writer and screenwriter. He…Riku Sanjo (Japanese: 三条 陸, Hepburn: Sanjō Riku; born October 3, 1964) is a Japanese manga writer and screenwriter. He works as a story writer for manga, anime and live-action film. Sanjo graduated from Meiji University. Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (1989–1996), which he created with illustrator Koji Inada, is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 47 million copies sold. The two also created Beet the Vandel Buster (2002–2006, 2016–present), which has 4 million copies in print.
Kundō Koyama (小山薫堂) (born 1964) is a Japanese writer. He is best known for scripting the television series Iron Chef…Kundō Koyama (小山薫堂) (born 1964) is a Japanese writer. He is best known for scripting the television series Iron Chef and the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film recipient Departures. Koyama has also worked under the pen name Udon Kumayakko, an anagram of his real name read backwards in Japanese.
Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi; born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor.…Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi; born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $560 million worldwide. Yamazaki found employment at visual effects and animation studio Shirogumi in 1986, and has remained there throughout his career. His first directorial features were the science fiction films Juvenile (2000) and Returner (2002), for which he became known as the "Japanese James Cameron". He later gained further notice in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014). The latter two films ranked as the highest-grossing Japanese live-action and animated releases, respectively, at the 2014 box office, and together earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize. Yamazaki's career continued with other film adaptations such as Parasyte: Part 1 (also 2014) and Part 2 (2015), Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate (2016), The Great War of Archimedes, Dragon Quest: Your Story, Lupin III: The First (all 2019), and Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020). His 2023 kaiju epic, Godzilla Minus One, became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time and one of his highest-grossing films. Yamazaki and the visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians. He has since made the Minus One sequel Godzilla Minus Zero (2026), and is developing his first Hollywood productions: Grandgear (2028) and Nue.
Naruhisa Arakawa (荒川 稔久, Arakawa Naruhisa; born March 14, 1964) is a Japanese screenwriter who primarily works on anime…Naruhisa Arakawa (荒川 稔久, Arakawa Naruhisa; born March 14, 1964) is a Japanese screenwriter who primarily works on anime and tokusatsu dramas. He first served as a series' main writer for Blue Seed anime and the Kamen Rider Series revival Kamen Rider Kuuga. Arakawa was the main series writer for the Super Sentai anniversary series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger where he is also credited as a lyricist for the ending theme song with Shoko Fujibayashi. He also wrote the lyrics to "Detekoi Tobikiri Zenkai Power!", the first ending theme of Dragon Ball Z.
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.
Shimako Satō (佐藤嗣麻子, Satō Shimako) (born in 1964) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. She is best known for…Shimako Satō (佐藤嗣麻子, Satō Shimako) (born in 1964) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995) and K-20: Legend of the Mask (2008). Her husband is famed filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki.
Toshiya Ueno (上野俊哉, Ueno Toshiya) (2 October 1963 – 15 April 2013) was a Japanese film director, actor, screenwriter…Toshiya Ueno (上野俊哉, Ueno Toshiya) (2 October 1963 – 15 April 2013) was a Japanese film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is one of the pink film directors known collectively as the "Seven Lucky Gods of Pink" (ピンク七福神, pinku shichifukujin), a group which comprises Ueno, Mitsuru Meike, Yūji Tajiri, Shinji Imaoka, Yoshitaka Kamata, Toshirō Enomoto and Rei Sakamoto.
Shunji Iwai (Japanese: 岩井 俊二, Hepburn: Iwai Shunji; born 24 January 1963) is a Japanese filmmaker, video artist…Shunji Iwai (Japanese: 岩井 俊二, Hepburn: Iwai Shunji; born 24 January 1963) is a Japanese filmmaker, video artist, editor, and composer.
Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and…Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and screenwriter.
Shin Kibayashi (樹林 伸, Kibayashi Shin; born July 22, 1962, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese manga storywriter, novelist…Shin Kibayashi (樹林 伸, Kibayashi Shin; born July 22, 1962, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese manga storywriter, novelist and screenwriter. Under the name Yuma Ando, he received the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for writing Kunimitsu no Matsuri. The pen name "Tadashi Agi" (亜樹 直) is shared with his sister Yūko Kibayashi (樹林ゆう子, Kibayashi Yūko). He graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Musashi Senior High School and Waseda University School of Economics & Political Science.
Takao Nakano (中野貴雄, Nakano Takao; born May 15, 1962) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor who has worked…Takao Nakano (中野貴雄, Nakano Takao; born May 15, 1962) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter and actor who has worked in pink film, adult videos (AV), and in mainstream comedy, horror and fantasy films. Film critic Jasper Sharp describes him as one of the few figures in the Japanese erotic film scene who have made a name for themselves overseas.
Hiroyuki Yamaga (山賀 博之, Yamaga Hiroyuki) is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the…Hiroyuki Yamaga (山賀 博之, Yamaga Hiroyuki) is a Japanese anime director and producer, and a founding member of the animation studio Gainax. He is best known for directing the film Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) at age 24, directing Mahoromatic (2001), Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (2002), and an episode of Gurren Lagann (2007). Yamaga also wrote the screenplay for Gundam 0080 (1989). He is portrayed by actor Tsuyoshi Muro in the 2014 TV Drama Aoi Honō based on the autobiographical manga by his fellow Osaka University of Arts alumnus Kazuhiko Shimamoto. Yamaga himself cameos in Episode 7 of the series, playing the owner of a restaurant where his fictional counterpart faints.
Eriko Kitagawa (北川 悦吏子) (born December 24, 1961) is a Japanese screenwriter and film director. She is best known for…Eriko Kitagawa (北川 悦吏子) (born December 24, 1961) is a Japanese screenwriter and film director. She is best known for writing Japanese television dramas, notably Long Vacation (1996), Beautiful Life (2000), Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (2002), and Orange Days (2004). In 2009, Kitagawa made her directorial debut in the coming-of-age film Halfway, which she also wrote and co-edited. She then wrote and directed the 2012 film I Have to Buy New Shoes, a contemporary romantic comedy set in Paris. Both films were produced by her friend Shunji Iwai, and Kitagawa appeared in his 2011 documentary Friends after 3.11, which explores the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Sion Sono (園 子温, Sono Shion; born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, writer, and poet. He is best known for…Sion Sono (園 子温, Sono Shion; born December 18, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker, writer, and poet. He is best known for the films Love Exposure (2008), Strange Circus (2005) and Suicide Club (2001). He has been called "the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today," and a "stakhanovite filmmaker" with an "idiosyncratic" career.
Shinji Takamatsu (高松 信司, Takamatsu Shinji; born December 3, 1961) is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and…Shinji Takamatsu (高松 信司, Takamatsu Shinji; born December 3, 1961) is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director.
Akihiko Shiota (塩田 明彦, Shiota Akihiko) (born 11 September 1961, Maizuru, Kyoto) is a Japanese film director and…Akihiko Shiota (塩田 明彦, Shiota Akihiko) (born 11 September 1961, Maizuru, Kyoto) is a Japanese film director and screenwriter.