is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of

anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse (which he co-founded), though he is a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

director not employed directly by any one studio. He began working in the animation industry—at age 17—as an in-between animator on the 1958 film ''

Hakujaden is the first color anime feature film and Toei Animation's first theatrical feature film, released in 1958. It was one of the first three anime films to be released in America, under the title ''Panda and the Magic Serpent'', premiering in 1961 ...

''. His works have won and been nominated for multiple awards, including a nomination for Best Film (''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

'') at the 2001

Festival de Cine de Sitges The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

. Rintaro is a fan of science fiction, and has been influenced by American

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, gangster films,

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, and French films. Additionally, he was influenced by

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him suc ...

, and worked with him on ''

Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the '' Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...

'' and ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' v ...

''. He said that when he was making ''

'', which was based on Tezuka's manga of the same name, he "wanted to communicate Tezuka's spirit". Rintaro personally introduced the film at the Big Apple Anime Fest in 2001, where it was screened before its theatrical release by

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony ...

. Rintaro has also worked under the name Kuruma Hino, in addition to his best known pseudonym and his birth name. His pseudonym is sometimes miswritten as Rin Taro or Taro Rin. He is a founding member of the

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 ...

(JAniCA) labor group.

Biography

Rintaro was born in

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

. His first job in the animation industry was as an in-between animator on the 1958 film ''

'', which he worked on while working at

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Sl ...

. After working on two additional films there, he began working for

Mushi Productions or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...

, the studio run by

. His first directing job was the fourth episode of the 1963 series ''

''. After leaving Mushi in 1971 to become a freelancer, he worked on many TV series and films, and established himself as one of the most respected and well-known anime directors in Japan. In recent years, Rintaro has lectured at

Kyoto Seika University is a private university in Iwakura, Kyoto, Japan. The school's predecessor was founded in 1968, and it was chartered as a university in 1979. The school is noted for its faculties of manga and anime, and being involved in the teaching and trai ...

. Rintaro's brother, Masayuki Hayashi, is himself an anime director and animator with credits including ''

Wandering Sun , also known as ''Nozomi in the Sun'', is a Japanese manga series written by Keisuke Fujikawa and illustrated by Mayumi Suzuki. It also received an anime adaptation by Mushi Productions which ran for 26 episodes in 1971. Both Yoshiyuki Tom ...

'', ''

'', '' Combattler V'' and several Tatsunoko productions including ''

Kerokko Demetan , also known as ''Demetan the Frog'' and ''The Brave Frog'', is a 39 episode anime series by Tatsunoko Productions first aired in 1973. Overview The story is about Demetan (Jonathan in the English version), a poor young frog living in Rainbow ...

'', ''

Dash Kappei is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Noboru Rokuda and first published in 1980 in '' Weekly Shōnen Sunday''. The manga had 158 chapters. The manga was also adapted into a 65-episode anime television series by Tatsu ...

'', ''

The Littl' Bits is a Japanese anime television series with 26 episodes, produced in 1980 by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan in cooperation with TV Tokyo (then an independent station; what became the TV Tokyo network was not organised until 1982, thus the show i ...

'', and ''Okawari Boy

Starzan S , or simply ''Starzan S'', is an anime created by Tatsunoko Productions from an idea by veteran studio director Hiroshi Sasagawa. The series is a "mixture of Star Wars and Tarzan". Canceled at only 34 episodes due to low ratings, the series wa ...

''. Some sources, including ''The Anime Encyclopedia'', erroneously claim that "Masayuki Hayashi" and "Rintaro" are one and the same.

Filmography

Films

Short films

Original Video Animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA ...

TV series

References

External links

* *
Rintaro page at Madhouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rintaro Anime directors 1941 births Living people Madhouse (company) people Osamu Tezuka People from Tokyo