is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

. 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 w ...

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''. 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 area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

'') at the 2001

Festival de Cine de Sitges SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy, horror and cult films. Established in 1968, the festival takes place every year, usually in ...

. Rintaro is a fan of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

, and has been influenced by American

westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

, gangster films,

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

, 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. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

, and worked with him on ''

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

'' and ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan as , 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 volumes by Akita Shoten. Da ...

''. 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 The Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF) was an anime convention sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors which was held annually between 2001 and 2003 and supported by a consortium of anime and manga companies. History Event history Cancellations Despite confi ...

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 part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...

. 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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

. 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 w ...

, 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 Kyoto, Iwakura, Kyoto, Kyoto, 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 ...

. In 2023, a short film directed by Rintaro, ''Yamanaka Sadao ni Sasageru Manga Eiga 'Nezumikozō Jirokichi'', premiered at the 1st Niigata International Animation Film Festival. 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 Tomino ...

'', ''

'', '' Combattler V'' and several

Tatsunoko 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 Production was e ...

productions including '' Kerokko Demetan'', ''

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 Tatsun ...

'', ''

The Littl' Bits is a Japanese anime television series with 26 episodes, produced in 1980 by Tatsunoko Production in Japan in cooperation with Tokyo Channel 12. The series' Saban-produced English translation was featured on the children's television station ...

'', and ''Okawari Boy Starzan S''. 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 special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

TV series

Books

* ''Galaxy Express 999 movie Storyboard'' (映画「銀河鉄道999」絵コンテ帳). Fukkan.com, 2019.

References

External links

* *
Rintaro page at Madhouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rintaro 1941 births Anime directors Anime people from Tokyo Japanese animated film directors Japanese animators Japanese science fiction film directors Living people Madhouse (company) people Osamu Tezuka