is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

. 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 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, t ...

''. 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 film, fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world ...

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

, and worked with him on '' Kimba the White Lion'' and '' Astro Boy''. 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 which was held annually between 2001 and 2003 and supported by a consortium of anime and manga companies. History Event history Cancellations Despite confirmed dates for 2004, Big Apple ...

in 2001, where it was screened before its theatrical release by TriStar Pictures. 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 (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 largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. 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. Slump'', ' ...

. 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 '' Astro Boy''. 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 ...

'', '' Kimba the White Lion'', '' 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's headquarters are ...

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 Tatsu ...

'', '' The Littl' Bits'', 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 w ...

''. 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 s ...

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