is a Japanese

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 ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful

series '' Cowboy Bebop'' and ''

Samurai Champloo is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series. The debut television production of studio Manglobe, the 26-episode series aired from May 2004 to March 2005. It was first partially broadcast on Fuji TV, then had a complete ...

''. An

auteur An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...

of the industry, Watanabe's work is characterized by evocative uses of

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

, mature themes, and the incorporation of multiple genres.

Career

Watanabe was born in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

. After joining the Japanese animation studio

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology ...

, he supervised the episode direction and storyboards of numerous Sunrise anime, and soon made his directorial debut as co-director of the well-received ''

Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/ media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and t ...

'' update, '' Macross Plus''. His next effort, and first full directorial venture, was the 1998 series '' Cowboy Bebop'', which received universal praise and is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime series of all time. It was followed by the 2001 film '' Knockin' on Heaven's Door''. In 2003, Watanabe directed his first American-produced anime, the short films ''

Kid's Story is a 2003 adult animated science-fiction anthology film produced by the Wachowskis. The film details through nine animated short films the backstory of ''The Matrix'' film series, including the original war between humanity and machines which l ...

'' and '' A Detective Story'', both part of

The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...

' '' The Animatrix'', an anthology of animated short stories from ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in The Matrix (franchise), ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Car ...

''. His next directorial effort was the critically acclaimed 2004 anime series ''

'' which began broadcasting on

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network ...

in Japan on May 19, 2004. Following the release of ''

'', Watanabe directed a short film called ''Baby Blue'', which was released on July 7, 2007 as a segment of the anthology film '' Genius Party''. In recent years, he has been active as a creative music producer, overseeing the 2004 film '' Mind Game'', 2008's '' Michiko & Hatchin'', and supervising the storyboards for episode 12 of '' Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode''. In 2012, he directed the anime series '' Kids on the Slope'' (Japanese title: ''Sakamichi no Apollon''), a coming-of-age story about young jazz musicians, which premiered in April 2012 on Fuji TV's Noitamina block. In 2009, it was announced that Watanabe would be working as an associate producer on the upcoming live-action adaptation of ''Cowboy Bebop'', alongside his fellow Sunrise staff members Kenji Uchida and Keiko Nobumoto. During FicZone in

Granada Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, it was reported that Watanabe was collaborating with anime studio BONES on a space science-fiction comedy. BONES subsequently confirmed that the studio was working with Watanabe, but did not confirm the genre of the series. In late 2013, the original trailers for '' Space Dandy'' were released to the public. The dubbed version premiered on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

on its Toonami block on January 4, 2014 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, hours before airing in Japan. He is frequently ranked among Japan's best animation directors. Watanabe directed the anime short film ''

Blade Runner Black Out 2022 ''Blade Runner Black Out 2022'' is a 2017 tech-noir cyberpunk anime short film directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and animated by Cygames Pictures. The short is one of three short films, (with '' 2036: Nexus Dawn'' and '' 2048: Nowhere to Ru ...

'', which was released in 2017. On November 29, 2018, it was announced that he would be creative producer of '' Blade Runner: Black Lotus'', an anime series produced for

and Crunchyroll. in the development of the Netflix live-action He received associate producer credit for one episode and acted as a consultant on each of the ten episodes of the first and only season.

Works

Television productions

;As director: *'' Macross Plus'' (1994) *'' Cowboy Bebop'' (1998) *''

'' (2004) *'' Kids on the Slope'' (2012) *'' Space Dandy'' (2014, chief director) *'' Terror in Resonance'' (2014) *''

Carole & Tuesday is a 24-episode anime television series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. It was animated by studio Bones, in commemoration of the studio's 20th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of record label FlyingDog. It aired from April 11 to Octo ...

'' (2019, chief director) ;Other: *''

The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26- episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony' ...

'' (1996; episode director (5, 8), storyboard artist (5, 8, 12, 16)) *'' Ergo Proxy'' (2006; storyboard artist (19)) *''

Tetsuwan Birdy DECODE is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Yuki. His initial attempt with the story ran in Shogakukan's ''Shōnen Sunday Zōkan'' from 1985 to 1988, but it was eventually abandoned. Over a decade later, Yuki began a rebo ...

'' (2008; storyboard artist (12), episode director (12)) *'' Michiko to Hatchin'' (2008; music producer) *'' Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' (2012; music producer) *'' Death Parade'' (2015; unit director (ED)) *'' Sonny Boy'' (2021; music advisor) *'' Blade Runner: Black Lotus'' (2021; creative director)

Films

*'' Macross Plus: Movie Edition'' (1995; director) *'' Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door'' (2001; director) *'' The Animatrix'' (2003; director, "Detective's Story", "Kid's Story") *'' Mind Game'' (2004; music producer) *'' Genius Party'' (omnibus): ''Baby Blue'' (2008; director) *''

'' (2017; director)

Music videos

*"More" (featuring

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

) –