is a Japanese animator, scriptwriter, 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 ...

, and stage director. He has worked under the aliases , , and .

Career

A fan of

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 ...

's works, when Yoshikawa was a sophomore in high school, he saw a "

Mushi Production 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 ...

's first batch of animators wanted" news article and applied for the job, which led him to enter the anime industry. He was planning to go to art college, but was invited to join Mushi Pro, so he quit high school and joined the company. He participated as an animator for the first ''

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 ...

'' series. In 1967, he participated in the founding of Art Fresh with

Gisaburō Sugii is a Japanese anime director and Nihonga artist. He is best known for his work as director of the ''Touch'' series, the movie adaptation of the '' Arashi no Yoru ni'' children's book series, and the movie '' Night on the Galactic Railroad''. He ...

and

Osamu Dezaki , also known as , , or , was a Japanese anime director and screenwriter.

. After working as an animator on Mushi Production's ''

Gokū no Daibōken is a Japanese anime series that was directed by Gisaburō Sugii is a Japanese anime director and Nihonga artist. He is best known for his work as director of the ''Touch'' series, the movie adaptation of the '' Arashi no Yoru ni'' childr ...

'', which Art Fresh participated in, he worked as a freelance animator before becoming a senior director and board member of Dyna-Method Inc. (formerly known as A-UN Entertainment). In addition to serving as episode director, storyboard artist and writer, he also worked as a director. He has participated in ''

Tensai Bakabon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujio Akatsuka, which began publication on April 9, 1967, in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine''. It is about the misadventures of a dim-witted boy (Bakabon) and his idiotic father, the latte ...

'', ''

Star of the Giants is a Japanese sports manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Noboru Kawasaki. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1966 to 1971. It is about the actual baseball team Yomiuri Giants using ...

'', ''

Ashita no Joe is a Japanese boxing manga series written by Asao Takamori (a pen name of Japanese author and manga writer Ikki Kajiwara, and one that's a variation on his real name) and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. The story follows a young man named J ...

'', ''

Moomin The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of white, ...

'', ''

Lupin the Third Part I ''Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one o ...

'', ''

Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 is a Super Robot anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshitake Suzuki, featuring character design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and produced by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1977. The series lasted for 23 episodes. Stor ...

'', ''

Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 , also known as ''The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3'', is a Japanese anime television series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate, and animated by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1978. The series lasted for 40 episodes. ...

'', and ''

Future Boy Conan , also known as ''Conan, The Boy in Future'', is a Japanese post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series. It is an adaptation of American science-fiction writer Alexander Key's 1970 novel '' The Incredible Tide''. It was broadcast for twen ...

''. He is still at the forefront of the animation world. In addition to anime, he created, wrote and directed ''Star Guardian'' with Airship Theater Company, wrote the screenplays for ''Tanoshii Moomin Ikka'' and ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' and wrote and directed ''The Wizard of Oz''. It all started when he was asked by director

Masaaki Ōsumi is a Japanese director known for his work in animated television series and films. Career Ōsumi was born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and graduated from School of Media Science at the Tokyo University of Technology. He got his start in the e ...

to help with the screenplay of ''Aladdin'' for Airship Theater Company's ''Aladdin'' when he was working on the TV adaptation of ''Moomin''. In addition, he has worked on commercials, events, performances and novels. He has been a fan of science fiction since he read ''Shōnen Shōjo Sekai Kagaku Bōken Zenshū'' by Kodansha when he was a kid. One of the reasons that the 100th episode of the '' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' anime contained some problems, inconsistencies, and heavy-handedness in the plot and development is that Yoshikawa, who wrote the final episode, learned that his wife was in critical condition at the time and had to rush through the script and leave it in incomplete form in order to be present for her dying moments. In an interview with

Yasuo Ōtsuka was a Japanese animator who worked with Toei Animation, Nippon Animation, TMS Entertainment, and Studio Ghibli. He was considered to be one of Japan's foremost animators, and he was an important mentor to both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. ...

for the Lupin III Perfect Book: Complete Collector's Edition, he cites

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei ...

, Osamu Dezaki, and Yoshikawa as representative members of the Japanese anime world.

Works

Director

* ''

Tomorrow's Joe is a Japanese boxing manga series written by Asao Takamori (a pen name of Japanese author and manga writer Ikki Kajiwara, and one that's a variation on his real name) and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. The story follows a young man named ...

'' (ep. 15, 27, 39, 44, 50, 57 and 66) * ''

The Mystery of Mamo ''The Mystery of Mamo'', also known as ''The Secret of Mamo'', is a 1978 Japanese animated science fiction adventure action comedy film; it is the first animated film of the ''Lupin III'' franchise created by manga author Monkey Punch. The film wa ...

'' * '' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!''

Screenwriter

* series head writer denoted in bold

Television

* ''

'' (1971) * ''

'' (1971) * '' Zero Tester'' (1973) * ''

Hoshi no Ko Chobin is a Japanese anime television series consisting of 26 episodes. It was created by Shotaro Ishinomori and directed by Rintaro is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of anime. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse ( ...

'' (1974) * '' Gamba no Bouken'' (1975) * ''

Time Bokan is a Japanese anime series first aired on Fuji TV from October 4, 1975 to December 25, 1976 throughout Japan every Saturday at 6:30pm, with a total of 61 30-minute episodes. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcr ...

'' (1975) * ''

La Seine no Hoshi is Japanese anime series by Soeisha (later renamed as Sunrise), which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV from April 4, 1975 and finished its run on December 26, 1975, spanning a total of 39 episodes. The title translates to English as "The Star o ...

'' (1975) * '' The Adventures of Pepero'' (1975): as Kyodo Oda * ''

UFO Warrior Dai Apolon is a Japanese mecha anime television series that was produced by Eiken. There were 47 episodes aired at 25 minutes each. It is also known as "''UFO Senshi Dai-Apolon''", "''UFO Soldier Dai-Apolon''", "''UFO Robo Dai-Apolon''", "''Daiapolon''" ...

'' (1976) * ''

Blocker Gundan 4 Machine Blaster is an anime series aired from 1976 to 1977 in Japan. There are 38 episodes aired at 25 minutes each. It is also known as "''Blocker Army IV Machine Blaster''", "''Blocker Corps IV''", "''Blocker Army IV''", "''Blocker Corps''", "''Machine ...

'' (1976) * ''

Gaiking is a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as ''Dino-Mecha Gaiking'' or simply ''Gaiking''. It ran from April 1976 through January 1977 and cons ...

'' (1976) * '' Paul’s Miraculous Adventure'' (1976) * ''Robot Child Beeton'' (1976-1977) * ''

Ore wa Teppei is a manga written and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. It ran in '' Weekly Shonen Magazine'' for nearly eight years and received an anime adaptation in 1977. The series received the Kodansha Cultural Children's Award (not to be confused with ...

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Chogattai Majutsu Robo Ginguiser'' (1977) * ''

'' (1978) * ''

Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', '' Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', ' ...

'' (1979) * ''Marco Polo no Boken'' (1979) * ''

The Ultraman is a Japanese animated television series co-produced by Tsuburaya Production and Tokyo Broadcasting System and animated by Sunrise. The series aired on TBS Television affiliates on the Wednesday 7:00 PM time slot from April 4, 1979 to Marc ...

'' (1979-1980) * ''

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...

'' (1981) * ''

Game Center Arashi is a Japanese manga by Mitsuru Sugaya, which ran in '' CoroCoro Comic'' from 1978 to 1984. It focus on Arashi Ishino, a young gamer whose life revolves around video games. The manga, which is one of the earliest Japanese video game-themed com ...

'' (1982) * ''

Combat Mecha Xabungle is a Japanese mecha anime television series created by Sunrise and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It was broadcast on the Nagoya TV and TV Asahi networks weekly from February 6, 1982, to January 29, 1983. Promotional toys were produced by C ...

'' (1982) * ''

The Mysterious Cities of Gold ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', originally released in Japan as and released in France as ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or'', is an animated series which was co-produced by DiC Audiovisuel and Studio Pierrot. Set in 1532, the series fo ...

'' (1982) * ''

Armored Trooper Votoms is a Japanese military science fiction mecha anime series produced by Nippon Sunrise, created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi and featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi' ...

'' (1983-1984) * ''

The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Month Club in April 1938. It won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was the best-selling no ...

'' (1983-1985) * '' Galactic Patrol Lensman'' (1984-1985) * ''

Panzer World Galient is a 1984 Japanese fantasy and science fiction anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 5, 1984, to March 29, 1985. Production The series premiered on TV in October 1984 and lasted 25 ...

'' (1984-1985) * ''

Bosco Adventure is an anime television series produced by Nippon Animation, mainly inspired by a book " Storie del Bosco" of the Italian writer Tony Wolf, and other books of this author. The series was very popular in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990 ...

'' (1987) * ''

City Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991 and collected into 35 ''tankōbon'' volumes by its publisher Shueisha. The manga was adapted in ...

'' (1987) * ''Bit the Cupid'' (1995) * '' Monkey Magic'' (1999-2000) * '' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'' (2001-2003)

Movies/OVAs

* ''

Lensman The ''Lensman'' series is a series of science fiction novels by American author E. E. "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the 1966 Hugo award for Best All-Time Series, losing to the ''Foundation'' series by Isaac Asimov. Plot The series begins ...

'' (1984) * ''Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder'' (1985) * ''Armored Trooper Votoms - The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition'' (1988) * ''Armored Trooper Votoms: Shining Heresy'' (1994) * '' Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files'' (2007-2008)

Storyboard

* ''

'' * ''

Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho ''Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho'' is an 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 ...

'' (ep. 7) * ''

'' (ep. 1 and 23) * ''

The Rose of Versailles , also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine ''Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the ser ...

'' * ''

Ace o Nerae! ''Aim for the Ace!'', known in Japan as , is a manga series written and illustrated by Sumika Yamamoto. The series tells the story of Hiromi Oka, a high school student who wants to become a professional tennis player as she struggles aga ...

'' * ''

Fang of Sun Dougram is a 75-episode anime television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise, and aired in Japan from October 23, 1981 to March 25, 1983 on TV Tokyo. A 1983 full-length feature film, ''Dougram: Documentary of the Fang of the Sun'', su ...

'' * ''Armored Trooper Votoms''

Animator

* ''

'' (1963)

Character design

* ''

Novel

* ''Armored Trooper Votoms The First Red Shoulder'' * ''Armored Trooper Votoms The Last Red Shoulder''

References

* *

External links

Dyna-Method Inc. website
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshikawa, Soji 1947 births Living people Sunrise (company) people Anime directors