Mahiro Maeda

{{Short description|Japanese anime director (born 1963)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mahiro Maeda

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|3|14}}

| birth_place = Yonago, Tottori, Japan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| signature = Mahiro Maeda autograph.png

| signature_size = 60px

| other_names =

| known_for =

| occupation = Anime director, animator, designer

}}

Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator.{{cite web |last1=Seraki |first1=Dimitri |title=From Daicon IV to Mad Max – Interview with Mahiro Maeda [Archive, July 2016] |url=https://fullfrontal.moe/interview-mahiro-maeda/ |website=Full Frontal |access-date=February 15, 2022 |date=November 9, 2021}}

Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called him "one of the most imaginative visualists in anime".McCarthy, Helen. 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 16. — 528 p. — {{ISBN|978-0061474507}} He also worked on Concept Art and Design for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015),{{cite web |last1=Fischer |first1=Russ |title=See 'Mad Max' Anime Designs by Mahiro Maeda |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/538400/mad-max-anime/ |website=Slash Film |access-date=February 15, 2022 |date=June 22, 2015}} which won six Academy Awards. He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6, Final Fantasy: Unlimited and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.

His design work ranges from 2"He also designed two Angels for NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and the title character for the live-action GAMERA 2." {{cite web |url=http://www.ex.org/5.6/13-feature_gonzo3.html |title=Animators Gone GONZO! (Continued) |accessdate=December 13, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720074744/http://www.ex.org/5.6/13-feature_gonzo3.html |archivedate=July 20, 2008 }} of the "Angels" in Neon Genesis Evangelion to production and mechanical design for such series as {{nihongo|Magic User's Club|魔法使いTai!|Mahō Tsukai Tai!}}, The Vision of Escaflowne and Last Exile. He was also one of the designers for Gate Keepers 21.{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation |date=February 9, 2015 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |isbn=978-1611729092 |edition=3rd Revised |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E03KBgAAQBAJ&dq=mahiro+maeda+gate+keepers+21&pg=PT1104 |access-date=February 15, 2022}}

His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Scott |title=Veteran Anime Creator Mahiro Maeda's "Mad Max: Fury Road" Design Work Showcased |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/06/21-1/veteran-anime-creator-mahiro-maedas-mad-max-fury-road-design-work-showcased |website=Crunchyroll |access-date=March 4, 2022 |date=June 21, 2015}} Maeda is one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as The Animatrix (segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu"). He has also visited the American Anime Expo convention in 2000{{cite web |last1=Solomon |first1=Charles |title=Bringing Anime to Life |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-29-ca-45887-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 4, 2022 |date=June 29, 2000}} and 2003.