Yoshiaki Itou
{{Short description|Japanese animator & director}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Yoshiaki Itou
伊藤 良明
| image =
| birth_date = 1967
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| known_for = Kino's Journey: Country of Illness -For You-
Gakuen Alice
Hidamari Sketch
| nationality = Japanese
| occupation = Animator, character designer
| employer = Shaft (1987–present)
| awards =
| years_active = 1987–present
| spouse =
| website =
}}
{{Nihongo|Yoshiaki Itou|伊藤良明|Itō Yoshiaki|lead=yes}} is a Japanese animator and character designer best known for designing the characters to Hidamari Sketch (2007–2013).
Career
Itou joined Shaft in 1987 as an in-between animator, and by 1989 he was promoted to key animator. In 1995, the studio produced its first original televised work, Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger, which featured Itou's promotion to animation director. Shaft received numerous outsourcing jobs throughout the 90s of varying genres and styles, some of which had cute characters and comedy-oriented stories, and others which were more serious and had less-than-cute characters. Itou was particularly involved with the mecha series Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure (1998), which may have led to his other mecha work on Dai-Guard (1999) and Sakura Wars (2000), in which he was also given the responsibility of {{nihongo|mecha animation director|メカ作監}} for a few episodes alongside general key animation and animation direction roles. Itou's first role as a character designer wasn't in-house on a Shaft work, but rather at Group TAC to whom he was lent to.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=247}} Shaft had developed a relationship with Atsuhiro Iwakami, at the time a producer from SME Visual Works (now called Aniplex) after Shaft was outsourced to for a few episodes of Android Kikaider: The Animation (2001); and Group TAC, needing a character designer for Gakuen Alice (2004), received Itou's help as both character designer and chief animation director due to Iwakami's connection to Shaft.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=247}}
Three years later, Itou took on the job of character designer for both Hidamari Sketch and a short film adaptation of Kino's Journey,{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=86}} the former of which began a long-running franchise of anime. Although he had worked on Shaft's titles with director Akiyuki Shinbo (who began a long-standing collaboration with the studio in 2004) prior to Hidamari Sketch, the series was Itou's first time directly working with Shinbo; and having seen Shinbo's prior works, such as Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (2004), Itou was initially nervous.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=87}} Both Shinbo and Ume Aoki, the creator of the Hidamari Sketch manga, thought that he seemed "delicate."{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=87}} Ironically, despite Itou's prior abilities as a mecha animator, he likes cute and warm works, so he felt instantly attracted to Aoki's drawings in the manga.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=89}} He had trouble with designing and drawing the characters, but was able to succeed with Aoki directly helping with the key elements of her drawings.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=89}} Aoki stated that she was relieved for the anime seeing that Itou understood the characters{{endash}}not just in the style of the drawings themselves, but also in the way that he poses the characters{{endash}}and said that his drawings were cute.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=89}} Although Itou also had the role of "chief animation director", he mentioned that he didn't touch the drawings for the second episode of the first season due to the quality of animation director Hideyuki Morioka's drawings.{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=92}} Until 2013, when the anime series ended, Itou continued to design the characters for and act as chief animation director for Hidamari Sketch (and even storyboarded an episode), occasionally helping out as a chief animation director on other series like Natsu no Arashi (2009).
Around 2015, Itou was given the offer by Mitsutoshi Kubota, Shaft's president, to act as a {{nihongo|meal designer|メシデザイン}} and {{nihongo|meal animation director|メシ作監}}{{efn|Otaquest translates the role as "Cuisine Coordinator", but "meal animation director" is a more accurate translation unless Itou is referring to the credit with a different name.}} for Gourmet Girl Graffiti. Itou was given the opportunity since he worked a lot with food-related scenes in the anime he worked on, saying that cooking scenes in TV anime ended up getting passed to him in many cases. Since Gourmet Girl Graffiti is mainly focused on cooking, such a role unifying all of the animators' works into a cohesive approach as far as drawings and even color was necessary. Attaining a visual style proved to be somewhat difficult, as Shinbo's only advice when presented with a design was that it "wasn't quite there yet." He worked closely with the color designer, Yasuko Watanabe, and the director of photography, Takayuki Aizu, to achieve what became the result used in the anime itself. Itou himself was in charge of the design and drawings of the food{{endash}}and he'd also choose which colors to keep and leave out, as well as things like the brightness{{endash}}and Watanabe would color them per her tastes, and the compositors (Aizu) would then add textures and give more input. Itou ended up focusing on the series' odd episodes and splitting the "meal animation director" role with Hirotoshi Arai, who took on the even episodes. Another aspect of the animation front for the series was using a lot of layers for the food to show depth and, generally, to make it look as good as possible; however, such a method isn't particularly workable under most TV schedules, especially on series where the food isn't a focus, so on a scene Itou was responsible for on March Comes In like a Lion (2016), he made sure that the staff only used two or three layers for the food drawings to reduce the time stress on the production staff's plate.{{Cite web |url=https://www.otaquest.com/yoshiaki-ito-interview-pt-2/|title= The Art of Animating "Delicious": Interview With Yoshiaki Ito Pt. 2|website= Otaquest|date= October 25, 2019|access-date= March 8, 2023}}
Works
This is an incomplete list.
=Teleivison series=
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; margin=auto; "
!scope="col" width=5%| Year !scope="col" width=20%| Title !scope="col" width=15%| Director(s) !scope="col" width=10%| Studio !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CD{{efn|name=chardes|Character designer.}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CAD{{efn|name=cad|Chief animation director.}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|AD{{efn|name=ad|Animation director.}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|KA{{efn|name=keyanim|Key animator.}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Other roles and notes !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref(s) |
1987
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |In-between animator | |
1989
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |In-between animator | |
1990
|Kunitoshi Okajima |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1991
|Oh! My Konbu |{{ill|Tetsuo Imazawa|ja|今沢哲男}} |Studio Koriumi |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1992
|Hiromitsu Morita |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1993
|The Irresponsible Captain Tylor |Tatsunoko Production |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1994
|Kunitoshi Okajima |Tatsunoko Production |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1995
|Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Eto Ranger |Kunitoshi Okajima |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
1996
|Setsuko Shibuichi |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="2"|1997
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Battle Athletes Victory
|AIC |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="2"|1998
|Hideki Tonokatsu |Radix |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
Generator Gawl
|Tatsunoko Production |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="6"|1999
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures
|Katsuhito Akiyama |AIC |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
A Pair of Queens
|Takashi Watanabe |Triangle Staff |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Dai Guard
|Seiji Mizushima |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Mecha animation director | |
Now and Then, Here and There
|AIC |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Magic User's Club
|Junichi Sato |Triangle Staff |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="4"|2000
|Takashi Watanabe |Madhouse |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
Sakura Wars
|Madhouse |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Mecha animation director | |
Android Kikaider: The Animation
|Radix |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Dotto Koni-chan
|Shinichi Watanabe |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="4"|2001
|{{ill|Kiyotaka Oohata|ja|大畑清隆}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
The SoulTaker
|Tatsunoko Production |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier
|Japan Vistec |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Mahoromatic
|Gainax |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="3"|2002
|Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful |Hiroyuki Yamaga |Gainax |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
Seven of Seven
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
G-On Riders
|TNK |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="3"|2003
|Shinichiro Kimura |Shaft |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
Kino's Journey
|Ryūtarō Nakamura |A.C.G.T |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
Maburaho
|Shinichiro Kimura |J.C.Staff |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="4"|2004
|{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | |{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=247}} |
Tetsujin 28-gou
|Yasuhiro Imagawa |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
This Ugly yet Beautiful World
|Gainax |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Assistant animation director (Blu-ray version) | |
2005
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="2"|2006
|REC |Ryūtarō Nakamura |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
Negima!?
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="3"|2007
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |{{sfn|Shinbo|2012|p=86}} |
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Ef: A Tale of Memories
|Shin Oonuma |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="2"|2008
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |
Ef: A Tale of Melodies
|Shin Oonuma |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
rowspan="4"|2009
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |
Maria Holic
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |{{sfn|Misaka|2009|pp=99–100}} |
Bakemonogatari
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
Zan Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="2"|2010
|Hidamari Sketch x Hoshimittsu |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | |
And Yet the Town Moves
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="2"|2011
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Storyboard artist | |
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="2"|2012
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |
Nisemonogatari
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2013
|Monogatari Series Second Season |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="3"|2014
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
Mekakucity Actors
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Hanamonogatari
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="3"|2015
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Meal designer |
Nisekoi:
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Owarimonogatari
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
2016
|rowspan="2"|Akiyuki Shinbo |rowspan="2"|Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
2017
|March Comes In like a Lion 2nd Season |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
2018
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="2"|2019
|The Quintessential Quintuplets |Satoshi Kuwabara |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Zoku Owarmonogatari
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="3"|2020
|Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story |Doroinu |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |Main animator |{{Cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-09-08/magia-record-puella-magi-madoka-magica-side-story-anime-1st-promo-reveals-january-delay-more-cast-/.150862|title= Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Anime's 1st Promo Reveals January Delay, More Cast & Staff, Song Artists|website= Anime News Network|author= Loo, Egan|date= September 8, 2019|access-date= March 8, 2023}} |
Lapis Re:Lights
|Hiroyuki Hata |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
Assault Lily Bouquet
|Shouji Saeki |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |2nd key animator | |
rowspan="2"|2021
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
Magia Record: The Eve of Awakening
|Doroinu |Shaft |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |
rowspan="3"|2022
|Magia Record: Dawn of a Shallow Dream |Doroinu |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
RWBY: Ice Queendom
|Toshimasa Suzuki |Shaft |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | |{{Cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-03-24/shaft-animates-new-rwby-tv-anime-rwby-ice-queendom/.183977|title= Shaft Animates New RWBY TV Anime RWBY: Ice Queendom|website= Anime News Network|author= Pineda, Rafael Antonio|date= March 24, 2022|access-date= March 7, 2023}} |
Luminous Witches
|Shouji Saeki |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Assistant animation director | |
rowspan="2"|2023
|Tomonari Tanaka |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
|Kazuki Kawagoe |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2024
|Mashle: The Divine Visionary Candidate Arc |Tomonari Tanaka |A-1 Pictures |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2025
|A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof |Yukihiro Miyamoto |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Main animator | |
=OVAs/ONAs=
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; margin=auto; "
!scope="col" width=5%| Year !scope="col" width=20%| Title !scope="col" width=15%| Director(s) !scope="col" width=10%| Studio !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CD{{efn|name=chardes}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CAD{{efn|name=cad}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|AD{{efn|name=ad}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|KA{{efn|name=keyanim}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Other roles and notes !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref(s) |
1987
|Taiman Blues: Naoto Shimizu-hen |Takao Yotsuji |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |In-between animator | |
1990
|Hidan no O'Clock!! |Osamu Inoue |Toei Animation |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1994
|{{ill|Yuuji Asada|ja|浅田裕二}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="4"|1995
|Inma Youjo |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
SM Girls: Saber Marionette R
|{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Weather Report Girl
|Pastel |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
|Noboru Ishiguro |Shaft{{efn|name=lotgh|Kitty Film Mitaka Studio produced the first 86 episodes and was assisted by various studios, one of which was Magic Bus which contracted Shaft for some sub-contracting work. Following the demise of Kitty Films, K-Factory took over production and outsourced all animation to one of four studios, one of which was Shaft. Gaiden was likewise outsourced to Shaft and other studios by K-Factory.}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1996
|Zero-G Room |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1997
|Legend of Crystania: The Chaos Ring |Ryūtarō Nakamura |Triangle Staff |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1998
|Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden |Noboru Ishiguro |Shaft{{efn|name=lotgh}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
2000
|Kita e. Pure Session |{{ill|Mitsuko Kase|ja|加瀬充子}} |Studio D-Volt |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2002
|Yuuji Mutou |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant chief animation director | |
2003
|{{ill|Shinji Tobita|ja|箕星太朗}} |Studio Kelmadick |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2006
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |Assistant animation director | |
2008
|Goku Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |Assistant animation director | |
2011
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |Assistant chief animation director | |
2012
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | | |
2013
|Hidamari Sketch: Sae & Hiro's Graduation Arc |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
2015
|Yukihiro Miyamoto (1) |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Main animator | |
2016
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
2024
|Monogatari Series Off & Monster Season |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
=Films=
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; margin=auto; "
!scope="col" width=5%| Year !scope="col" width=20%| Title !scope="col" width=15%| Director(s) !scope="col" width=10%| Studio !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CD{{efn|name=chardes}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|CAD{{efn|name=cad}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|AD{{efn|name=ad}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"|KA{{efn|name=keyanim}} !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Other roles and notes !scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref(s) |
rowspan="2"|1988
|Bikkuriman: Muen Zone no Hihou |Toei Animation |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |In-between animator | |
Hiatari Ryōkō! Kasumi: Yume no Naka ni Kimi ga Ita
|Kimiharu Ogawa |Group TAC |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |In-between animator | |
1996
|Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love |Hiroshi Negishi |AIC |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
1999
|Kunihiko Ikuhara |J.C.Staff |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
2007
|Kino's Journey: Country of Illness |Ryūtarō Nakamura |Shaft |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} | |
2013
|Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion |Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} | | |
rowspan="2"|2017
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} | | |
Fireworks
|Akiyuki Shinbo |Shaft |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |2nd key animator | |
Notes
{{notelist}}
=Works cited=
- {{cite book|script-title=ja:まりあ†ほりっく アニメ公式ガイドブック|trans-title=Maria Holic Anime Official Guidebook|publisher= Media Factory|editor-first=Taiji|editor-last=Misaka|year= 2009|isbn= 978-4840129312}}
- {{cite book|script-title=ja:新房語|trans-title=Shinbogatari|last= Shinbo|first= Akiyuki|language= Japanese|year= 2012|publisher= Ichijinsha|isbn=978-4758012591}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Anime News Network|person|33121}}
- {{IMDb name|1582364}}
{{authority control}}