Yuji Moriyama

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Yūji Moriyama (もりやまゆうじ, 森山雄治, Moriyama Yūji, born on January 6, 1960, in Tokyo) is a Japanese anime character designer, animator, animation supervisor and director. He is a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association and a winner of the 4th Japan Animation Awards in the Animation Director category.

Career

Moriyama started helping out with in-between animation when he was a student at Kanto Daiichi High School. After graduating from high school, he joined Studio Musashi, which was recruiting staff through newspaper ads. His first work as an official in-betweener was for Toei Animation's Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace. He then moved to Studio Cockpit, where he worked on Galaxy Express 999, before moving on to NeoMedia. At NeoMedia, he worked on Invincible Robo Trider G7 for Sunrise, Doraemon for Shin-Ei Animation, and Belle and Sebastian for Visual 80. With Invincible Robo Trider G7, he was promoted from in-between to key animation. He left NeoMedia in 1982 to work as a freelancer, starting with Combat Mecha Xabungle and Acrobunch.

The popular anime Urusei Yatsura, in which he participated from the same year, was Moriyama's breakthrough work. With this series, he made his debut as an animation director and storyboard artist, and was in charge of the opening animation for the first time, joining a group of popular animators overnight. Chief director Mamoru Oshii, who was responsible for Urusei Yatsura, expected him to become a partner, so Moriyama tried his hand at manga as well by illustrating a manga written by Oshii that was serialized in the Animage magazine in 1984 called Todo no Tsumari... (とどのつまり…). After the end of Urusei Yatsura, he was selected as a character designer for the later series Maison Ikkoku, and has since been in charge of character design for many other works. In 1987, he won the 4th Japan Anime Awards in the Animation Director category. After that, he shifted from animating to directing.

Moriyama was one of the founding members of Studio MIN, a group of freelance animators, and after MIN was disbanded in 1991, he participated in numerous works since, mainly for Chaos Project and Pierrot. Some of his many pennames include Motoyama Yūji (もとやまゆうじ), Saihō Jōdo (西宝壌土), Kazama Kotarō (風間小太郎), Sunakawa Norihiro (砂川則博), MONTAN, Shibakano Wataya (芝跨野渡也), Shibamata Tōya (柴又十哉), Aran Sumishi (阿藍隅史), Nekobu Nachiko (猫部那智子), and Gyoden Tadao (魚田尹夫).

Filmography

Cream Lemon Part 4: Pop Chaser (1985, OVA), Character Design, Key Animation
Project A-ko (1986, film), Character Design, Animation director^[1]
Honō no Tenkōsei (1991, OVA), Character Design^[2]
Luna Varga (1991, OVA), Character Design^[3]^[4]
Mōryō Senki MADARA (1991, OVA), Director
All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (1992, OVA), Character Design, Animation director^[5]
801 T.T.S. Airbats (1994, OVA), Chief Director, Character Design^[6]
Compiler (1994, OVA), Character Design^[3]
Fire Emblem (1995, OVA), Character Design
Adventures of Kotetsu (1996, OVA), Director^[3]
Agent Aika (1997, OVA), Character Design^[7]
Jungle de Ikou! (1997, OVA), Director, Storyboard, Character Design, Animation director, Original story
Geobreeders (1998, OVA), Chief Director^[3]
Geobreeders 2 (2000, OVA), Script, Character Design, Animation director
Gensomaden Saiyuki: Requiem (2001, film), Character Design
Step Up Love Story (2002, OVA), Director^[8]
Madara (OVA), Director, Character Design
Maison Ikkoku (TV), Character Design
Maison Ikkoku: Kanketsuhen (film), Character Design
Norakuro-kun (TV), Character Design
Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group (OVA), Director, Original creator, Character Design, Animation director
Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody (OVA), Director, Character Design, Original story
Project A-ko 4: Final (OVA), Director, Character Design, Original story
Saiyuki (TV), Character Design
Shrine of the Morning Mist (TV), Director
Tales of Titillation (OVA), Character Design – episode 1
Tokyo Underground (TV), Character Design
Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love (film), Chief Animation Director
Yawaraka Sangokushi Tsukisase!! Ryofuko-chan (OVA), Director, Character Design

References

^ Ledoux, Trish; Ranney, Doug (December 1995). "Anime Genres". The Complete Anime Guide (First ed.). Issaquah, WA: Tiger Mountain Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-9649542-3-0. LCCN 95062359.
^ Sevakis, Justin (April 16, 2013). "Pile of Shame: Blazing Transfer Student". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Toole, Michael (June 16, 2013). "The Mike Toole Show: ADV, Unreleased". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^ Chapman, Paul Thomas (November 16, 2014). "The Vault of Error: Luna Varga". Otaku USA. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^ Ledoux, Trish; Ranney, Doug (December 1995). "Anime Genres". The Complete Anime Guide (First ed.). Issaquah, WA: Tiger Mountain Press. p. 67. ISBN 0-9649542-3-0. LCCN 95062359.
^ Toole, Mike (October 17, 2003). "Airbats, 801 TTS". Anime Jump.
^ "Agent Aika VHS 1: Lace in Space". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
^ Martin, Theron (December 6, 2007). "Step Up Love Story 1 Sub.DVD". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015.